It's hard to believe that we're already nine days into December - but the good part about time flying is that it feels like Fancy/Funky Friday comes around a lot sooner! ;)
First, the "fancy": Pattern Michelle
There are several things that I love about this pattern. First, I really like how masculine it seems, even for a "fancy" pattern. Notice how it looks less like delicate lace and doesn't feature a lot of loops and curves? The "x"s throughout the pattern are very strong and structured, and the dominating diamonds instantly bring to mind preppy argyle. And how many other patterns do you know that look so undeniably sophisticated and classy on either sex? Second, I love how the little hearts that become more apparent in the details of Pattern Michelle bring some femininity back into the pattern. And it is precisely this masculine-feminine duality that I wanted to incorporate in my own rehearsal dinner invitations, which is why I used this pattern when I created those last year.
I paired Pattern Michelle with a very similar but even more masculine pattern (with larger diamonds, less detail, and fewer hearts), and used blues and blacks in the design. I could have just used the same patterns I had already used in designing my wedding stationery, but I was afraid that the coral orange color, the femininity of the pattern, and the rose illustrations I created for that stationery set was starting to alienate the male guests who would be coming into town for our wedding weekend. Creating a couple of new patterns that had elements of both masculinity and femininity was the perfect compromise.
Another thing I love about Pattern Michelle is how well it works in parts. As you can see from the example above, it looks just as great in a single vertical stripe as it does when repeated several times. It works great as a sophisticated stripe and takes on a whole new feeling when fewer diamonds are created due to a lack of repetition. It feels even more masculine when the strong "x" forms become the dominant part of the pattern.
And now, the "funky": Pattern Myrtle
Unlike today's "fancy" pattern, this one has an overabundance of loops and curves - so many that it takes on a very playful personality. I instantly think of bubbles when I see Pattern Myrtle - which is why I named it after the young ghost in the Harry Potter series who haunts the Hogwarts bathrooms and visits Harry while he soaks in a very bubbly bath.
Pattern Myrtle is very busy, but it works because the individual units are so airy with white space. Whenever the smaller loopy forms start to feel a bit crowded, larger forms come in to let in even more free space. I don't often play with scale if I repeating the same shape in a pattern, but because there is only one basic shape I use in the entire pattern, having both larger and smaller versions meshes well together.
The pattern's features are so bubbly and fun that I had to pick a more somber, neutral color to display it in. The brown calms it down a little so it doesn't seem too over the top, and adds a little balance to Pattern Myrtle's exuberant personality. :)
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Click here to see all posts related to "Fancy/Funky Friday"
Shameless plug time: Love my patterns? I incorporate them into a lot of the artwork I create, from stationery for Invites by Andrea to the watercolors I paint. Check out Invites by Andrea's website to see examples of these patterns in use or drop me a line at andrea@invitesbyandrea.com to let me know what you think!
First, the "fancy": Pattern Michelle
There are several things that I love about this pattern. First, I really like how masculine it seems, even for a "fancy" pattern. Notice how it looks less like delicate lace and doesn't feature a lot of loops and curves? The "x"s throughout the pattern are very strong and structured, and the dominating diamonds instantly bring to mind preppy argyle. And how many other patterns do you know that look so undeniably sophisticated and classy on either sex? Second, I love how the little hearts that become more apparent in the details of Pattern Michelle bring some femininity back into the pattern. And it is precisely this masculine-feminine duality that I wanted to incorporate in my own rehearsal dinner invitations, which is why I used this pattern when I created those last year.
I paired Pattern Michelle with a very similar but even more masculine pattern (with larger diamonds, less detail, and fewer hearts), and used blues and blacks in the design. I could have just used the same patterns I had already used in designing my wedding stationery, but I was afraid that the coral orange color, the femininity of the pattern, and the rose illustrations I created for that stationery set was starting to alienate the male guests who would be coming into town for our wedding weekend. Creating a couple of new patterns that had elements of both masculinity and femininity was the perfect compromise.
Another thing I love about Pattern Michelle is how well it works in parts. As you can see from the example above, it looks just as great in a single vertical stripe as it does when repeated several times. It works great as a sophisticated stripe and takes on a whole new feeling when fewer diamonds are created due to a lack of repetition. It feels even more masculine when the strong "x" forms become the dominant part of the pattern.
And now, the "funky": Pattern Myrtle
Unlike today's "fancy" pattern, this one has an overabundance of loops and curves - so many that it takes on a very playful personality. I instantly think of bubbles when I see Pattern Myrtle - which is why I named it after the young ghost in the Harry Potter series who haunts the Hogwarts bathrooms and visits Harry while he soaks in a very bubbly bath.
Pattern Myrtle is very busy, but it works because the individual units are so airy with white space. Whenever the smaller loopy forms start to feel a bit crowded, larger forms come in to let in even more free space. I don't often play with scale if I repeating the same shape in a pattern, but because there is only one basic shape I use in the entire pattern, having both larger and smaller versions meshes well together.
The pattern's features are so bubbly and fun that I had to pick a more somber, neutral color to display it in. The brown calms it down a little so it doesn't seem too over the top, and adds a little balance to Pattern Myrtle's exuberant personality. :)
-
Click here to see all posts related to "Fancy/Funky Friday"
Shameless plug time: Love my patterns? I incorporate them into a lot of the artwork I create, from stationery for Invites by Andrea to the watercolors I paint. Check out Invites by Andrea's website to see examples of these patterns in use or drop me a line at andrea@invitesbyandrea.com to let me know what you think!
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