How to turn your art work into fabric or fabric designs.

(How to become a textile designer)

(How to become a surface pattern designer)

(Learn to design prints for fabric)

I have some friends who are painters and fine artists who would like to create some textile design too. While going to university and getting a four year degree in Textile Design is clearly the ideal, if you have already studied art but want to transfer your work to fabric, or you feel you are too busy to start at the beginning, this is the article to help you.

 If you did attend university you would study Weaving and Knitting too, but this article is just about printed fabric and print design.

First here is an over view video.

http://enchantedtextiledesign.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/how-i-design-textilesenchanted-textile.html

The steps are;

Create art. Turn it into design.  Sell it.

Create art.

I am assuming you are an artist, and you have drawings or paintings, or can generate them, so you need to get them scanned or photographed to a high resolution and into a design program such as Adobe Photoshop.

 Suggested resolution 300dpi.

Suggested file size: 27 inches square.

Never copy: you are creating work which may be sold so you must only use life, imagination and your own photos for drawing reference, any photos even faintly recognisable, used as a source, that does not belong to you, lead you into legal danger.

Turn it into design.

Once you have scanned your art you need to make it into a continuous repeating pattern for sale or printing.

I have made three movies to show you how this is done.

Movie 1

 http://enchantedtextiledesign.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/textile-design-continuous-repeating.html

Movie 2

http://enchantedtextiledesign.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/textile-design-continuous-repeating_30.html

Movie 3

http://enchantedtextiledesign.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/textile-design-continuous-repeating_3512.html

Also there are some great easy step by step instructions in these books.

It does take a bit of learning but it can be done by even a not very computer literate person if you persist.

The Fashion and Textiles Museum (London) also have one and two day courses regularly if you prefer a teacher.

http://ftmlondon.org/whats-on/courses/

Turning art into design.

Selling it.

In my experience this is the scariest bit for most artists. I know I have to make myself find the courage EVERY time I’m going to meet with someone and try to get art out there. You do have the courage, and when you do sell something you will feel a million times better than you ever did getting paid for the job in the bank or the cafe!

 Selling things made with the fabric, crafts.

If you want to get a bit of your design printed on fabric and then make something such as handbags to sell.

You can get some fabric printed at:

Spoonflower.com (simply upload and print)

http://www.spoonflower.com

Forest digital. (More of a service aimed at professionals, much better if you want larger amounts.)

http://www.forestdigital.co.uk

When you come to sell your craft objects you might try “Not on the High Street”.

http://www.notonthehighstreet.com

Also if you are going to do craft fairs and markets you should read this article and save yourself a lot of time and money spent on mistakes, (I made all these mistakes and spent that money!)

Successful ways to sell at a fair.

http://enchantedtextiledesign.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/some-textile-designers-sell-products.html

Selling it.

Selling the design through a studio or agent.

If you want to sell the design you need to decide how: sign with a design studio, sign with an agent or sell it yourself.

Pattern observer have an excellent free course on the market.

https://patternobserver.leadpages.net/textile-designs-that-sell

If you want to sign with design studio you can leave the selling to them but you won’t have much control over how much gets sold.

Have a look at some at the London Textile Fair. Chat to them and make an appointment to view your portfolio.

http://thelondontextilefair.co.uk/print-studios/

Send some samples to the exhibitor list from Premier Vision (a big trade fair in Paris).

http://www.premierevision.com/visit/exhibitors/e-catalog/exhibitors-list/?manifestations=ipa51

The same applies to an agent, get a list and contact them or go to an event and chat to them.

Selling it yourself.

Traditionally printed textile design is sold at big trade fairs like Premier Vision and through agents with suitcases full of samples, but more and more is being sold online too.

You can sign up with a web site and sell your art online.

Some are:

Patternbank

https://patternbank.com

Spoonflower also offer a selling platform.

http://www.spoonflower.com/shop

You can also research and contact companies directly and see if they can use your print design. Here are some products with my designs printed on them.

Some other resources I have created include:

Colour wheel

http://enchantedtextiledesign.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/the-colour-wheel.html

Inspiration, where from.

http://enchantedtextiledesign.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/inspiration-where-can-i-get-it-what.html

Photoshop free and legal (old).

http://www.redmondpie.com/download-adobe-photoshop-cs2-for-free-legally-while-you-still-can/

Colour seperations, how to do them in photoshop easily.

http://enchantedtextiledesign.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/photoshop-colour-separations-for.html

Finally be organised, no “to do” list basically means no day in terms of getting work done. Track your progress and study management as well as art.

I hope this is helpful and that you can have wonderful fun designing fabrics. Don’t let people discourage you, don’t bother with too much self criticism, I find life gives you plenty of that. Just keep creating art and exchanging it with others.

There are some brilliant groups on facebook and linked in to join and not feel so alone as an artist.

Feel free to contact me if I can help.

Best, Kirsteen

Kirsteen Lyons BA (Hons)

kirsteenann@gmail.com

Thea Porter at the Fashion and Textiles Museum London

Thea Porter at the Fashion and Textiles Museum London.

Thea Porter at the FTM (Fashion and Textiles Museum) textile design mostly by Janet Taylor.
Some of you may remember Elizabeth Taylor wearing Thea Porter's dresses in the 70s!

That feeling the first time your art is professionally manufactured!

I have just finished a new collection of 32 designs. They are currently 3% transferred to the printer. I never get over the excitement, not should I, it's really magic to see your artwork professionally made.

I think every designer remembers the first time vividly. I was doing my work placement and MYB a wonderful Scottish lace manufacturer who had run a competition at my university for a week work placement there. As the winning student I was already riding high on success.

After I had been there a couple of days the small design team was all in a busstle of excitement, they bundled me down to the factory floor and stood grinning about a huge chugging machine. Abruptly I realised what they were so excited about the real actual lace appearing from out to the machine was my art!

It had a real professional lace look but also the feel and flavour of my own unique drawing style. Magic! I nearly cried. I think the lovely Margo Graham, (MYB's senior designer) nearly cried too, showing that after all her years she too had not forgotten the feeling you get the first time your artwork gets professionally made!

MYB Textiles have fabrics in the white house and in Stephen Spielberg films and they made me as welcome as you would expect in a Celtic nation, I am grateful.

Here is some madras lace I produced at MYB.

Here is a link to an article about Margo Graham and MYB.

http://makeworks.co.uk/articles/margo-graham-myb-interview

The Colour Wheel

This is the colour wheel, the colour is arranged in the order of the rainbow or natural spectrum. Colours next to each other go together restfully, colours at opposite sides make each other look brighter and are called complimentary colours. In the next photos I use the colour wheel to make combinations.

The Colour wheel.

Complimentary colours, across from each other on the colour wheel.

The colour next to the main colour on the colour wheel.

The colour next to the complementary colour.

The colour two away from the complimentary colour.

I hope this is helpful.

Very best, Kirsteen

Some textile designers sell products directly to the public, such as scarves, bags or fabric.

Some textile designers sell products directly to the public, such as scarves, bags or fabric.

I wrote this article some years ago when I ran Crawley Craft Fair and I think it could save you money and heartbreak if you are planning to sell the the public at a fair. Some of these tips apply to selling on line too.

Successful ways to sell at a fair

Before running Crawley Craft Fair I did five years of selling my art at markets and fairs and in a small shop, I am still a self employed artist. I have collected some experience. I have also talked to a lot of people who make a living as artists or with small businesses. As I often find myself giving the same advice to new people (and even experienced ones who can always improve) I have decided to write it down. Please don’t be offended if you know everything on the list, it is intended as a gift to help.

Have clear signs. What you sell. What it costs and contact information on display.

Display things in a way that can be seen from a distance. If you put a photo, jewellery or a painting flat on a table the customer needs to come right over to your table and look down to “fall in love” and you only sell to the people who look carefully at every stall. If you get it standing up they can “fall in love” from across the fair or on their way to the loo! Some of the people who then come over may buy several other things. Once you have set up stand back and just look!

Price everything clearly. Mostly if something is not priced people don’t ask for fear of looking stupid if they can’t afford it.

Talk to the person about the thing they are interested in. Don’t go showing them all your other products. If they like the blue vase, talk and listen about the blue vase. They will buy usually buy thing they like not something else you show them and too much choice confuses things.

Collect contact information and send them stuff.  I find that people who take my card soon lose it or bin it and only a special kind of person keeps it all year till granny’s birthday or whatever. If you collect the customers contact information and send them offers and information about which fairs you are doing next or just pictures of new work you will build up a client list of people who like your work and will buy again. No one is more likely to buy a necklace from you than a woman who likes your work so much she already bought earrings. You can run a competition to win something if they sign up for your news letter and make a quiet fair into a good one with later sales. People may even attend fairs to see you again and chat about their next commission they want from you. My friend who runs the “Sussex Guild” and makes a good living as an artist says “cultivate your fans and repeat clients”.

Provide a list of where you are next. If you have booked fairs in the future list them on your web site and at this fair. Not only does this give the customer more chances to buy but it also makes them sure you are surviving and have a future, they think;  if they want a refund you will still be there to give it so it’s ok to buy from a stall.

Stay on your feet looking happy. I realise it can be cold and you have a long day but I guarantee if you lounge in a chair you have placed in the way of your stall staring into the distance and smoking no one will climb over you to look at your stuff and then interrupt your daydream to demand to buy it, no matter how lovely your stuff is. So do sit and take brakes (at my fair I can lend you someone to cover while you have brakes) but look interested as much as you can.

Don’t waste the afternoon being p***ed off about the morning. I once took £780 between 5.30 and 6.30 at Crawley Celtic Festival after a day of about £6 so far. I ran out of packaging material and had to give people art in their hands to take home. If I had been looking upset instead of enjoying the music and atmosphere I am sure this would not have happened.

Have some things that are cheaper too. Not everyone will agree with this but I think if you have some under £10 things to sell as well as big things you will do better.

Keep everything as pretty as possible. If the public leave litter on front of your stall clean up. Also stand back and make sure your display is lovely.

Try an event several times. My friend who has had two stalls at Portabello Market for more than 20 years has paid for his big house from it and all his kids went to private schools. He is so known there you can plan your Christmas shopping knowing he will be there and people do.

Prepare your kit and know how it works and what you need at every event. Just as no one will interrupt your smoke to buy they won’t interrupt you if you are holding on for dear life to a gazebo that is blowing away or a sign that keeps falling down. This means in the case of Crawley Craft Fair, which can be windy, bring lots and lots of heavy things for weights. But at other events you should know how your tables and gazebo go up before you arrive and what you will need to display stuff so you don’t spend money on events that you cannot make the most of.

I really hope this is helpful and that you are successful. There is room in the world for a lot more small businesses and plenty of public to go around so I think we can all help each other. More people come to a vibrant event and EVERYONE sells more!

Please contact me if I can help you I will try.

Very Best, Kirsteen

Kirsteen Lyons BA (Hons) Former Organiser and Founder.

kirsteenann@gmail.com