Learn to Make Clothes that are Paintings

Forever rummaging the web, a favorite resource over the years has been the Textile Arts Center in Brooklyn. They’ll soon be offering a silk painting class that sounds pretty amazing.

In an effort to showcase the various ways one can paint their clothing, we’re sharing imagery from their site. With fabric painting, there’s fluidity that can’t be found in graphic design- it’s freeing from a technical and thematic standpoint.

Isa Rodrigues will be teaching the class, honing in on resists, dyes, inks, spray bottles and salt. Students will be invited to create their own scarves, dresses, tops, pillow cases, bags – ultimately the list is endless.

The class runs through May and is a vibrant kickstarter to the Spring/Summer season.

The silk painted experiments above are by Tracy L. Theriault, CONIMATTA, Kindah Khalidy and Rachel Rose.

April 18, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Graphical Homegoods with 56thStudio

Meet 56thStudio. The newest player to the field and the pickings are wondrous. An email recently found it’s way into my inbox decked with adjectives such as “luxe-personified yet kitschy, neo-ethnic, eclectically bold and youthful.” Off the bat, it’s hard not to agree!

Mixing graphic collage, vintage themes and old-school chairs (don’t they remind you of the 80’s? ) a fresh coat of paint paired with a textile refresh has produced a product line of note.

The collection includes chairs, pillows, wall decor, fabric, totes and customized orders and focuses on the caricature as furniture, familiar faces and is a tribute to The Beatles and Hollywood culture.

If you’re in Milan this week, stop by Spazio Rossana Orlandi for their debut exhibition.

So…which one’s your favorite?

April 17, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Trend: Patterns in Advertising

When you consider the advertising industry at large, it’s simply a means to sell many messages. Regardless of the need versus want factor, it’s interesting to follow the creative thinking behind various campaigns. At least, from a trends perspective.

This Kobe Bryant portrait for Turkish Airlines highlights the brand’s unlimited amenities (flat beds, realtime entertainment, chef services) through the technical mechanism of an info graphic. Infusing similar texture into a more journalistic illustration, this New York Times pie chart assesses college debt through the lens of perception and worth.

Keeping in tune with the graphic nature of these layouts, Diane von Furstenberg’s recently launched home collection highlights the brand’s coveted archival duvet covers- a partnership recently launched with Bloomingdales. Sharing a similar color palette and graphic layout, Adobe’s Touch for the iPad app gets playful with tiger-striped typography.

Since we’re sharing the softer side of tech in today’s round up, it seems relevant to showcase GE’s Imagination at Work campaign, highlighting the microscopic organisms that lead to innovation. The palette mimics this vintage American Express Departures cover in a global-fabric kind of way.

April 10, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Textile Inspiration & Handmade Shoes

I find when I’m searching for inspiration for patterns or textiles I often start by looking at objects rather than the actual patterns on things. I love to find a collection of objects with a similar purpose or hand that I can group together to discover a new shape or texture. Here’s one of my recent inspirational collections:

Handmade Shoes:

These shoe images are such amazing shapes. I don’t think too much about color here, more the texture of the wool in the boot or the smooth hard lines of the wooden clog. The wide chunky shapes of the shoes brings me somehow back to line, maybe it’s that one pointy toe too?…and I want to work up some really oversized windowpane plaids!

Coverage by Kimberly Hall

April 10, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

The Art of Fabric Printing & Design

Although we haven’t yet had a chance to get our hands on Mastering the Art of Fabric Printing and Design, from what we’re reading, it sounds like a wonderful and well- rounded resource. Inside are step-by-step tutorials for designing patterns (both digitally and by hand), a comprehensive section on printing techniques—including digital printing, screen printing, stenciling, block printing, and resist dyeing— as well as insider tips for developing a collection and bringing it to the marketplace.

Beautifully illustrated with exquisite swatches, hundreds of photos, and interviews featuring established designers such as Skinny laMinx, Ink & Spindle, and Julia Rothman, Mastering the Art of Fabric Printing and Design is a key resource for anyone looking to learn the basics, expand their skill set, or find design inspiration.

Photos via PapernStitch Blog

April 5, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Textile Inspiration & Personal Projects

As we share inspiration boards each week, I thought it’d be nice to see a few of Kimberly‘s personal projects beyond the office walls. Here’s a print she designed for Hussein Chalayan and a marriage shirt she created and wore everyday for 6 weeks. The goal was to investigate the emotional connections humans develop with clothing. The scarves are part of the Virgin Knitters initiative- learn more about that here.

April 3, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik