Oodles of Doodles. Watercolor on paper.

Giving away my age here. I apologize in advance for the song headache this post might cause. Here is the link to the cure, a video of Marie Osmond singing Paper Roses. The minute I saw this pile of doodles, the song came to mind. Didn’t leave until I watched the video.

These are not roses though. I suppose they could be. My take on a Ranunculus.

I have been working on a fabric design. Many designs in fact. The project is for upholstering a chair. I have gone through at least a dozen possibilities. But none of them felt right. I think it has been so difficult, because I am designing this for me. And I have come to realize, it is all about the feeling.

The other night, just as I was falling asleep. I remembered something that helped to explain my color choice. I am set on a navy base, with white accents.

One of my first jobs, was cleaning for a physician and family friend. Perfect for after school and weekends. I cleaned her office, and home. At home, there was a navy corduroy chair next to the fire-place. It had soft looking cushions, perhaps down filled, and a matching ottoman.  Seemed warm and cozy. At the same time, I hated cleaning it. They had a big white dog.

Birth of a Pattern

Step one: draw. With a brush.

Taking inspiration from fabrics I love, I worked to distill the elements that mattered most. Simplicity. Clean lines. A repeat that does not call attention to itself.

Step two: choose elements and prep for placement.

For this design, I want line work. not details.  So I delete the white of the paper, and clean up the rough edges. I am working on a grey background (Photoshop) to highlight the areas of paper (white) I have missed.

Pattern WIP.

The green, white and dark blue on the bottom have a color overlay. As you can see, the original color unevenness isn’t a factor. I thought to use only one element, one bloom. Alternating the size and direction would create variation. As it turns out, I have about fifteen that are good options. I will narrow it down to no more than five, and as few as three.

Continuing with the clean up, and then on to placement.

Have a great one!