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Printed Surface and Textile Design//

There is a course at Leeds College of Art called Printed Surface and Textile Design. This is the course I would have done had I decided to not stay at Falmouth to do the Drawing Degree. The degree at Leeds combines my love of pattern and merrymaking for a purpose; whether this be clothes,  textile or interior. I have been following the work of some designers on the course for a while now and I thought I would share some of my favourites with you.

These designers are all very different with how they approach pattern and this is what makes the course so exciting. Core skills are taught and then they are able to branch out and develop their own visual language.

Hayley Hunter

Hayley's intricate paper cutting skills amaze me and motivate me to become better at it! (as well as being more patient and not to lose heart with it.) Her work shows great technical skill and imagination to create these beautiful designs. She has a strong eye for detail and mark-making. I also admire hows she makes floral patterns way more dynamic and current, that is what makes her designs more memorable than most because she has a clear way of working and style to her work. Her work is also very structured which I find very calming. I think this is something pattern does for me and is recurrent in a lot of her work. She manages to do this through composition and colour.



Jodie Smith

Jodie is someone who uses colour and collage to create charming illustrations which she translates into patterns. She works very well with mixing colours to create her illustrations rather than using existing colours. This is a great skill to have and shows in her work because she is not afraid to combine bright colours

Amy Hodkin

Amy knows how much I fan girl over her work and illustrations. She has an ability that I admire and everytime I see her work it motivates me to go and draw or create something. There is a spontaneity and freeness in her work which is rare. Like the other people I've spoken about she has a real eye for colour which she is not afraid to combine with mark making to create patterns and designs which have a real narrative. She also knows how to draw with a brush pen and the drawings below show how she has a real talent for drawing. I predict big things for her! She is definitely one to watch.




Amy O'donnell 

Last but not least is the lovely Amy! I first came across the work of Amy when I saw her independent shop on Facebook. She made custom clothing from beautiful fabrics and it is here that I bough a Kimono from her. I admire Amy's work because she has clear technical skill not only in designing fabrics but making clothes too. It excites me to see how she will combine these skills in her practice through her course at Leeds. She creates beautiful line illustrations with a strong sense of line which adds character to the work.




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