I designed these patterns while planning my wedding in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. I wanted to ensure our special day was nothing less than this vibrant, Frida Kahlo, Mexican Fiesta-inspired celebration surrounded by all the bright colors that brought me the most joy. So if I couldn’t have a grand wedding at a winery with flowers galore, I decided to design my own patterns with the flowers I wished I could still see. Our wedding turned out to be this small Zoom affair in my family's backyard, but I wouldn't have traded the world for it. My father married us under a trellis of multi-colored tissue paper flowers, and my designs made their appearance in our decorations after all. Instead of floral centerpieces, I printed my floral patterns on paper and wrapped wine bottles with them like sleeves. All my colorful patterns filled the screens of our loved ones who came together virtually across the country, and the smiles shared that day were infectious.
Maybe not every day can be this grand celebration, but maybe the elements in this collection can inspire others with hope. That the joy people see in my collection, may encourage an opportunity to find joy in making the most of what we already have inside of ourselves, just waiting to be shared.
My studio is a patchwork of inspiration and color everywhere you look. With space to sketch, craft, and get to work behind my screens, I have all the tools at my fingertips to make my visions come to life.
I like to keep a daily sketchbook of doodles and whatever comes to mind when putting pen to paper. This process helps me to get abstract filler shapes in my patterns, and organic, often floral forms that come from my unique style.
Then I will immerse myself in nature or the subject I want to capture. These often involve long walks around my neighborhood, where I’ll stop to take pictures of every leaf and flower that catches my eye. I’ll then import these photos onto my computer and make sketches from them directly in Adobe Illustrator.
I will then scan several pages of my sketches that have elements of a similar theme to my photos. Then together, I’ll start gathering a group of refined versions of both pieces I have vectorized to the side of my art board. Then I’ll create a colored square and start experimenting with the placement of these elements together on that background.
For this blue pattern below, I actually captured many of the main leaves featured within it while on a camping trip.
Other times, I will draw directly onto a photo I have locked in a half opacity layer on my ipad. Toggling back and forth through different options of outlines or fills, this helps to speed up my process of sketching and playing with color and placement all at once, while still feeling the connection to my work with an artist’s pen, or apple pencil this way still in my hands.
