ABSPD students attend Global Art Gathering

One of the great things about the Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design e-courses is the community of friends you make online. There’s always someone at their computer, somewhere in the world, willing to give you feedback or answer an urgent PhotoShop question.

Sometimes groups of students arrange to meet in real life and this month a gang of us came together at the Make Art That Sells: Global Art Gathering in Brighton, where our very own Rachael Taylor was one of the guest speakers.

(Photo Credit: Debbie Joliff)

Margo Tantau, Joanne Hus and Rachael Taylor answer questions from Beth Kempton about making your mark and branding.

It was an awesome day of creativity, inspiration, valuable insight and laughs. Here’s what the gang of ABSPD-ers made of the day.

Name

Emma McGowan

Where did you travel from?

I live in Brighton, so I only had a 15-minute stroll. I think I probably had the shortest journey of everyone!

What expectations did you have beforehand?

I knew from the Facebook groups that people would be friendly but I wasn’t sure what I’d actually get from the day. I hadn’t expected so much good information and the incredible energy and atmosphere, or to get such a great goodie bag – a Rachael Taylor tote stuffed with books, magazines and discounts. There was even a nail varnish each!

What was the highlight of the day for you?

I went on a shopping tour of Brighton the day before, lead by artists’ agent, Lilla Rogers, of Make Art That Sells-fame. It was so brilliant browsing the shops and having Lilla give impromptu classes about trends and how to get your own work to ‘pop’ on the shelf. It was also fantastic to actually meet everyone in real life. It’s like we’ve been internet dating forever and we finally went on a massive blind date!

(Photo Credit: Debbie Joliff) Rachael Taylor tote bags stuffed with goodies!

What was the main thing you learned?

Get on Instagram. That message came out loud and clear, particularly from Margo Tantau of CBK Midwest. Art buyers are on Instagram looking for new work all the time. And linked to that, be professional in all your social media channels… you never know who’s watching!

Where are you at in your surface pattern design journey and what’s next?

I’m a freelance copywriter by trade and in the past couple of years I’ve also been working as an illustrator – I’ve recently been commissioned to illustrate a book, my first ever! But my greatest passion is surface pattern. The Global Art Gathering has inspired me to start approaching agents and buyers. Thanks to the ABSPD, I’m in a pretty good place with my work. I just needed the confidence to take things to the next level.

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Emma has completed Modules 1 – 3 of the Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design, and is signed up for the Ultimate Portfolio Builder course in September.

Emma’s English-themed tea towel assignment, submitted before the event and reviewed on the day © Emma McGowan 2015

Connect with Emma

Website: www.emmamcgowan.co.uk

Instagram: www.instagram.com/emmajmcgowan

Twitter: @illustrious_em

Name

Cathrin Gressieker

Where did you travel from?

Oldenburg in Germany

What expectations did you have beforehand?

Honestly, I didn’t expect anything in particular, I was just very, very much looking forward to it. I had a little 365-day project last year, where I collected all the 2 Euro coins that landed in my purse. I made 682 Euros! I decided to spend the money on something I wouldn’t normally do, something that was just for me. So when I heard of the Global Art Gathering in Brighton, I knew I had found the perfect event to spend this money on.

What was the highlight of the day for you?

I won the prize for the Instagram photo of the event!

The whole event was perfectly organised and absolutely surpassed everything I might have imagined beforehand. It was also wonderful to get to know Rachael Taylor and Beth Kempton, who put together the ABSPD courses, in person!

Networking over tea in the beautiful Brighton Dome café

What was the main thing you learned?

The main thing that all the speakers emphasised was to follow your own bliss, listen to your own creative voice, not to look too much at what other artists are doing (but definitely be on Instagram!) and let your personal voice shine in your art.

Where are you at in your surface pattern design journey and what’s next?

I am very much motivated and inspired now to start showing my work more and hopefully I’ll start licensing soon.

—

Cathrin has completed Modules 1 – 3 of the Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design and is currently taking the Ultimate Portfolio Builder.

Blue Wisteria © Cathrin Gressieker 2015

Connect with Cathrin

Website: www.cathringressieker.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/cathringressieker

Here’s Cathrin’s winning Instagram picture

Name

Lucy Essex

Where did you travel from?

Round the corner in Hove.

What expectations did you have beforehand?

I was looking forward to meeting lots of like-minded pattern designers in the flesh, for the first time ever!

What was the highlight of the day for you?

There were so many! Meeting all the pattern designers, those starting out and those more established. It was great meeting so many talented and hard working people. I felt so inspired I was walking on clouds for days after.

What was the main thing you learned?

That there is room for everyone’s style but it’s all about putting yourself out there and working very hard. That’s what sets the successful designers apart.

Where are you at in your surface pattern design journey and what’s next?

Before I did ABSPD, all I knew was that I loved drawing. Having done the course I feel much better equipped to go out there and design for specific markets. I now know how to go about getting my designs seen and picked up by buyers.

My next steps are to work on lots more patterns and designs, finish my website, work on getting exposure, start approaching companies and become an internationally best-selling brand… just like that!

—

Lucy has completed Modules 1 – 3 of the Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design.

© Lucy Essex 2015

Name

Adriana Hernandez

Where did you travel from?

Munich, Germany.

What expectations did you have beforehand?

I didn’t really have many expectations other than meeting illustrators and artists with whom I’ve had lots of online conversations about a similar passion for art.

What was the highlight of the day for you?

Meeting everyone in person for the first time!

What was the main thing you learned?

I learned that being myself “with a vengeance” is the key to a signature style and a unique presence in the illustration world.

Where are you at in your surface pattern design journey and what’s next?

I’m somewhere in the middle of my surface pattern design journey. I have many patterns but nothing published yet. I plan on continuing to submit my designs to potential clients, and try my hand at stationery and greetings cards as well as the paper market.

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Adriana is currently doing the Ultimate Portfolio Builder course.

Connect with Adriana

Website: www.adriprints.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/adriprints

Facebook: www.facebook.com/adriprintspress

One of Adriana’s collections created on the Ultimate Portfolio Builder course © Adriana Hernandez 2015

Name

Alice Kammerlander

Where did you travel from?

Vienna in Austria.

What expectations did you have beforehand?

I was really looking forward to meeting other surface pattern designers and people who have been in this industry a far longer time than me, making some new and inspiring connections, and meeting the people I usually see online for real!

What was the highlight of the day for you?

To meet these fantastic artists and agents and just to have the possibility to chat and get to know them a little. It was so well organised by Beth Kempton and her team, for example the live music. I loved that!

What was the main thing you learned?

To be myself and to listen to my inner voice, use Instagram and social media, and not be too shy to ask questions.

Where are you at in your surface pattern design journey and what’s next?

At the moment I am doing the Ultimate Portfolio Builder course, which I can highly recommend to everyone, and I’m working on my portfolio and my signature style. My goal for the next few weeks is to get my website going so that I can go out there and show work/art/joy.

—

Alice has done Modules 1 – 3 of the Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design and is currently taking the Ultimate Portfolio Builder course.

Connect with Alice

Website: www.alicekammerlander.com

Name

Anette Heiberg
Where did you travel from?

Norway

What expectations did you have beforehand?

To get inspired and to meet a lot of interesting people from all over the world.

What was the highlight of the day for you?

All the happy, talented and creative women I talked to during the day. It was amazing to meet and hear the stories of all the creative people who attended the event, and a lot of fun to meet several fellow ABSPD-ers there too!

What was the main thing you learned?

To always focus on the projects that give me the most joy and to remember to “let myself off the hook” to prevent getting burned out.

Where are you at in your surface pattern design journey and what’s next?

I’ve been working in children’s books for several years, so surface pattern design is a new and exciting area for me. I’ve learned so much about the business during Modules 1 and 2.

Now I’m going to take some time to build a portfolio of surface pattern design, as my current portfolio consists mostly of children’s book illustrations. I’ll also be working on my branding and then I’m excited to start contacting potential clients and seeing where my work might end up. Very exciting!

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Anette has completed Modules 1 and 2 of ABSPD and will be taking Module 3 in the autumn.

Connect with Anette

Website: www.anetteheiberg.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/anetteheiberg

Name

Emilie Pignon

Where did you travel from?

London

What was the highlight of the day for you?

It was an awesome day as I felt an amazing energy in the room. It was just magical to connect like that with so many creative women.

What was the main thing you learned?

One of my favourites was when Lilla asked us to pick three words from her list and then we discovered a sentence summarizing how we feel about art and our style. Amazing! It was simple and so true.

Where are you at in your surface pattern design journey and what’s next?

I’m an urban designer, designing public spaces and new neighbourhoods. I’m just starting on my surface pattern design journey.

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Emilie has done Module 2 of the Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design and is taking Module 3 in January. She is working on her website!