Photo courtesy of keynote speaker, Sareka Unique
Curious how you can be a surface pattern designer? Want to learn more about the business side of this creative pursuit? Would you love to hear from pattern designers about how they found their own personal style or about their favorite design programs?
We’re partnering with the Spoonflower and inviting some very talented surface designers, industry leaders and artists to join us for a full day dedicated to all-things surface design.
This virtual event will take place on November 4, 2022. Learn more and register for each session below. You’ll need to register for each session that you are interested in attending.
Schedule of Events
11:00 am-12:00 pm
Artist Panel: How to Create a Surface Design Portfolio that Showcases Your Work
12:30-1:30 pm
Artist Panel: How to Stay Motivated, Create a Workflow and Manage Your Time as an Artist
2:00-3:00 pm
Design Class: How to Elevate Your Designs for Wallpaper and Home Decor
3:30-4:30 pm
Design Class: How to Create a Seamless Repeat in Gimp
5:00-6:00 pm
Artist Panel: How to Make Video Part of Your Marketing Strategy
6:30-7:30 pm
Keynote Speaker: Sareka Unique
Keynote Speaker
Photo courtesy of keynote speaker, Sareka Unique
Sareka Unique
November 4, 2022, 6:30-7:30 pm EDT
Sareka Unique Is an Artist, Illustrator, Designer and Creator of bright, fun colorful things. She is also a Freelance Marketing Manager and Founder of Black Girls Illustrate. Sareka Grew up in Detroit Michigan and studied Visual Communication Technology at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Later, Sareka fell in love with Illustration and Surface Pattern Design and eventually gave into her calling to paint. Since then, she has been using her love of color to transform products and create artwork that evokes a sense of vibrancy and joy while collaborating with brands that align with her passions. Spoonflower shop: sarekaunique.
Artist Panels
How to Create a Surface Design Portfolio that Showcases Your Work
November 4, 2022, 11:00 am-12:00 pm EDT
Moderated by Abby Glassenberg, Co-founder and President, Craft Industry Alliance
Do you dream of seeing your artwork on fabric, wallpaper, home goods, clothing and more? In order to make this dream a reality, you’ll need to assemble a surface design portfolio. In this panel discussion, you’ll hear from three working artists who will describe how they put their portfolios together and marketed them successfully.
You’ll learn:
• The purpose of a surface design portfolio and the different ways it can be used
• The categories of designs that make up a strong portfolio and how many you need of each one
• How to identify gaps in your portfolio and fill them in
• How to package your designs to share them with art directors
Now is the time to take the first step toward becoming a surface pattern designer.
PANELISTS:
LILLA ROGERS
Lilla is one of the world’s top art agents. Her love for art led her to a successful illustration career in New York in the 1980s, but the entrepreneurial gene from her parents led her into the agency business. Her agency, Lilla Rogers Studio, has sold art for products worth over $300 million.
SHANNON MCNAB
Shannon is an American artist and educator living in Dublin, Ireland. She left her corporate job in 2013 to pursue surface design full-time, working with brands like Papyrus, Cloud9 Fabrics and Pyrex. She teaches aspiring surface designers at Sketch Design Repeat, a site she founded in 2020. Spoonflower shop: shannonmcnab.
ELIZABETH SILVER
Elizabeth is a surface pattern designer with 20 years in the industry. Her work is regularly featured in major retailers like Party City, Target and Michael’s and is licensed with over 30 partners. She uses her experience to teach surface pattern designers how to move past overwhelm to create a profitable business.
How to Stay Motivated, Create a Workflow, and Manage Your Time as an Artist
November 4, 2022, 12:30-1:30 pm EDT
Moderated by Abby Glassenberg, Co-founder and President, Craft Industry Alliance
Creativity ebbs and flows. Sometimes we’re in the zone, and other times it’s so difficult to get started. In this one hour panel discussion, you’ll learn how four successful working artists and creatives stay productive. They’ll describe rituals they use to get their creative juices flowing, and motivation techniques that help them see projects through to completion (even when they’re feeling uninspired).
You’ll learn:
• Creativity warmups to help you get started
• How to organize your space for optimal productivity
• Time management techniques that really work
• How to break down large projects so that you can see them through to completion
Get valuable insights you can implement right away.
PANELISTS:
DANIELLE KRYSA
Danielle has a BFA in Visual Arts, and a post-grad in graphic design. She is the writer behind the contemporary art site, The Jealous Curator. She’s curated art shows all over North America, authored several books and spoken at events.
JEANETTA GONZALES
Jeanetta is a designer, illustrator and artist mentor. She uses bold colors, patterns and textures to create her uplifting artwork found in many major retailers. She enjoys creating art for her own products, speaking at events and mentoring artists. Spoonflower shop: jeanetta_gonzales.
KATE RHEES
Kate is a professional accountant, turned eye-candy-maker extraordinaire. With a desire to cover the whole world in joy, she constantly creates colorful, happy, whimsical patterns from her studio in Salt Lake City, Utah. Spoonflower shop: katerhees.
TERRANCE WILLIAMS
Terrance is a small business owner, self-taught sewer, makeup and skincare enthusiast, content creator and sustainability and human rights advocate. He believes in love, light and positivity and strives to create a place of happiness and acceptance.
How to Make Video Part of Your Marketing Strategy
November 4, 2022, 5:00-6:00 pm EDT
Moderated by Nicole Kligerman, Spoonflower’s Social Media Manager
Sharing video content on social media helps your audience to better understand who you are and what you have to offer. In this panel discussion you’ll hear from four artists who film and share videos as part of their marketing strategies.
They’ll discuss:
• Tips for creating a video strategy you can stick with
• Ideas for repurposing videos across multiple platforms
• The benefits of live vs. pre-recorded videos
• How to use a video to drive traffic and sales
Creating memorable videos doesn’t have to be hard!
PANELISTS:
MINDY YOUNG
Mindy is a self-taught Artist who started Indy Bloom Design after creating her own Spoonflower wallpaper for her daughter’s room! She fell in LOVE with pattern design and now runs a thriving company. She’s proud to teach others how they can achieve their designer dreams! Spoonflower shop: indybloomdesign.
KATHY CANO-MURILLO
Kathy, The Crafty Chica, is a syndicated newspaper columnist turned full-time creativepreneur. She’s authored several books and has product lines with Makers Movement for HSN, Riley Blake Fabrics + more. Features include Forbes, The New York Times, Buzzfeed + more.
MABLE TAN
Mable is a surface pattern designer based in Melbourne, Australia. Her work is inspired by nature and birds, joy and colours. Her work has been seen in Target Australia, Spotlight, RICE, Urban Outfitters and Nordstrom. She has been featured on Oh Joy! blog, Mantra mag + more. Spoonflower shop: mabletandesigns.
KATE TALCOTT
Kate is a watercolor artist, educator and her goal is to inspire people to be bold and try new things (especially if it’s watercolor)! She is also the owner of Splatter & Bloom, a watercolor stationery shop where she creates bold, vivacious designs to help you live more colorfully.
Design Classes
Design Class: How to Elevate Your Designs for Wallpaper and Home Decor
November 4, 2022, 2:00-3:00 pm EDT
Hosted by Jessie Katz Greenberg, Spoonflower’s Artist Community Manager
Do you dream of your designs bringing joy to others in their homes and on their walls? In this technical design class, you’ll learn how to use Adobe® Photoshop® to elevate your designs and break into the wallpaper and home decor market.
Our expert instructor will show you how to:
• Create seamless textures and apply them to your designs
• Identify the best scale for your designs
• Repurpose existing artwork to create something new for wallpaper and home decor
Interior designer, artist and Spoonflower Ambassador, Danika Herrick, will share her expertise with you in this valuable session!
Instructor: Danika Herrick
Design Class: How to Create a Seamless Repeat Pattern in Gimp
November 4, 2022, 3:30-4:30 pm EDT
Hosted by Jessie Katz Greenberg, Spoonflower’s Artist Community Manager
Learning how to make seamless patterns is a vital step in creating surface pattern designs. A seamless pattern repeats both horizontally and vertically, edge to edge. The good news is you don’t need expensive software to get started. In this technical design class, we’ll be using Gimp, a free open-source software available to everyone.
You’ll get specific instructions on how to:
• Create a pattern using Gimp
• Draw digitally with a tablet
• Apply textures to your drawings
Our expert instructor, Gaia Marfurt, will guide you through each step!
