Timourous Beasties

I recently visited Sheffield Millenium Gallery to see an exhibition by Timourous beasties called 'A Bird in the Hand'.

Timourous Beasties are from Glasgow and are one of the best design studios currently working in the UK putting contemporary images onto traditional textiles and wallpapers. They have been described as 'William Morris on acid' but also described as 'Damien Hurst on Ovaltine'.

This latest exhibition is based on inspiration found in the gallery's John Ruskin collection of art and artefacts. They embrace and convert traditional Victorian elements of the 19th Century in a unique way by using drawings of birds and other specimens from the Ruskin collection. These form the basis of a range of new fabrics which are displayed on various pieces of furniture including lamp shades and chairs, to stunning effect, bringing them into the 21st century.

I particularly liked their use of colour throughout the exhibition, as they were bold and bright as well as the Japanese inspired blossom design on one of their lampshades. The colours fade into each other in stripes.

Timourous Beasties studied natural history illustrations from the Ruskin collection, then re-drew them in black ink. They scanned their drawings into a computer introducing colour and creating repeat patterns. They used digital printing technology to transfer their patterns onto textiles. New digital techniques allow more detail and colours to be used than traditional printing methods. In the 1700s when illustrated books of prints like those in the Ruskin collection were first produced, the invention of copper plate printing enabled greater detail then older techniques like block printing. Digital printing has had a similar effect, allowing Timourous Beasties greater freedom as designers today. They deconstruct insects and parrots, and then use these images in their designs. Image found at http://Ih5.ggpht.com/_LrauqKc8xSo/SfTVxWcH021/AAAAAAAACF8/slmHr4oPd91/s400/Deconstructed%......

Whilst observing the lamp shades displayed in the exhibition, I noticed the pattern did not match up where the fabric/paper joined. I wondered whether this was done on purpose to attract attention, or if it was actually a fault in the print. However, it was intriguing. The lamps also had the print on the inside of the shade, as opposed to the outside, which encouraged me to interact with them. I had to get up close to it, and look up, to appreciate the design which seemed muted from a distance. The lamps also had to be turned on for you to get the full effect. They were very contemporary mixed with an old style.

The Collection of the Guild of St George, formed by the Victorian artist, critic and writer John Ruskin (1819-1900) was being exhibited in the Ruskin Gallery next door to 'A Bird in the Hand'. It was interesting to see where all Timourous Beasties inspiration had come from, which continues to inspire artists and designers. 'There is a strong natural history element in the collection. It includes decorative books of botany, zoology and anithology as well as watercolours of plants and animals. The TC Eyton print collection, bought by Ruskin for the `guild of St. George, is the largest part of the natural history section. This contains thousands of bird prints by artists like Edward Lear and JJ Auduban. Timourous Beasties' response to the Collection of the Guild of St. George, and the ornithological works in particular, shows how John Ruskin's ideas about nature, observation, detail, and decoration are still current, and how this collection continues to be a rich source of inspiration and knowledge.' All quotes taken from 'A Bird in the Hand' exhibition, Sheffield Millenium Gallery, 2009.

It was a great exhibition and really good to see in contrast to the Ruskin Gallery next door. I would highly recommend seeing the exhibition and the Sheffield Millenium Gallery as it is such an elegant, modern building.

Claire Louise Designs

Claire Louise Designs is a small textile design studio based in Oldham. They specialise in curtains, bedding, and wallpaper. All designs are hand painted and range from painted florals, modern florals, geometrics, modern damasks, abstract and embroideries. They sell to all areas of the Home Furnishing Market and, with an initial consultation, work on commissions producing quality artwork that meet their clients needs regarding any specific requirements. These include embroideries, canvas art, trend boards, storyboards, colourways and paper products. Having spoken to Claire Louse in person on the telephone she happily agreed to answer a few questions about her working process and the industry.

All her designs are hand-painted. Sometimes she works on smaller motifs on Photoshop but prefers painted artwork as do her clients.

Claire Louise has a small collection of embroidery designs. She hand sews sequins on etc and also uses metallic on her designs as well as textured grounds.

She works to briefs set by companies. These are called commissions. They give her an idea of what they are looking for and then she will come up with a design/idea. They might show her a fabric or picture then ask for something that would do the same job.

Claire Louise says Heimtextil is good to go and see the years trends/colours. Working with companies she gets a good idea of what designs sell well and which trends are in. She looks in magazines and also does research in shops.

After University she worked for two companies, Susan Hawes Design and Artwork Design. This was good experience but she thinks if you have an eye for design you can teach and grow yourself without this. She taught herself a lot, before she went to companies, by looking at repeats and fabric. She thinks work experience is always good but has learnt more on her own than she did working for companies.

Claire Louise once gave her work to a design studio but only sold a few and still to this day cannot get her work back so advises us to be careful! '"There are a lot of companies you can trust but also a lot who see students coming and use their talent"'.

She tries to produce as many designs as she can but if she gets commissions this affects how many new designs she does. When she worked for companies they wanted 3-4designs a week. She could produce one design a day if she worked till late but she always has commissions and meetings which take up a lot of her time.

Claire Louise says her work has not not been affected by the state of the global economy although she can see bigger studios suffering. Smaller companies seem to be doing ok. She thinks as more people cannot afford to move they will re-decorate their homes so will need new designs, fingers crossed!

Costs to produce designs are low. Designs sell from £350-£500

Claire Louise's market differs as she works with some low-mid end market companies and some high end companies.

A lot of design studios are CAD studios. She is different because all her designs are hand-painted and her clients get a more personal service.

Claire Louise believes if you want something, work hard and you will get it. She advises not to be lazy or scared to go to London for work. When she first started she lost a lot of work through being lazy and not wanting to go to London on the train, which she thinks was silly. She says that with time you get confidence and she loves doing the shows in Germany and Belgium, so now London doesn't seem so bad!

And finally she says "Take some chances and don't change your style for a company. I have seen many people come and go in studios but if you have a strong style and work hard you will have a good career. Don't get down if you are not selling as many as others in the studio. It can be hard but if you love it its worth it. Designing or working in an office all day? I know which one I'm happy with. And its nice being my own boss! (Claire Louise Designs)

Indigo Paris

Indigo is a leading international exhibition specialized in textile design and creation. We recently visited to research the different companies exhibiting their designs and to see what we were up against, comparing it with our own work.. Indigo takes place three times a year, two for the fashion market and one for furnishing. It is a good place for visitors to get inspiration from collections and information on trends, and for exhibitors to carry out business.
The Fashion edition of Indigo takes place in February and September in Paris, next to and at the same time as Premiere Vision. Premiere Vision is the world's Premier Fabric Show and is dedicated to the promotion of apparel textiles. When you first walk into Premiere Vision it seems vast compared to the section for Indigo, although it still takes a while to get round Indigo taking in all the different stands!
I thought I would have gained a lot from Indigo as up until this point my main interests had been in fashion print, but after seeing the collections exhibiting I had not really been that impressed apart from one or two. On a positive note it had made me realise that I wanted to pursue a career in surface pattern for home furnishings instead.
I did however get a few contacts these being Peagreen, Caroline Duffy, and Whiston and Wright.
Peagreen are a British based design consultancy team, based in Worcestshire, who create print and digital graphics for fashion, stationary, products and environments around the world. I was attracted to their graphic/illustrative style and bold colours. They seemed to have a freshness/edge compared to others exhibiting. I had a quick chat with one of their team, who were nice friendly, and told me that they have never done work placements in the past but would be happy to answer any questions or give advice through email or perhaps arrange a visit to their studio. Their clients include Nike, Habitat, Moma, Urban Outfitters, Paperchase, Ikea, Stussy, Gap Inc, Topshop, Patagonia & Unicef plus many more! Their website is cool, funky and humourous and has a shop selling canvases, bags etc. It is well worth taking a look at. Their blog is good too. www.peagreen.co.ukCaroline Duffy Designs create stunning printed textiles and design concepts for the fashion industry. They are situated in Dundalk, Ireland. Creativity, individuality and attention to detail is their design ethos. They produce two collections per season, Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter, which are updated throughoput the season. Each collection is created with a mixture of digital print and hand-painted designs. Having looked at many other stands I found myself wandering back to this one. I was drawn in by the femininity of the collection and beautiful colours printed onto delicate fabrics. Caroline Duffy was very approachable and even offered work experience to me which I may take up in the future! She informed me that the fashion print industry in Ireland is very small but her studio would always be interested in new talent. www.carolineduffydesigns.com

Whiston and Wright are a textile design studio in London who cater for a broad range of surface pattern areas. These are womenswear, swim, lingerie, kids, junior, contemporary, accessories, home, designer, print, and bedlinen. They are very successful and have grown to be one of the largest in the UK delivering creative fashion conscious design that is inventive with colour and passionate for print and pattern. After having a brief chat with both Whiston and Wright I have decided that they are a great contact for my future as they take on people for work placements and have vast experience in various textile areas. They are also willing to come into college and give a lecture about the industry or will set us a brief to work to. www.WhistonandWright.com

Tracy Kendall

Tracy Kendall and Tal Rosner are two practitioners I wish to compare and contrast their processes and practices. Both visited our college and gave excellent lectures and giving us a good insight into their working process.

.I am particularly interested in the work of wallpaper designer Tracy Kendall. It is sophisticated and has a textural quality. She works on a large scale using simple elements that fit into a room space rather than dominate it. The images are graphic but refined down to their purest form. These are pigeon feathers, flowers and cutlery. They are 2.5m in height. She first began designing wallpaper when she needed some for her own kitchen. This led to her large fork and spoon designs. From these cutlery wallpapers she went on to design images of flowers, feathers and grass. They are 2.5m tall. Tracy Kendall has also produced digital images of stacked books, magazines and plates. She believes you do not have to cover every inch of the wallpaper but, for example, your design could be one simple stripe done digitally in the middle or to one side of the paper. I will consider this advice for my next designs as sometimes I feel I try to cover the paper completely whereas space could enhance or make the design.

Screen-printing is the main technique she uses to produce her wallpapers although she uses digital technology to explore and produce some designs which include stacked books/magazines/plates and also images of text. I would like to design wallpapers myself that combine both of these techniques being printed digitally and then worked onto using a screen print. I will carry out these techniques in the future.

.The textural wallpapers are 3 dimensional having various things attached to them e.g. sequins, buttons, jigsaw pieces and paper. They are usually attached by stitch or plastic tags. This is an idea I had not thought of before, attaching things to the paper which I will try out. Her designs are unique because they are not mass produced. She treats paper as if it is a textile, manipulating it in different ways which has not been done before. She works with her clients to create bespoke wallpaper that enhances a room perfectly. She is pre-occupied with pushing boundaries and never plays it safe!

Her inspiration comes from anything she is attracted to visually e.g. cracks in a pavement, magazines, interiors of shops, films and the world around her. Most of her research is recorded by taking photographs which are then thrown into a bag to be used on design days at a later date. I too take photographs for my research and then later sketch from them in my sketchbook. From these images she will produce designs and then sometimes she will re-visit them and push and change them further.

She tends not to work to a colour palette using only black and white because they are more masculine and attract male buyers, therefore, sell well.

Visitors at trade fairs like to touch and feel textures and this is why it is important for her designs to have a tactile quality drawing people in. I will apply texture in my own designs as it something I have always liked but have not really experimented a lot with and it could add another dimension.

To have a stand in trade fair it would cost £2,500. I had not realised how expensive it is to hire a stand! Again something I will ahve to think about for my own work.

She once did a show in a gallery where there was not enough room inside it so had to make use of the space outside. This worked to her advantage as she hung Christmas trees from the roof, creating a forest like effect, enhancing the way in which her wallpapers were exhibited making the space she was given work for her, a success!

Tracy Kendall has also created designs for lampshades and once covered a Robin Day Polyprop chair in sequins for a gallery. She likes the challenge of designing for different things producing one simple, clean, pure idea and pushing it to its limit.

She advised us to use a professional photographer to take pictures of our work to show it at its best. Even though this is costly it will be well worth it in the long run. This is then useful for editorials etc as Tracy says your phone will never stops ringing after it! I will definitely hire a professional photographer to show my designs off to their best.

Tal Rosner is a filmmaker, director and graphic designer. I am attracted to his work because of the amazing graphic patterns he creates which are blended together and animated with music. He works in a different way to Tracy Kendall as he concentrates on film but he too gathers his inspiration and imagery from his surroundings. He processes his research into something amazing and beautiful. One of his films he showed us is called Doppelganger. He created this by travelling around on a train with a video camera capturing all the urban sights along the way. This information was then edited and mixed together in such a way creating fantastic imagery and patterns that flow beautifully with his chosen music.

I contacted Tal Rosner to ask him a few further questions about his design process and how it could relate to textiles .


He says he thinks he has always been interested in pattern, especially the translation of patterns onto screen (where they can move, transform and have rhythm). I seem to include rhythm and movement a lot in my own designs and music has always been important to me so his films are an inspiration to me.

His BA was in graphic design and grid/patterns/page division and hierarchy were, he says, a great push in that direction.

Doppelganger is actually the oldest film he presented in the lecture and he thinks this is why it has the strongest link to print-based design. He tries not to always work with music nowadays, but believes that working closely with music at the beginning was very helpful for him and initiated the ’spark’ of the process - translating thoughts and design ideas into moving images.

He thinks that doing textiles is actually a great starting point for moving image and tells me that I should definitely try and experiment with ’stuff’. Whether if it is scanning sketches in and animating them, or building them in illustrator and then bringing them to After Effects, or even printing actual fabrics and filming them in various environments and then editing between - the sky is your limit!

Both Tracy Kendall and Tal Rosner work in ways that are unique to their industry and use techniques that have not been done before. Tracy Kendall concentrates on one, mainly organic, element, whereas Tal Rosner uses many images to create his animated patterns. Tracy's designs are beautiful, simplistic, a style that I wish to aspire to. Tal's are edgy and are based around urban images/buildings. His style too is relevent to my work as I am attracted to the urban city and patterns that buildings make. I also love music, another aspect in some of Tal Rosners work. They both keep pushing boundaries and are always thinking outside the box which has worked for them. Both are very successful in their market place and are in demand as they show new ways of working, a freshness. They are also passionate about what they are doing and it shows in their work, a key element in design.

I think that in order to be different from everyone else and become an accomplished designer within the industry you must adapt all of these qualities. It is clear that you must experiment all the time with ideas and techniques, by hand and cad and not be afraid to try new/different things. I probably would not have thought about scanning sketches in , and animating them because it never seemed relevant to my work but it seems anything is possible and could enable me to come up with some great/new design ideas. I will experiment with this technique. It is also evident that you must always think about what the client needs/wants and what they are attracted to because you obviously want to sell it e.g. Tracy Kendall only works to a black and white palette because this attracts the male buyers at shows. This is something I must consider and apply to my own dsigns when exhibiting at shows if I wish to have good sales.

Dianne Harrison Studio Visit

As part of my Design Practice I have recently visited Dianne Harrison Designs Studio in Cheadle, Cheshire. It has grown to become one of the worlds's leading design studios producing inspiring and relevant surface designs for textiles, wall coverings, rugs, stationery and apparel.

The studio was everything I had imagined a good working environment to be, lots of light, good working space, lively and had a nice atmosphere. There were roughly six designers working there on Cad and AVA. All around the studio were references and inspiration for surface patterns including an impressive library. I had been fortunate enough to have a chat with Greg Threlwall, the Studio Mananger, about the textile design industry and about how he runs his studio. I asked him the following questions:-

Q. What working methods do you use, hand-print/CAD or a combination?
A. They start off by hand printing design ideas and then scan them into CAD to create repeat patterns with the AVA programme. Some of his designers actually paint their designs with watercolours for floral designs first. It seems to depend on how each individual designer likes to work putting their own unique style to it. The lady that painted these designs had previously worked for Laura Ashley. Some use block print methods and others draw their designs. They also have a book/samples of textures to scan into CAD if needed. Greg told us that seven years ago eveything was done by hand, painted, and told us how much times had changed with designs being done on CAD now. He also said how producing designs on CAD keeps the costs down as the designs can go straight to the manufacturer when finished and then put into production fast.

Q. Do you ever embellish you're designs? What techniques do you use?
A. They don't but Greg said if you want to embellish your own designs there is no reason why you shouldnt. At this point Greg told us that we should enjoy our work and explore techniques. He did however say that some of their wallpaper designs had been stiched into and then been scanned. He said this was a longer process but CAD alone could not get this effect.

Q. Where do you get your inspiration from and how do you generate ideas for designs?
A. Look in shops, everywhere, everything, films, CD covers, you never stop looking. Always carry a camera and take photos. He suggested taking a look down King's Street in London and going in the Conran Shop. Another good store to visit is Harvey Nichols, look in their pattern books for inspiration. Also the Northern Quarter in Manchester, shops such as Oklahoma, Magma, Afflecks Palace on Oldham Street. Even the little craft markets. Charity shops.

Q. Do you work to a brief? If so do you set this or your agent/market research/trends?
A. They work to briefs in a loose kind of way. They really only work for themselves, creating designs and then selling them on but some clients will tell them things they don't like e.g. in Korea they do not like pears?!

Q. Do you work to current trends/themes/colour pallettes?
A. No bescause its not really their way of designing. They do have trend books but still tend to go with their own colour palletes and themes. Greg showed us one of the many sketchbooks on his desk containing references to colour schemes that he happened to come accross in magazines, books etc that he liked and saved. He says they are not slaves to the industry instead they wish to put their own qualities/stamp on their designs otherwise they would lose originality.

Q. How did you start off in the business?
A. Greg did a degree in Fashion and Textiles in Surrey. He exhibited his final show in Covent Garden and was lucky enough to be approached by Today Interiors (wallpaper company) and served an apprenticeship with them. He then took his current job with Dianne Harrison. Dianne Harrison did her degree at Manchester. She started her own business 25 years ago working from home. Her husband became a salesperson selling her work all around the world.

Q. Do you use an agent to sell your work?
A. No, they have salespeople working for them who travel the world visiting clients selling their designs. Greg advised us that if we were to think about having an agent in the future then we must find out how often they actually go out selling our designs because it could only be a couple of times a year and this just isn't enough. We would also have to take into consideration how much money the agent would actually take off the sale of the design/s.

Q. Where do you exhibit your designs? Which trade fairs do you go to?
A. They sometimes show their designs in the odd giftware fair such as Printsource but always take their designs to Heimtextil, Indigo and Surtex.

Q. How many designs do you aim to generate per week? Does this vary? If so, why?
A. Varies a lot. It could be as many as five or twenty-five. It depends on the complexity of the design and also the person who is doing it. All designs are different. Some only have a few simple shapes/elements and be produced in an hour. If an employee has had a week off it can take them at least three days to get back into the flow of designing!

Q. Which market do you design for? Fashion, Interiors etc? High/med/low end?
A. All. These include wallpaper, bedding, shower curtains (of which there is a huge market!), occasionally plates, cups. They do most of their designs for bedding. They design for childrens textiles also and Greg told us that it is very difficult to produce these designs as you are up against Barbie, Disney and Bob the Builder etc because this is what children want. You have to appeal to the parents as they are the ones with the money| These designs must have a special quality to compete in the market.

Q. Who are your clients?
A. Everybody and anybody, people who go to them and they will also approach clients.

Q. Is the global economy having an impact on your business?
A. Yes a little but changes all the time, peaks and troughs not too different from normal.

Q. How much are your designs worth/sell for?
A. The designs are not worth anything until sold! We generally charge the same amount for each design. We take into account how much time they take to design, wages, heat, lighting etc.

Q. Do you outsource any part of production?
A. Not really. They have their own printer. They do have free-lance designers working for them.

Q. Who is your target market when designing?
A. Mainly bedding but everything, everybody! You must take into account the world market when designing.

Q. Do you feel you have a particular niche in the market and do you ever divert from it?
A. Yes we have designs that are familiar to people but also ones that people are scared to death of! A good variety. Sometimes you can re-introduce a design that you had created say three years ago thet nobody was interested in then, but will now sell. Fashions are constantly changing as well as people's tastes and needs.

Q. What's the best advice you've had or could give us to guide us in the future?
A. Always be passionate about waht you are designing and put your own signature on it. Don't worry too much about what other people think because they might see something in your designs that you do not. Have variety in your portfolio e.g. geometrics, florals, graphics etc and show off your drawing skills. Greg mentioned copyright issues and told us that if we want to copy a design you must change five elements within it.

Overall the visit was very informative and a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I feel I have a great insight into the industry now to take me further in the right direction. www.dianeharrison.co.uk