New patterns, new colours!

Hey dear friends!

 
   Added some new prints in some really new colours that I have not used earlier! I am amazed at myself. Usually I am drawn towards brighter colours, but I dared to try some cool and soft colours too...

 You can see the full collection here.

Happy shopping!

My journey as a 'self-taught' artist

 Hey Friends!
      We have often read and heard this quote 'Practice makes a man perfect.' I personally think it is true...

  I have always believed that if a person can do a particular thing, I can do it too. That person does it naturally whereas I have to learn how to do it. It's a very simple formula--- Treat yourself as a student and learn whatever comes your way.

  As for me, I am a self-taught artist/designer, and I do not hesitate to share this fact to my clients. I started my career quite late in my life. A late bloomer, you can say. But I am happy with what I have got and where I am today. Though it was not an easy one. I am at a place where some designers half my age are... But that's okay. You have to start somewhere. You must believe in yourself and you must be satisfied by your own progress.

  There are times (and will always be) when I ask myself what if I would have gone to a design school... Then, maybe, I would not have to struggle so much to reach where I am today. Life would have been much more smoother as a designer. I would be having all the basic knowledge of designing etc. But, maybe, God had something else in His mind for me and wanted me to learn this way.
                       
Today I am sharing some of my personal experiences as a self-taught person---

1) My clients made me a designer! I remember the day when I got my first real assignment in 2011. It was from a client from Canada. I couldn't complete it that time because I had no knowledge of how prints were made! I still regret of not working for him. He liked my hand-drawings and wanted me to work for him. He even introduced Photoshop to me and taught how to use that software. Funny, it may sound, but it is true! I was taught by my own clients many times although I told them very honestly that I am no designer, just a full-time mom and drawing was my hobby.

 2) Taking online classes.  After doing a few works of my 'teacher clients' I decided to take this designer part seriously. 'Where to learn this skill from?' was the biggest question before me. Now, that I was a mom of two small kids and couldn't leave them all by themselves at home, I decided to learn online. I enrolled in a few online design courses (and still doing it to learn new ways to improve myself as a designer).

 3) Making new friends. Through these online courses I met some great artists and designers. We have amazing groups on Facebook, and the people in there are very supportive. They all are a darling. From watercolour artists to print designers to licensing agents, I have a really long list of lovely friends for lifetime!

 4) Make Google your friend. Search Google for whatever you want to learn. Your knowledge is just a click away. I learned from so many tutorials about how to create patterns, textures etc. Or, how to create a correct file size for my work, how to make a PDF/Zip files etc. It was so frustrating at times when there was no one near me to help me with these simple problems.

 5) Challenging myself and trying new things. As I told you earlier that I always believe that if a person can do a particular thing, I can do it too. I have this fighter spirit in me. I often challenge myself to create those new techniques in my designs and patterns that other designers are doing. Though sometimes I don't reach exactly there, yet it makes me come out of my comfort zone and create something that I may not have been tried otherwise. And that's good too.

 6) Accepting my failures. Entering design competitions are a good way to test yourself. We all want to be the winner but not every time we are the winners. Right? Sometimes we are not even in the top 50! It happens with me almost every time... Accept that. Don't get disheartened. Learn from your mistakes and try to improve yourself with a new spirit.

 7) Don't wait for that right moment. There is no such thing as a right moment. Have a blog/website/instagram to share your creative journey. You will surely be amazed by your own progress. Sometimes I feel ridiculous of sharing those early images in my blog, but that's the only way I can see my progress. I have not removed a single drawing from my blog, it inspires me and motivates me to give my best each time. At that time those drawings were the best for me. And don't forget that I got work through them! You don't know what tomorrow holds for you...

 8) Don't wait until you have learned it all. I realized that I can never learn all the things in my life. Learning is a continuous process. Keep learning new ways to improve your skills and keep growing. Submit your work to art directors. Don't be afraid of getting a reply in 'no/sorry' etc. It is always better to hit that 'send/submit button' rather than regretting for the rest of your life. Learn as you create.

 9) Don't always rely on the client's perspective. Soon after receiving my first few rejection mails I found out that there are two types of clients. One- there are clients who love your artwork and want to work with you, but want to see your design degrees first. Two- there is another category of clients who don't even bother if you are a design graduate as long as you have the talent that they are searching for... They are interested only in your work not your degrees! Yes, it's absolutely true. I was contacted by someone through Linkedin who really liked my work wanted me to work for his company as a freelancer. He further asked for my design degrees and my portfolio. I told him that I don't have any degree in designing because I am not a design graduate, he was amazed to know that. I believe that he was really amazed by this news because he stopped further conversation...

 10) Be brave and fight for your right. You have worked hard to reach at a place where you are recognised as a designer/artist. You should be brave enough to fight with the world for your rights. I have learned these three funny things as a freelance designer-
    1) Posting your work on the internet means that they are free to be used by other people. This is exactly what people have in mind who use your work as their own! Ah Lovely!
    2) You must know that it is a crime to copy original artworks and to sell it without permission. You can't catch all these copycats, it's a waste of time. But if you find someone selling your original artworks as their own then let them know immediately. Email them. Fight with them for your right. Keep fighting until you are satisfied. Internet is a good place to let the world know a bit more about you-- the fighter!
    3) If you find your work on a blog/websit that doesn't credits you, please email that person reminding that the work originally belongs to you. Don't fight this time. Instead, promote that post all over the internet to tell the world that your work has been showcased there!!! Feel proud that people love your work!  Ha.. ha..

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  I feel so proud of myself being a self-taught designer. I am blessed that I have such helpful clients and friends in my life. I feel proud paving my way through the rough roads and trying to carry on my journey with my two daughters and a super supportive husband. Love you darling. Love you even more for being there with me all the time...

Great news! Ginja Licensing and Marketing is my new agent in Israel

Hey gorgeous friends!

          I am so happy to share this great news with you. I have joined Ginja Licensing and Marketing.

  'Ginja Licensing and Marketing is a licensing agency based in Israel that specializes in building high value licensing programs for international brands and designers.'

   We found each other on Facebook and decided to work together. Amazing things can happen almost anywhere, isn't it?

Thank you for sharing my happiness with you :)
Have a super-duper day!

Life with Lilla Rogers, Part-3

Hello lovelies!

       Last week I entered Lilla Rogers' Global Talent Search competition. The brief was super lovely and super fun. Lilla gave us a fictional character, Sunny Spindler, who owns a charming candy shop and café. Lilla asked the participants to design a teacup and napkin set for Sunny’s beautiful café -- teacup + saucer + napkin. She provided us with tons of inspiration and reference from photographs to get us motivated.

      Lilla gives the brief in such a descriptive way so that the readers can actually visualise the whole scene. She makes her readers go deep into the brief and enjoy the moments, play with the characters/or play the characters themselves, and then think about what the character would actually do in that situation.

     I first planned to make an elaborated tea set --- a tray containing a milk pot, sugar pot, biscuits and tea bags, etc. But then thought why only one tea set? If I am 'SUNNY' myself then I can't have only one type of tea cups for my customers. No way. I am a bohemian myself. I love mix and match things in my home. I never drink my 'masala chai' in the same tea cups/mug daily then why torture my customers??? NOPE!

    Then the Sunny in me created a 'Mix and Match' tea set for my cute shop. I think the customers would love to have their favourite tea served in these cups. Don't you think the same?

   The typography idea was from my daughter. Infact, my name in the above image is written by my 12 year old daughter! It looks so lovely there, and it goes perfectly with the overall mix 'n' match idea too.


   Hope you love my work.
   Happy weekend!

Life with Lilla Rogers, Part 2

Hello dear friends!

     I am so happy to share with you all the assignments of  Lilla Rogers, MATS-B. As you know I really loved doing MATS-A (you can read about it here). MATS-B was equally exciting and (a bit) challenging.

     OK, before I start with the first assignment, let me tell you about the top image. This was my submission for the 'Uppercase Magazine' cover page. YES! Although my work didn't get selected but it was a great fun to think about all those gorgeous colour palettes, and prints and patterns that the fabric market covers. I chose a few Abstract patterns, Gingham, Kids (cutie birds), Ikat, Chevrons, Geometrical, Vintage/Retro, Dots and spots, Arabic/Persian, Floral etc. I restricted myself to a limited colour palette (that was the hardest part! You know I am totally in love with all those bright colours)... But I think it came out quite fabulous. I personally love this cover page and would love love love to have it printed on my first 'print and pattern' book as a cover page! Don't you think so? Hmm...? I named it 'GLOBAL EXPLOSION' --- an explosion of world's popular fabric print categories!

    So, let us start with the 'Baby Apparel' market (my favourite!). I named it 'Good Luck Baby!' Bright colours, sweet floral and stripes patterns for her dresses, soft boots for her tiny feet, embroidered bibs etc. I added some accessories with this baby collection- a doll and cute bangles... I can't think a baby girl without these :)

  The second is the 'Editorial' market, and our job was to make our city map/any city map. I currently live in New Delhi, so I thought of creating a lovely illustrated map of Delhi.

     Next is the huge 'Paper Market'-the greeting card market! We were given to create a winter holiday cookie card, non-religious.

     Now comes another category in this paper market- the 'Party Paper'. The theme was Ukranian folk art.

  Another large category in paper market is the 'Scrapbooking' market, and our assignment was to create a Vintage Cruise Themed scrapbooking papers and clip arts. I tried my best to create a vintage cruise themed setting...

 Hope you enjoyed my MATS journey with me!

 Thank you.
Have a lovely time...

Life with Lilla Rogers, Part-1

Hello dear friends,
         
                    How are you? Hope you all are absolutely fine. I am fine too!

This month I was busy with my online course with Lilla Rogers, Make Art That Sells-A. I thought of sharing all my submissions after completing my MATS-A (Part 1). So, here are all the assignments that I submitted according to the particular market.

I loved creating each and every project that was given to us. Some were simple to do and some really challenged me (but in a good way)! For example, the book cover assignment for kids... My first reaction to it was oh no, character drawing, grrr... But then I thought 'it is very easy to quit what you don't love doing but it is tough to accept it as it is...'. So, I accepted the challenge and drew a cat, a princess, a prince, and (ahem) a horse with wooden look. Although I know that character drawing is not my forte, yet I did it, and now I am not afraid of drawing human figures or animal characters anymore. YIPPEE...


                 

Creating icons/motifs for home decor was my favourite assignment. You know I like making surface  patterns. Here the theme was Staffordshire Pottery. Drawing birds and other figures that were commonly used in these pottery. I chose a bird and a 'hen-in-her-basket' (as a tag). The flowers are also taken from the Staffordshire pottery, but done in my way.                          

                     

  

'The White Cat'. written by Madame la Comtesse  D'aulnoy 1682, illustrated by me! I love the effect of the dense forest where the 'White Cat' lived. I loved giving it a little vintage look. I enjoyed doing the textures, the greenery, the wooden horse, and the bright shiny blue eyes, and ''... and we lived happily ever after'' text! 

               

The wall art assignment was limited to two colours- Yellow and Green, with the additional use of taupe, grey, brown, beige and neutral colours. I used a lots of textures here. We were allowed to have fun-UNLIMITED! No boundaries, no limitations, just plain fun. I created a wall art piece that I would love to decorate my living area with. 

I wrote this quote for myself, its very inspiring, isn't it?

About my vintage kitchen collection I have already written a full blog post. You can read it here.

Doing peacocks and butterflies, flowers and twigs, patterns and textures etc. for a really big carry-all pouch was total fun to do. I am so happy with the dramatic look. Revealing a little secret- I had never ever drawn a real peacock before, really. This happens when you join an e-course you love, you do whatever you are told to, but with love... I added some tiny coin purse mock-ups. I love love love the key chains. Won't you love to have a pretty butterfly as your hand bag accessory, or some pompoms attached to your purses? I would love to have those small lovely accessories for me too...

Yes, this WAS a bit long blog post than I imagined. Hope you enjoyed it with me. See you all very soon!

Cook With Love-kitchen collection

Hello dear friends!

                 Recently (a week ago) I joined Lilla Rogers ecourse- MATS-A. Should I say that the course is simple wonderful? Or do you want to hear that Lila is a superb teacher??? Ahaa! Yes, you guessed right. MATS-A is a super-duper ecourse, and Lila Rogers is the kind of teacher we all want in our lives if we want to achieve something more that just great!

        The ecourse (MATS-A/Make Art That Sells-part A) is packed with Lila's great knowledge-- lots of videos and PDF's to read & download, and lovely assignments to do.

      I have completed my first week- Bolt Fabric Market.

       My assignment was to create a print for the bolt fabric market. The brief that Lila gave was to create a 'VINTAGE KITCHEN THEME', Pyrex, macaroni/pasta, herbs, etc. The colours should be no more that 10, with a dark background.

      I loved to draw something that I had never tried before- food and kitchen utensils... But, it was such a fun to draw the jars, casseroles, salt and pepper shakers, spoons and forks etc. I took the liberty to add some vintage patterns too...

   I love this 'vintage kitchen collection' in bright yet vintage-y colours... I hope you love it too!

See you soon...

Funny polka dots and Pantone colours

Hello!

    I have changed with time. Just like you.

     I made this happy pattern years ago using only two colours- blue and black with a touch of green as outlines (the last one in the collection below). I was not at all sure what to do with this pattern.

     But then how can I stop myself from playing with this really cute pattern... I have really changed with time and start seeing things in a different way.

    When I thought of redoing this pattern in some happy colours, it reminded me of a room full of colourful balloons, or a garden full of colourful wild flowers, or the colours of Holi... I let my mind run as far as it could and then I collected some lovely and lively Pantone colours to go with my playful mood. Depicting a little Spring and Summer seasons, I re-created the older one. Changing it a bit here and there- rotating a few, resizing a few, adding a few and removing a few, too.

 And here is, at last, my newest collection in black & white, and in multicolour. You can see it on various home products in my SOCIETY6 store.

  The patterns are available for sale. Please contact me if you are interested.

Thank you!

Beautiful Spring -Summer products for your home

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Hello,

   Some cool and pretty home products to feel the freshness of Spring and Summer! Bright colours, lots of pinks and some pops of oranges and greens too... Come, let us re-decorate our homes this Summer.

You can shop them here-
1) Coral pillow
2) Dots pillow
3) Pink pattern pillow
4) Summer shower curtain
5) Tree of love rug

Enjoy the Spring!

Hand-drawn floral design for painting

Hey everyone,

       How are you? I hope you all are absolutely fine! Now, that the Spring has already made her way on most places around the world, why not bring her in our homes too. But this time not in the flower- pots and vases but on the walls, or on table mats, or on pillow covers...
       I thought of posting this cute little drawing of beautiful flowers, with leaves and twigs for you all to paint or to embroidery... Nice idea, isn't it?
       So, take out your colour boxes and brushes and mixing palettes, or embroidery threads and frames and needles, and get started. I used pencil colours here but I am planning to try this in water colour. And may be I would do some embroidery too.
     
       A few weeks ago I posted another floral motif for you. Click here to see that post.

       I would love to see how you used this drawing to decorate your lovely home. Feel free to share it with me. This floral drawing is for your own personal use so, please do not sell or use this in your private business. Please contact me if you are interested in my work. Thank you :)

Have a beautiful day!

Orange- the happy colour

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 Hello Monday!

   Orange is a very happy colour. Think of a garden full of marigolds, the beautiful sunsets, the fruit- orange- from which the name has been taken, ripe pumpkins...

  I love this colour because it gives an instant shine to any thing and any place. Use this colour to decorate your home and it will make the place vibrant and cheerful. It flows a positive energy in me.

  I love to use this colour in my patterns-
 1- Digital paper for gift wraps, scrapbooking and other craft purposes.
 2- Mug for your morning coffee time.
 3- Notebook, to write down all those lovely thought that flows inside your mind.
 4- Cutting board for your kitchen.

Enjoy your day!

Declutter and reorganize your life in 5 simple ways

Hello,
    De-clutter your home and Reorganize your life--- for a happy you!

  The word declutter makes me think quickly about some sort of 'mental and physical work' together. 'Spring cleaning' sounds and feels more relaxing as if I am going to enjoy the beauty of the Spring season while clearing the clutter of my home.

  What actually is Decluttering? How can you (and I) make this task not so tedious? When and how often should we plan to clean the clutter from our sweet homes? There are a lots of questions in everybody's minds but only a few have the ability to make the task easy and fun.

  There are a few simple, tried-and-tested rules to keep a house clean and clutter-free.

 1) Is it beautiful or useful? As we all know the saying, 'there should be not a single thing in your home that is not beautiful or useful to you'. This simply explains us to not to keep anything more than we need in our life. If you love to decorate your house with some indoor plants or paintings or with some cute small artefacts, then you must see that it doesn't give a cluttered look. You should know how much décor items are enough. Sometimes being a minimalist brings happiness to our souls.

  2)  Have you used it in a year or two? People often say if you haven't used a thing in a year then it is possible that you won't be needing it any more. But I think you should give a few things (only a few things) a second chance before dumping it into the 'give away' bag. Sometimes a stole, a pair of sandals, bangles, story books, etc. were not made to be used at that time. May be now is the time, may be this year... You will see sometimes a second thought was worth it. After all, you invested your money in it, don't let it go wasted.

  3) Is it a memory? It is quite difficult to part away with beautiful memories- happy or sad. Childhood pics (too faded to recognise the smiling faces), kids' first toys, your grand-mom's embroidered hankies, your favourite pen (that no longer works), dried roses (reminder of your first love)... Do you really need those things now??? Rethink. If yes, make a digital copies of all those old photos. Buy a really beautiful box to keep your kids' childhood memories in it to show them when they grow up (I have done that too!). And for all those dried flowers and cards and hankies etc, make a lovely scrapbook with good quality papers to hold those treasures till your lifetime...

  4)  Random things like a bag full of colour boxes, chocolates, small toys and dolls (your child got as return gifts from birthday parties), old/new clothes you won't wear any more, crockery and cutlery you don't use, old books and children story books, old sweaters and blankets, furniture, guitar, buckets... the list becomes endless when it comes to see the actual usefulness of our belongings. I will not say to throw them in the garbage area. Give them to those who are in need of these things. Ask your household helper if he/she finds anything useful for their homes, or do they know anyone who can use these things.

  5) Craft and creative things like fabric 'leftovers', buttons, threads, embroidery frames and other supplies, ribbons and laces, beads and sequins, craft scissors and other accessories, etc. that you once collected for your hobbies, give them to someone who makes handmade things. Ask online for a 'creative' give-away, or, ask your nearest craft supplies dealer if he knows anyone who might be interested in getting this treasure for free! You will not only get a home for your craft supplies but also you will get a few good friends to share your own creative knowledge with.
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  Everyone loves a clean, clutter-free and stress-free home. There are only a few ways to keep your happy place free from any clutter, forever.

   * Your desires are unlimited BUT the storage space at your home is limited. Remember this.                  Always.
   * Think twice before you buy.
   * Don't get tempted by the 'SALE' word.
   * Avoid impulsive shopping. Whether it is just a cute ceramic platter, a very beautiful scarf, an oh-         so-pretty soap dish. Ask yourself- Do I really need this? Continue asking this question until your         husband pushes you out of the store.
   * Not every pretty thing is made for me-- keep repeating this whenever you loose confidence.
   * Give cash gifts to avoid clutter at your friends' homes too.
   * Make it a daily routine to check the unwanted things on the desk and other surfaces while dusting.       Newspaper, empty envelops, etc.
   * Twice in a week check your fridge and kitchen store for leftover food.
   * Check for expiry dates on food products monthly.
   * Make it a habit of removing the clothes, footwear, other accessories that you think you'll not need       in the next Summer while storing them in Winter...
   * Twice or thrice in a year check the expiry dates of the medicines.
   * Start with smaller and simpler cleaning areas first.
   * Take your family's help too. Time to time remind the children to keep their spaces clean.
   * Putting the things back to their respective places after use will avoid clutter.
   * Reorganize what is still left with you. Happily and religiously.
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   Freeing your home with unwanted things is not an easy task when every little thing has its own story to tell.

  I never think of decluttering as 'get rid' of things. Some of these are the same things that we brought into our homes with great love and pride, once upon a time... I know it is hard to part with what you love.

  Thank you.

Cute flower motif for embroidery

Hello!

    These days I am busy drawing some very cute little motifs for my own personal projects. (Thinking of some attractive and creative ways to keep my daughters busy after their final exams! Some cute and small projects for them to keep them occupied in their free times.)

    Here I am sharing a small floral motif for your embroidery project.
   
    You can do embroidery or paint this floral motifs on hankies, table runners, frocks, pillow covers... Add some tiny beads and lovely sequins to it for that extra glimmer.

Have a creative week!

New year, new designs

A very very HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016 to all my lovely friends!


Working on some new designs, 'Indian-style' intricate designs.

Have a lovely day!