This week we cheer on prize-winning painter, Tannya Harricks (who also happens to be our former creative director at Longina Phillips Designs). Her chunky acrylic paint application and bold colour choices will make you want to pick up a paint brush, pronto!  Scroll for her story and a timeline of creations.

Photo: This is from about 2014 I think when I did some freelance design work for Longina Phillips Designs.

I worked at Longina Phillips Designs in the mid nineties after studying graphic design and working in-house for a fashion designer. 

The LPD studio was an exciting place to work with an abundance of reference materials from around the world and plenty of space to create. No day was the same, every brief and every client was different. I think we only had one computer then and I mostly did the illustrations for placement print designs, storyboards and logos. I do remember the first print design I did that sold. 

Photo: This...

Words by Erin, Digital Design Media Manager

First of all, congratulations for being on this design journey — wherever you are, whatever stage you’re at.

You've made the wonderfully rewarding decision to nurture your passion for print. The fact that you are even reading this blog proves it!

You are doing the work and putting it out there. And we know that can be scary. Even the simple act of putting brush to paper,  and not sharing it online will expose you to the worst critic there is….. yourself. 

We know here from personal experience how awful that inner nag can sound. 

“My painted rose doesn’t look anything like I wanted!”

“I have published my digital folio but had no interest in my work!”

“I’m a failure.”

“I’m not a good enough artist to be in print design”

“I cannot complete this print in Photoshop, but I should be able to!”

“My work is rubbish.”

Meet Maxine! In the early oughts she worked on our team at Longina Phillips Designs, producing prints for the collection and graphics for various projects. Now she's a children's book illustrator and we thought you might like to see her beautiful work.

Read Maxine's story in her own words, below.

Book illustration was something I always wanted to do but...

I knew it was not the most profitable of career choices. So I put my dream on the back burner for many years so I could afford to travel overseas and buy a house.

The passing of two close friends prompted me to finally take the leap.

After losing my friends I felt like life was too short to not do what I love so I went about making my children's book illustrating dreams a reality.

My favorite part of illustrating is when...

I am painting up the final illustrations for a book.

My process involves...

When illustrating children’s books I mainly use watercolor, colored pencil, and aquarelle crayons. For my...

Written and produced by Erin, Digital Design Media Manager.

Dream of designing prints for the big guns of fashion? Your Staud, your See by Chloe, your Stine Goya? In this little vid (just five minutes long!) we show you how to design specifically for the high-end market. What do these brands look for in a print design in 2022? Find out now.

If you love fashion, you won’t need us to explain the difference between a designer brand and a high street or commercial one. For those of you who aren’t quite sure, think: Missoni versus Mango. Burberry versus Banana Republic. Givenchy versus Jigsaw.

Of course, there are MANY differences between the high and low. The prices, the branding and the heritage, just to start. 

What you might not be so clear on, is how the print designs in these two fashion markets differ. And if you’re a print designer hoping to cater to both the high and low, you’ll need to know exactly how. 

Luckily, we at ...

 Introducing yet another Print School Student we're proud of. Chavon Livey has taken the skills she learned in our Photoshop for Fabric Design: Illustration course, and turned them into an inspiring slow fashion start-up. Read about her work below! 

I have always been drawn to print fabric. I just think it is so beautiful, and can be so unique

and really make a piece of clothing shine. I have my own slow fashion brand, Simply Mayd, and the pieces themselves have very simple shapes so I really wanted the fabric to stand out. To be 'compliment-stopping' to a stranger in the street. 

I loved learning textiles at school as the design process is so intricate, and I think it just makes designing clothes feel more complete when the fabric is your own too.

I played around a bit at the start of this print design

trying water colors, gouache paints and digital. In the end I found what worked best for me was to sketch my elements in black and white – not worrying about...

Always wanted to see your print designs on a garment in Zara? Or Anthropologie? Or Reiss? We explain how mass production sets parameters for print designers so you can create the correct style of work for this specific customer. 

WATCH IT NOW!

Written and produced by Erin, Digital Design Media Manager

If you're reading this you're on the path. You want to make a solid living from your surface prints and we congratulate you on that! You've made the decision to create the life you've always dreamed of. 

But we don't want to lie. Making it in this competitive biz takes work and a lot of learning about the print industry and how it operates. The good news is, we've created a course so we can explain everything  in-depth to you. Check out our Comprehensive Business Builder for Surface Designers and sign up for the waitlist right here. 

How to design fabric for high-street fashion brands

So you know that, within the realm of fashion,...

She licenses her adorable creatures around the world and has even launched her own homewares brand. Amanda Joy enjoys a creative life from which she's built a fabulous commercial business. 

My design journey started 8 years ago when I left my corporate job and went back to art school to study visual arts and a diploma in surface design. 

I was feeling like I was wasn't truly "meant" to be in the corporate world.

I have always been creative and my childhood was filled with days of drawing and creating, so it was going back to my roots. 

I love to paint and draw nature using mixed media, but particularly watercolor animals. I love the intricacies of their little faces and giving each of my animals a unique personality. 

I have licensed my work globally across the textile, stationery and homewares industries.

My work has a strong Australian influence and I love to inspire others to bring the essence of nature indoors through my designs.

I mostly...

Wondering if you can share your design on social media once it's sold? Or how to reply to a customer request for a selection link?

As founder of our parent company, Longina Phillips Designs, Longina is our GREATEST source of business knowledge. She's been selling print designs for over 30 years and continues to lead the industry with her savvy, strategic skills.

Three students of our Comprehensive Business Builder for Surface Designers e-course had a burning question for Longina. Read on for her direct reply to them over Zoom (transcribed and repeated here for you lovely blog readers!).

1. Can you post a sold print design to social media?

Some clients do get very upset if you post without their permission and it's better to avoid that argument. It does rattle you because you think, Well I've done all the hard work, I should be able to post it.  But ask for their permission first, or if it's already in the marketplace [in stores etc.] then it's usually fine to go ahead and...

Meet Kate. She's a San-Fran based floral enthusiast, working her way towards full time print design one painting at a time.

It's been quite the journey to get here!

I originally studied fashion design at Northumbria University in the UK and worked in the fashion industry as a designer for about nine years.

I've worked for quite a few brands from Anthropologie to GAP

focusing on womenswear. I loved working with trends and seeing how those trends can be translated into something that works for that particular brand. It's always exciting to see your designs in store!

As far back as I can remember I've always been a painter

and very nearly studied Illustration! Most of my illustrations were fashion-focused which is what led me into the industry.

Working in the fashion industry I always worked very closely with the print designers and loved what they did, so I made the decision to gradually transition over and could not be happier!

As I try out new mediums and use different inspiration...

Words by Erin, Digital Design Media Manager

If you need a new paddling pool to dip your design toe, the SS22 Menswear shows offer a refreshing new place to swim.

Yes, granted, SS22 served up a lot of the looks we’ve come to expect of men's fashion (hello camo and palms), there were a number of newer trends that got us itching to get to work.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: ATM Magazine; Zara;  Wataru Tominaga

Example 1: Snapshot

A nod to the nineties vintage look we already know and love, but with a point a difference.  It says vaycay, easy-breezy yet cool. “Photo collages remind us of better times,” Bec says, so there's that sense of nostalgia there, too.

How to design the look:
We are particularly drawn to this Snapshot trend because it is amazingly simple to design for. Plunder your old family travel photos, or go out and take some scenic snaps. Apply a filter or two (we’d recommend Posterize or Soft light or just about anything that gives you...