Launching!

Wanted to let you know I've been mighty busy with a new launch! I am so excited to tell you about it but I can't go into too many details right now. Just know that it's going to combine many of the things I love. I'll keep you posted in the weeks to come!

Cheers!
~Barbra

Pineda Covalin: Mexico's pattern-loving heritage gone chic


Today I'm blown away by Pineda Covalin, a Mexico-based fashion house, whom I discovered today through a client. I am amazed at all the surface pattern inspiration and the uniqueness of the prints. These are at once colorful, expressive and chic. The collection expands from home interiors to accessories to clothing. A feast for the eyes! Since I'm pretty much in LUST with Latin cultural influence, be it food, tequila, or the happy bright colors that Mexico is fond of, the Pineda Covalin brand completely calls to me.


"The company’s main purpose is to expand the richness of Mexican culture and traditions all over the world through fashionable designs on silk ties, scarves, hadbags, cushions, and other fine products. Each unique design is inspired by Mexican cultural and historical themes such as: Prehispanic culture, Mexican traditions, Mexican mysticism, and Mexican painters (Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera). (via Art Soleil)"

 
And this Barbie I found randomly on the innerwebs:
She's apparently in a Pineda Covalin design. Awesome! (And I'm very jealous of her.)

Check out the site - the fashion shows make me drool a lil bit. Especially the Spring/Summer 2010 one.

I'm excited to be working with this inspiration and will be posting the project I'm working on soon!

favorite reading

Selected books about Surface Design, Design Business + Illustration:

Digital Textile Design: Portfolio Skills by Melanie Bowles + Ceri Isaac
Has really useful info about building different repeats and the emerging digital textile design technologies.
 
Illusive  - 1, 2 + 3 by Robert Klanten + Hendrik Hellige
These are three different books in the same "Illusive" edition. All the inspiration in these books is gorgeous. 
 
The Business Side of Creativity by Cameron Foote
Easy to understand advice on running a creative business. 

52 Weeks of Blogging Your Passion by Tara Gentile
Very insightful e-book about creating relevancy in your posts (for you + your readers), how to make your blog a great web marketing tool, and bring traffic and great conversation to your product. 

Licensing Art 101 by Michael Woodward
Actually I'm not that thrilled with this book, as it does seem outdated* ( ha! not terribly old - 3rd Edition - 2007); however it does lay out the steps you should take if you're serious about licensing your art. Of course, it really is the only book out there about art licensing tho so.... I did bookmark a ton of pages, so it does seem worth the $.
*By the "outdated" comment, I mean the advice it gives for cataloging your work is old (index cards?), contacting potential licensees (c'mon - does anyone really send mailers anymore?), and some of the language it uses was a bit too "old school" and not relevant for our current internet-savvy, tech-savvy times. It read like a book I got when I first graduated college - 10 years ago! Perhaps an updated edition is in the stars?

I just ordered ~ (and will be reviewing)
Florence Broadhurst: Her Secret & Extraordinary Lives by Helen O'Neill
Over and Over: A Catalog of Hand-Drawn Patterns by Michael Perry

What are your favorites? Please hollaback! Always looking for good book-perusing advice.

Mythical Sea-Hooping Fabric Now for SALE

 

Mythical Sea Hooping is now ready for purchase at my Spoonflower shop!

I am developing the rest of the collection, but this "star of the bunch" is ready for making into all kinds of cute things!

Soon I'll get some actual photos of the fabric printed. So much goings on!