Surface Design Blog Tour + Giveaway!!

Hello fellow designers and friends!

Today is my turn on the Learn Surface Pattern Design Blog Hop. Yesterday you heard from Christina Ferrer of Mayacoa, and tomorrow we will be moving on to Robin Grudzinski of thedesignest.

Let me Introduce Myself

I'm Jessica, and I'm a newbie to the blogging world, so this has been such a fun learning experience for me! My blog is a work in progress, but I would like to send a shout out to Erin of Poppy Quinn for teaching me how to make blog buttons in a way I could understand! 

Finding CreativeLive

I honestly signed up for CreativeLive just so I could take this course.  Pattern design has been a long time interest of mine, however I felt so overwhelmed with all the technical things I would have to learn in Adobe Illustrator.  As soon as Bonnie Christine mentioned she was teaching "Design Surface Patterns from Scratch", I immediately RSVP'd and marked my calendar! She was teaching exactly what I wanted to know.  If you are interested in taking this three day course too, you can purchase and watch it anytime.  Just click here for more info!

Since then I have found many more exciting courses on CreativeLive...it can really be addicting. :)

Before I Took the Class 

This just illustrates for you just what I was capable of using before I took this class.  Not much eh?

Well I was pretty proud of it at the time...I mean I was just experimenting with things and asking my industrial designer brother what to do.  Actually he's the only reason I knew how to use these things...especially the pattern brush.  I was trying to make something one piece at a time, and he said, "Well why don't you do this!"  Changed my life.  

So...after many many hours of playing with the pen tool, I came up with this!

Many, many hours I tell you...and I was pretty proud of that little butterfly there...not so much any more, but I couldn't believe I had done such a thing at the time.  :)  Also, the rain drops were made with a  pattern brush...I was feeling pretty cool by then.  

After the Lovely CreativeLive Class

I think I more than quadrupled my understanding of Illustrator's tools after this.  This is just some of the tools I now use!!

And one of my most favorite things I learned are the "hot keys".  If you sign up for the CL course, Bonnie made a sweet little "hot key" illustration for you to download and help you get to know these better, because these are such a time saver!!

Above all, I think the most valuable think I learned was how to "live trace" my artwork.  I don't have a Wacom, so everything I do is drawn on sketch paper first, then I take a photo with my phone (rather than scan, it's just so much faster because I have iCloud), and then I drop it into Adobe Illustrator and "live trace" it.  

Here is some of my work that has all been live traced from my sketches!

In the next part of this class, Bonnie teaches you how to take your work and make them into patterns that can become pattern swatches.  These can be printed on fabric, or really anything your heart desires.  This part was really exciting!!

If you want to see my pattern collection that I made for this class, I posted about it here.  If you scroll down you will see all of it!

About Bonnie Christine

I have been a fan of Bonnie Christine ever since I discovered some of her beautiful fabrics.  My favorite was Sweet As Honey! I just had to get this collection and I made an enormous quilt centered around it.  I blogged about it here if you are interested!  Now she has a new line called Winged, and I am in love with that too. :)

Here is Bonnie's Contact Info:

Blog: http://www.goinghometoroost.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goinghometoroost

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gohometoroost

Instagram: http://instagram.com/goinghometoroost

I have also recently joined her "Roost Tribe".  It's been great to be part of a community that has the same interests and is there to help you out.  Anytime I ask a question or post something on the Tribe's Facebook page, I always get a quick response either by the members or Bonnie.  If you want to know more about the Roost Tribe, you can visit her website, or click on this link for a free month of membership!

Now for the Giveaway!!

I've never done this before, but I figured this would be a good time to do a giveaway.  I have made a few art prints using all the skills I've learned recently, and would like to offer one free 8x10 print of your choice to the winner! 

I am even going to frame it for you!

Seriously, your chances are very very high! My goal is to have at least 5 people enter okay? Ha ha! :)

To enter, simply leave me a comment telling me which print you would choose if you won!  

For more entries, share my blog, follow me on Instagram, sign up to follow my blog by email, or just any social media sharing you can think of.  I will give you an extra entry per sharing or following that you do, just be sure to leave me a comment letting me know what you did!

Since the blog hop runs for quite a while, I will announce the winner October 21st!  I know that's a lot of time but I want to give more people who join the blog hop later on a chance. :)

Below are all the prints you will get to choose from if you are the winner!

That's it for today! I hope you remember to check back tomorrow for the next hop.  It's going all through October and even into November so there will be so much more to learn!

Thanks for stopping by!