The Secret to Simple Foliage Designs: Tips from Senior Designer Bec G

Simple, gestural designs are timelessly appealing, and no one understands this better than our in-house senior designer, Bec G, who has a knack for painting in a loose and expressive style. One of her recent designs from the LEAF IT storyboard led to a sale with Kas Australia – a perfect example of how a simple but expressive design can have a huge impact. 

Bec's process is all about keeping things loose and full of character. Here's a little insight into how she approached the LEAF IT design:

"It created during an in-house workshop/painting session. Usually, when we’re doing in-house sessions, we each grab our own reference. For this one, I decided to paint from photographs of references or old botanical images, making sure I had a variety of different-shaped leaves. I mixed the palette I wanted to use with inks and had some gouache at the ready for any detailing or dry brush effects."

Bec’s Top Tips for Simple Foliage Designs:

1. Big Paper, Big Brushes: Don’t hold back on your materials! Bigger surfaces and tools make it easier to capture natural flow.
2. Mix Your Palette: Using a combination of inks and gouache gives you both fluidity and structure in the same design.
3. Don’t Overwork It: Sometimes, less is more. Keep your strokes confident and avoid overworking the paint to preserve that fresh feel.

The final design made its way into the marketplace as a beautiful bedding set with Kas Australia, proving that a simple, thoughtful approach to foliage can create stunning results.

Here’s a glimpse of the final product: