The work in Micah Lidberg’s portfolio is abundantly colorful and frequently inspired by nature and dream-like worlds. His star has been steadily shining as his exposure grows in the gallery, product and editorial worlds. Nearly every drawing looks like it’s out of the playbook of Where the Wild Things Are, only infused with colorful, random twists that push the genre 10 leaps forward. When asked by Jessica Goldfond, of The Shiny Squirrel, what inspires him, Lidberg’s answer reminds us why you should trust your creative gut, “I’ve only had one memorable epiphany. A professor I had in England, Japser Goodall, told a bunch of us students to draw whatever we wanted to draw. It sounds silly that that sparked my epiphany, but it did the trick. I’ve been drawing furry dinosaurs and deranged clouds ever since.”
Artist Profile: Joachim Castaneda
Every once in a while I get an email from a designer that’s not on my radar and it makes my day. Not long ago, Joachim Castaneda reached out, sending along a vibrant portfolio filled with cartoon whimsy. Originally from San Diego, Castaneda grew up in San Francisco and is now living in Barcelona. This is his first collection of paintings and drawings and it’s currently on display at La Petita Galeria. It’s mighty impressive for a first exhibition.
The mission behind Castaneda’s work reveals the conflict between desire and materialism in relation to our value system. The goal aims to provoke and provide awareness.
Artist Profile: Jo Meesters
Over the past few months, Pattern Pulp has noticed more and more artists taking the sustainable highroad. If you’re a creative person, the spark’s not going anywhere but recent material and budget restraints have forced designers to reinterpret their concepts and retool their executions. Jo Meesters, a Dutch product designer with an eye for sophistication, is a master at breathing life into used materials. Green Oasis is an initiative that was brought about in an effort to incorporate greenery into public urban spaces. Reworking 34 discarded wooden beams and 16 leftover blankets, another Meesters project entitled, Odds and Ends, is based on the idea of woven rejuvenation. If these prototypes ever go mass, they’d be a seamless fit in Anthropologie’s home goods department.
Combining fabrication with jet cutting technology, Meesters’s approach to the traditional tabletop is quite stunning in his collaboration with Marije van der Park entitled, Reshaping Wood. Showcasing contemporary symbols such as airplanes, windmills and the infamous McDonalds gold arches, Ornamental Inheritance is a menagerie of current industrialism.
Homegoods: Quilting Your Diary
Most of us are too impatient to let ideas evolve overtime without overwatering them. Christie Wright of Brooklyn, NY, embraces the idea of storytelling as a strategy for designing. “Building by Leaving,” one of her latest creative endeavours, embraces the idea of growth through location and experience. Sewing rungs together from various fabric swatches, her ladder grows over time, accumulating new colors, shapes, and patterns. In an effort to understand growth, escapism and personal history, Wright’s creation is reminicient of a modern day Rapunzel.
Artist Interview: Julia Rothman
Julia Rothman is one of the most talented and original pattern designers in today’s marketplace. I had the pleasure of catching up with her at “Design by the Book,” a collaborative event hosted by The New York Public Library and Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge. Rothman has a the ability to beautify ordinary objects, using her unique style of illustration and layout to create whimsical repeats. Her work has been featured in countless publications and dons home goods of every variety. Check out our Q+A for a glimpse into her daily routine.
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PP: What websites do you generally start your day with-do you have a daily routine for news/blog/information consumption?
JR: Design Sponge, Print&Pattern, Poppytalk, Oh Joy!, The Post Family, Grain Edit always start my day. And the NYTimes for news of course.
PP: Do you discuss your work with other designers? If so, how does that impact your creation + execution process?
JR: I am on the video phone with Jenny Volvovski and Matt Lamothe, my Also partners all day every weekday. They see everything I am working on and give a constant critique on my work. That is always helpful. Sometimes they notice ways to improve my design that I would have never thought of. I think it’s always helpful to have designers you trust giving you feedback. You don’t always have to listen, but at least you are presented with other points of view.
PP: Where do you usually work on your patterns and how much time is devoted to illustration vs computer layout?
JR: I start with drawings I make with a pen in my sketchbook. I usually work on those hanging around my house, usually lounging on my couch. The time I spend making drawings varies but it’s usually the majority of the work. After the drawings are all done I go to my office and scan them in at high resolution. After that I manipulate and color the drawings using Adobe Illustrator.
PP: How has your work evolved over your career?
JR: In the beginning I was making drawings and then scanning them in and trying to make them into patterns. Over time when I decided making patterns was where I wanted to focus, I made drawings keeping in mind how they would later repeat. And then eventually when I started making specific products- wallpaper, mugs, stationery, it had to evolve one step even further. I had to give scale, colors and subject matter even more consideration for how it would specifically look on that object. For example, when I was making patterns to build up a portfolio I wasn’t worrying about the amount of colors. I put in as many as I wanted. But working recently on my wallpaper designs for Hygge&West, I had to limit my colors to three or less which was a fun challenge.
PP: What are some of your favorite creations/mediums/color palettes?
JR: I recently worked on a project organized by Design Sponge and the New York Public Library and made a very detailed navy men pattern. I was inspired by a book of uniforms and symbols of navy officers from around the world. I really love how it came out. I also recently made two patterns of vintage office supplies for Galison, a stationery company. I am really excited to see how those patterns get applied to a variety of products. They come out this Spring!
When I am painting I always use gouache. I love how flat matte the paint gets. It’s also similar to the flatness in silkscreen, another favorite medium.
One of the most often criticisms I get is about my color palettes. I tend to use really muted colors. Often art directors ask me to brighten up my colors. I’m more attracted to subtle tones with pops of brightness here or there.
PP: How do you incorporate commercial trends into your work- is this a factor that drives your design?
JR: I try not to think about trends too much. I make designs I think will be interesting whether or not they are popular themes or palettes at that moment. I’m sure with the amount of designs I look at on blogs every day, trends affect what I do, but it’s not on purpose.
PP: Do you have any advice for younger designers who are just getting started?
JR: I always tell new designers to be pro-active about promoting themselves. Nothing is going to come to you. You can be an incredible designer, but nobody will know that until you show them. And if the first person doesn’t think you’re great, don’t get discouraged. Maybe the next person will, or the next one after that.