Emily's path to becoming a pro painter happened in four short years. Taking one of our courses led to an internship with the Longina Phillips Designs studio, which evolved into a job offer.  Working in-house she was exposed to a painting style that would change her career and her life.

We love this story because it proves you can pivot a creative career while raising kids — AND find success pretty fast!

I started at Longina Phillips Designs as an intern in 2017 and ended up staying for four years! I had very young children when I began and was fortunate to find a workplace that was flexible and supportive of my role as a mum. Much to my delight, after finishing my internship I was offered a job. I think my most memorable moment would be selling my first design… pretty sure I cried! 

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...

 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...

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...

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...

An accidental discovery of New York's Premier Vision textile trade show set Esti Heshin on the fabric design career path. In this post she tells The Print School about her creative upbringing and the exact stepping stones that lead to her towards her dream design career.

Growing up in NY I have the best memories of my mom taking me shopping on Fifth Avenue on Sundays.

We would go to see the beautifully decorated department stores. She also an artist and loves floral prints and when we'd find a dress with a print we'd analyze it and we were very particular about what we liked. So I think this is actually where my journey began looking back.

After graduating college in 2017, I got an entry-level job at a local graphic design firm.

I photographed products and created catalogs but wound up designing packaging mostly. After about two years I felt I could do much more creative-wise. I always loved fashion and art and really wanted to pursue a job I where I wouldn't count the hours...

German born–Australian bred, Sue imbues her love of fine art into dense, allover designs aimed at the European market.

Even back [when i arrived in Australia in my teens] I was so into decorative, patterned design but there was no such thing as 'surface pattern design' and I never fit 100 percent into the mold of fine artist.  As I [got older] and started to work in the real world I was drawn more and more to commercial art so studied a certificate in illustration.  The course introduced me to the world of Photoshop and digital art, which I continued to develop my skills in with a certificate in graphic design.

I am totally into flora and fauna

and so I am constantly inspired by the world around me.  I think I am a typical creative, often trying all sorts of new things and ideas.  And I just love to create!

I have done all kinds of work in this industry now

from freelancing internationally, working for a print design studio in LA  and then starting...

I'm a freelance surface pattern designer based in Brisbane.

Before, I was in clinical research and my background is biology. I primarily work in home interiors, designing wallpaper, soft furnishings and cushions. 

I don't think homewares were a conscious choice.  

I developed a style over the years and it seemed to naturally fit more for home textiles than it did for fashion or greeting cards. I remember trying my hand at lettering and I was just terrible! It took a few years of doing different courses and trying things out [to] hone my style and it naturally fit into interiors. I have a general interest in interiors too, so it probably went hand in hand.

It all started seven years ago...

I was an Australian expat in the US after I had my first child. It's a little cliche, but when you're on maternity leave you have time to reassess what will work with your new lifestyle. I came across surface pattern design and I thought, “Of course, it makes sense.” For...