Lenochka B Creative - Lobster Delight

Lobster Delight

Just a few months ago I joined the Textile Design Lab of the Pattern Observer in an effort to focus a little more on my pattern designs & skills. In doing so I took part in the “Slow Design Challenge” in which we were guided to focus on developing one hero pattern during the month of August. Upon choosing a theme -I was drawn to the lobster theme because I had long wanted to feature these creatures somewhere in my art and/or design work.

And so I began collecting inspirational images for my mood board, which would guide me in creating my pattern. I wanted my design, and any collection that might (and did!) evolve from that, to have a light, summery and abstract style. It was pretty hard filtering all the inspirational images I collected! But eventually I did and created the mood board you see here below.

I began with creating mostly placement designs and illustrations finding it quite hard at first when I tried developing repeats from them and thought I would just stay with the placements. But eventually, upon trying several options, which I have included in this collection, I came up with my favourite hero pattern.

I was also happily surprised while doing the summer design challenge that I suddenly felt inspired again to transfer my ideas from that design to creating artwork, which I’m working on presently. This has been great as I’ve thus discovered a way to work through resistance that comes up in my artwork -working with a theme, creating a mood board and using that to guide and direct me.

One of my ongoing dilemmas has been whether I should focus on one particular field of creativity ie. surface pattern designs OR artwork, but having seen how this project inspired me to create artwork and even embroidery (that's to come!) it occurred to me that I don’t really have to choose! Why can’t I do both?! And so it is that I have accepted these two outlets of creativity which I can clearly see complement and inform one another.