Cathrin Gressieker - art + pattern
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Jan222015May 10 2015

Pattern 4/52

Like I said in the snowflake pattern post 3/52 – flowers are great for wallpaper all year round.

living room flower wallpaper

One of the first exercises in Module 2 of The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design was to simply find an item in your living room and make a sketch of it. I chose this flower on a print my mother had given us when we moved into our house 2,5 years ago.

Cathrin Gressieker_DSC06237-kCathrin Gressieker_DSC06185-2-k

And then I started playing with it in Illustrator. I am forever grateful for learning how to make repeating patterns in Jessica Swift’s Pattern Camp, where she completely demystified the whole process, so you are able to create your own patterns after one weekend. This is a straight repeat here (also called box repeat):

Cathrin Gressieker_Screenshot (10)

For the colour palette I decided to use some of the Pantone spring colours again that I had discovered in Pattern 2/52. This time: Toasted Almond, Strawberry Ice, Custard and for the first time colour of the year 2015 Marsala.

For me the pattern has a retro feel and it says on the Pantone website that the palette evokes “remembrances of retro delights, folkloric and floral art”. I don’t know, whether the 1980s are already considered retro, but this flower patterns reminds me of the wallpaper in my parent’s bedroom when I was child – and I didn’t like it at all then, or maybe it was later as a teenager in my black phase.

Also from the Pantone website:” Many feel compelled to be connected around the clock because we are afraid we’ll miss something important. There is a growing movement to step out and create ‘quiet zones’ to disconnect from technology and unwind, giving ourselves time to stop and be still…() … to create a soothing escape from the everyday hustle and bustle.” I feel, I could relax in a room with such a wallpaper design.

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Jan212015May 11 2015

Pattern 3/52

Cathrin Gressieker wallpaper-mock-up-snowflakes

After the tropical palette of the last pattern 2/52, it is now time to face the reality of German winter again. Even though we have hardly had any snow yet … You might recognize the pattern again, I used Clara’s January calendar page for it. I took a photo of the cut-outs and it image-traced very well in Illustrator.

At the moment I am taking Module 2 of The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design, a course filled to the brim with information, learning, exercises and assignments and with an amazingly talented and inspiring design community.

Last week we learned (among many, many other things) how to mock up our patterns as wallpaper in a room set. The snowflake pattern might not be a wallpaper for all seasons (floral patterns are more timeless and pleasing throughout the year), but I think it looks very inviting to go on a little skiing holiday.

And I want to show you another mock-up set:

snowflakes collection

For dining in style after skiing.

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Jan202015May 11 2015

Pattern 2/52

My second pattern for the year-long challenge is also based on a gem shape like 1/52, I call it Tropical Crystals:

Cathrin Gressieker_tropische kristalle

This time the crystal shape was hand-drawn.

brooch19And why tropical? Because I used some colours of this colour palette from last year’s trip to Thailand.

Cathrin Gressieker_colourpalettethailand

And how I surprisingly found out today, the colours in the pattern are predicted in Pantone’s Fashion Colour Report for Spring 2015 here.

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Jan192015May 11 2015

Pattern 1/52

I am happy to announce a new year-long project today!

As my three 365-day-projects have ended with the end of last year, I first felt some relieve for a while this month. Carolina has stopped taking her afternoon naps coinciding with the end of the photo-project and I can declutter now only when I feel like it. But I must admit, that I am not able to spend my two-Euro-coins anymore, I am collecting them again this year. Yet this doesn’t challenge me enough on a creative level, of course. Not that I could complain about too little creative projects in my life … I draw, paint and design on a daily basis and I am taking a couple of art and design e-courses this year again. There is A Year of Painting II with Alena Hennessy, Assignment Bootcamp with the Lilla Rogers Studio School and The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design with Rachael Taylor.

And surface pattern design will be my year-long-project – I will create (at least!) and post one pattern each week of 2015. My pattern-design-passion has started last year in October when I took Jessica Swift’s excellent weekend-intensive-workshop Pattern Camp (she is re-running the course february 7-8) and further developed my new skills with Rachael Taylor’s and Lilla Roger’s classes and hours and hours of burning the midnight oil.

As we are already the fourth week into January, I will be catching up posting patterns over the next days.

Here is my first pattern 1/52 – Flower Crystals:

Cathrin Gressieker_flower crystals mock-up-blog-pattern

Purely created in Illustrator and mocked up on a notebook.

I have recently discovered while designing that I am very much drawn to geometrical patterns and perfectly timed print & pattern’s new book has just been released:

Cathrin Gressieker_DSC06188-k

So much eye candy and inspiring designs!

I must say, I am very excited about my project of 2015 which will be great for experimenting, having fun, staying motivated and further building my pattern portfolio.

PS: Here is another Pattern Camper, Stephanie, who had the idea first.

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Jan162015May 11 2015

Vernissage Invitation (in German)

Doris Reske Cathrin Gressieker princessA5

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Jan142015May 11 2015

Stay Warm

15 minutes of painting on a January day.

Cathrin Gressieker-stay warm DSC06184-k

And we even had a little snow today

(that didn’t stay).

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Jan112015May 11 2015

Pink Moment of the Week

Cathrin Gressieker DSC06160-k

… “hanging day” of my exhibition together with Doris Reske.

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Jan92015May 11 2015

15 Minutes

More often than not I get this question – how do you do it all? Having a family with two young children, being a self-employed yoga teacher and then all those paintings and the crafty stuff like sewing and knitting (and blogging about it).

There is no secret. We are all busy. We all have 24 hours in a day. And we all have creative dreams, that often get lost in the net of everyday. But what I often say – you can get a lot done in 15 minutes. 15 minutes a day add up to nearly two hours of creative time a week.

And because long stretches of creative time are usually unrealistic, I was very happy about the first lesson of Alena Hennessy’s painting e-course A Year of Painting II (I took the first year-long-course last year and this is the follow-up where we dig deeper). Painting your word of the year in 15, 10 and 5 minutes. No room for perfectionism in this short period of time. Just play, intuition and fun (even though some frustration might occur). These small imperfect paintings became some kind of meditation for me this week.

Cathrin Gressieker 15 minutes

And I also found out this week that I am not the only one with this little-15-minutes-of-creativity-theory. I listened to an interview with creativity couch Samantha Beckett and she even wrote a whole book about it. Her advice: discover which of your projects matters most to you, spend 15 minutes a day on that project, every single day (before checking your e-mail). Magic will happen. Or in my words:

15 minutes of painting a day keeps the muse from going on a holiday.

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Jan72015May 11 2015

Business Cards

My new art business cards from London were delivered yesterday.

Cathrin Gressieker art & design

I used a floral pattern from the MATS-course for the front of the cards and part of a painting for the back/contact side. They were printed by MOO and I just love that the business cards come in squares and that you can have a “green” option – printed on recycled paper and using wind energy for the production.

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Jan62015May 11 2015

Yarn Graffiti 1/2015

I spotted the first yarn graffiti of 2015

last Saturday opposite the cute little fabric shop (I blogged about it here):

Cathrin Gressieker DSC06074-k

Bright colours against a grey January sky.

Thank you, anonymous knitter.

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about me

Hello, thanks for stopping by. This is a space where I share my colourful adventures in pattern design, painting and travelling.

Recent Posts

  • Bye bye Blog
  • #the100dayproject 2020 Recap, Timelapse and the exciting things that come next!
  • 3 new things I learned in 2019
  • Albania Sketchbook
  • Marrakech Sketchbook
  • Licensed Designs for 24Bottles
  • Licensed Designs for Plum Practicewear
  • #the100dayproject 2018 Days 51-100
  • Licensed Tropical Design for The Planner Society
  • #the100DayProject 2018 Days 1-50
  • Featured Designer on Patternobserver in cooperation with SURTEX
  • Fashion Collaboration with Isy B. Design / Cayman Islands
  • Print Collaboration with Happycloth
  • Licensed Design for Shakti Shanti Yoga Wear
  • #the100dayproject 2017 100/100!!!
  • New Licensed Designs for FLEO
  • Summer in Cuba
  • #the100dayproject, days 37-81
  • CoLabs, Year Two
  • #the100dayproject, 27 Days later

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“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‚Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?‘ Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” 
― Marianne Williamson

#letyourlightshine #quoteoftheday #danceillustration
I had a private art sale last week and look - thes I had a private art sale last week and look - these paintings found a new home 🏡 🖼️ 💫

#soldart #floralartist #artsale
For all my ginger-haired friends out there! I am s For all my ginger-haired friends out there! I am still enjoying painting dance-related scenes and I hope you enjoy the little break from flowers too.

#danceart #underwaterlove #gingerhair
The fourth and last print I designed for the lates The fourth and last print I designed for the latest @caftanist collection - I am proudly presenting ‘Dreamy Ivy’

All hand-painted in acrylic, it made its way from my painting table in Northern Germany to Malaysia 💫 and look, so many style options to choose from, wow!

#textiledesign #artlicensing #floralartist
Reach for the stars - always. You are part of the Reach for the stars - always. You are part of the universe.

#collageart #danceart #reachforthestars
Here is another look at ‘Perfect Poppy’, my fa Here is another look at ‘Perfect Poppy’, my favourite print I designed for the latest @caftanist collection 🌸

Would you have guessed that I painted these flowers digitally, solely on the iPad? While most digital artists prefer Procreate, I love Adobe Fresco for its unpredictable watercolour brushes which bring much of the beauty and magic of real watercolours 🎨💫

For those of you who are interested in trying digital watercolour painting on the iPad I have a whole beginner class on @skillshare on this topic where we will paint crocuses in the snow, a little harbinger of spring. You can find the link to the class in my bio linktree ⬆️ It also gives you a month on Skillshare for free, with access to all my classes and thousands more.

#textiledesign #artlicensing #floralartist #digitalpainting #skillshareclass
I am channeling my inner Matisse here who said col I am channeling my inner Matisse here who said collage is like ‘drawing with scissors’.
Do you know his famous painting ‘Dance’ ?

#danceillustration #bluecollage #inspiredbymatisse
That might be my favourite print I designed for th That might be my favourite print I designed for the @caftanist collection - ‘Perfect Poppy’

#textiledesign #floralartist #artlicensing
🎨 Join me on January 13th ET with @etchr_studio 🎨 Join me on January 13th ET with @etchr_studio for an art session on:⁠
⁠
✨ The quickest way to create stunning portraits⁠
🌈 Using coloured pencils, markers, crayons, watercolour, and acrylics⁠
📏 Identifying facial proportions⁠
😊 Adding expression with simple marks⁠
🖼️ Considering negative space in your composition⁠
🎨 Choosing simple yet effective color palettes⁠
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Ready to paint with me? Click the link in my bio linktree to learn more! 🖌️ ⁠
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#Etchr #EtchrStudio #ArtWorkshop #CathrinGressieker #Artistry #CreativeSession⁠
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https://learn.etchrstudio.com/programs/cathrin-gressieker-nostalgic-little-portraits-in-multi-media
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