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BLUEPRINT COMPETITION PAGE

Entry 9 18 January 2016

Pippa Shaw


My name is Pippa Shaw. I am British and live in the south of France (Aix en Provence).  I previously lived and worked in Paris (for nearly 10 years) and have also lived in Hong Kong and Australia. When I left my job in Paris I decided it was time to do something I was passionate about, and in 2014-2015 I took Modules 1-3 of Make It In Design's ABSPD course. Since graduating I've been developing my portfolio, working on my first licensed stationery range (with a UK company that contacted me after seeing one of my designs on the P&P blog) and setting up the Four Corners Art Collective with 6 other brilliant MIID students (4 of whom will be exhibiting at Surtex in May).

I would love to win this competition as I feel that I'm now at a point where I have a strong enough portfolio to start contacting potential clients (my new year's resolution!) and exhibiting at a trade show such as Blue Print would be a fantastic launchpad for a designer new to the business.  I love that the show is on a more human scale and that the exhibitors can support each other and make friendships and connections with each other, which I am sure you wouldn't be as likely to get at a bigger more corporate trade show.  It's also nice to know that potential clients will definitely see your booth when visiting a smaller show, and that the visitors will be of a higher calibre. And of course winning this competition would be a huge boost as it would mean that you think that my work would sell well! 

I appreciate you taking the time to consider my entry.  Not all of my work is in my portfolio on my website at the moment as I've been holding some back to send to potential clients, but here are two links to recent collections: Altitude and Mountain Pasture. I'm currently working on designs aimed at the kids market and home decor.

Entry 8 18 January 2016

Emma Cochrane




My name is Emma Cochrane, 35, currently living in and from Edinburgh, Scotland.

I am a graduate of the ABSPD courses, Modules 1-3. I signed up for the first module in March 2014 and it’s given me a new lust for life and a safe and supportive space to go on my creative journey. 

When I started Module 1, I had no mac, no Ps or Ai, no scanner/printer - just painting and drawing experience. I used a mac at my sister’s work then acquired a second hand mac, upgraded it myself, used some birthday vouchers for a scanner, and taught myself how to use Ps from hours of online tutorials and the amazing support of the ABSPD class alumni. 

Since I started surface pattern design, I have won a Barker and Storehouse cushion pattern design competition, featured in the Make It In Design Summer School 2014 look book and reached the final shortlist of 3 Tigerprint competitions. 

I am committed to making a living from surface pattern design and illustration. I have invested in a new mac, moved to a part time job in order to spend more time on my business, created a business plan, the wheels are in motion for my own manufactured line and I have started a collaboration with a local upholsterer.

I would love to win this competition because of the international exposure it would give my brand and the opportunity it would provide to hopefully start licensing and selling my designs in a relaxed, boutique environment. I am also interested in being represented by an agent and am excited about the opportunity to meet some in person and discuss options. The networking opportunities at the show would be fantastic and I know I would learn a lot from everyone there!  I just can’t afford the stand fees at a trade show at this stage of my business. 

Entry 7 13 January 2016

Jules Anson

 
 

A little bit about me: I am a youthful 47 (!), living with my partner and 9 year old daughter in a small village on the Clyde Estuary in Scotland, about 30 mins from Glasgow. We get the best mix of being by the sea and mountains with city culture just a train ride away!I gained a first class degree in Art and Psychology in 2000 and fell in love with both printmaking and textile design during the course and was singled out by the external examiner as the person most likely to make it as a practising artist. Life took its twists and turns however and for the past 10 years I have been freelancing as a graphic designer specialising in book layout design (www.studiotheano.co.uk). 
In November 2014 I found the Make It In Design courses and went on to complete Modules 1-3 of Rachael Taylor’s Surface Pattern Design course and Lilla Roger’s Bootcamp and MATS A course. My passion for pattern and print was reignited and I soon decided that this was the area of design I wanted to pursue. I feel I have achieved so much in just one year including joining forces with 6 other designers to form the Four Corners Art Collective (www.fourcornersartcollective.com). We would be keen to exhibit at Blueprint in 2017 as a group. 
My work reflects my love of pattern and colour. It is busy and bold and bright. I draw, paint, make lino prints, collage and sew before scanning in or at other times, draw directly into Illustrator. I love playful and fun designs that lend themselves to the children’s market, both placement prints and repeat patterns. Florals and textured abstract designs also form a large part of my work. 
Why I would love to exhibit at Blueprint: Blueprint sounds like the perfect place to launch a surface pattern career since it seems to offer more of an intimate, boutique feel than some of the other larger shows with more possibility of making quality connections. It sounds like the attendees help and support one another too, which for someone like me, just starting out, would be so valuable. I am a ‘mucker in’ too, so know I would play my part. The agencies I have seen who are attending have work of such a high standard that to exhibit alongside them would be both nerve-wracking and incredibly exciting. If I was to win the competition I know I would have 3 months of intense hard work, but would feel that my surface pattern career would be really starting !
Entry 6 13 January 2016

Karen Dreyfus


 

Here is my entry. Thanks for the opportunity!

Karen Dreyfus USA 42 Years Old

Graduated from Make It In Design ABSPD Module 3 and Ultimate Portfolio Builder.
Since graduation I’ve been building up my portfolio, enhancing previous designs, creating collections in different categories, researching my audience and preparing to show at Printsource.

I want to win this competition so I can have exposure to the right people, to entice me to produce more quality work and to give myself a chance to succeed in the surface pattern design field.


Entry 5 13 January 2016

Caroline Moraes


I am writing to enter the Blueprint Young Designer Competition. My name is Caroline Moraes; I am originally from Brazil, but have been living and working in England for the past 14 years. I am 39 years old, so definitely not young! However, I have been designing surface patterns for the past 6 months and have created the brand Pattern Synthesis for my design business. I love every minute of it! 

I have a university degree in Social Communication, with a major in Advertising, so I am not a design graduate as such. But the Make it in Design (MIID) courses led by Rachel Taylor have motivated me to keep going and further develop my skills in surface pattern design. During the past 3 months I have been developing as many surface patterns as possible, with a view to developing a professional portfolio. 

I would love to win this competition as I believe exhibiting at Blueprint will give me the opportunity to show my work to potential buyers for the first time. Also, I would love the opportunity to network with other designers and gain further understanding of the surface pattern design market by attending Blueprint.

Please see attached the two A4 PDFs as required. The first shows the banners layout and the second focuses on the table cover. 

I hope you can consider my entry for the competition and look forward to hearing from you soon.


Entry 4 13 January 2016

Betsy Siber



My name is Betsy Siber. I live in Chicago, IL (USA) and am very new to the illustration world. I earned a photography degree back in 2006, but it was only after becoming a mom to my two daughters, now ages 2 and 5, and getting regular glimpses of children's books, children's clothing and children's products, that I got the itch to illustrate. I had so many "Wow, I could draw that!" moments, that eventually I couldn't ignore them anymore. Things took a serious jump-start last spring (2015) when I joined Lilla Rogers' Make Art that Sells e-course. I was opened up to the endless opportunities that art licensing could bring, and I have been in intense portfolio building mode since then. I'm now ready to get the work out there. 

Since becoming involved in the illustration community, I have been so impressed with the openness and support of my fellow artists. Through facebook, instagram and in the real world (I'm lucky to live in a great city for artists where I run into talented people pretty regularly), there is always a sense of "a win for one of us is a win for us all". After reading more about Blueprint, I feel like this is the spirit the show was created with, and I'll be sincere: I want in! 

I hope you'll take a few minutes to look over my supporting materials, attached here. If you have any questions for me, please don't hesitate to check in.

Entry 3 13 January 2016

Sandra Bowers




I'm Sandra Bowers, I'm a Freelance Illustrator and Surface Pattern Designer based in BC, Canada. I'm originally from the beautiful Medellin, Colombia, where it's springtime all year round!

I`m 33 years old and I have very big eyes. I love animals, specially dogs.  Most of my inspiration comes from nature and animals, so I'm lucky to live in a place where I can sit in the garden and watch many free animals come close enough to admire (coyotes, raccoons, bunnies and many many birds!).  

I graduated on may 2014 from Module 4 of Make It In Design - Building your Professional Portfolio (I enrolled with my maiden name in case you´re checking and don´t find a Sandra Bowers; it´s Sandra Mejia Posada).  I moved to Canada that same month and I had to wait more than a year to get my work permit so I used that time to build a strong body of work and refine my techniques. Since I got my Residency, I have started working for some Companies developing patterns and illustrations for their products and I also teach classes online on Skillshare.

I would love to win this competition because I feel that my portfolio is ready to show to the world. Submitting art to Companies trough email is not the same as being in the time and place where Art Directors are looking for art.  I specially like the Blueprint show because I don´t like very crowded shows and I prefer a place where the Clients can feel calm and relaxed, not overwhelmed. This would be the boost my career needs at this point, so I definitely want to win!

Thank you for your time and for offering this opportunity.


Entry 2 13 January 2016

Emma McGowan



My name is Emma McGowan and I live and work in Brighton in the UK. I'm 44 years old and a graduate of the Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design e-courses from Make It In Design. I took the first module in 2014 and finished the final module in December 2015. 

During the course and since graduating I've launched my brand, focused entirely on surface pattern design, and formed an international collective of pattern designers called Four Corners Art Collective. My website is www.emmamcgowan.co.uk and the collective is www.fourcornersartcollective.com. My illustration portfolio can be viewed at www.brightonillustrators.co.uk/portfolios/emma_mcgowan

My aim is to design laid back, luxurious placement patterns for stationery, greetings, packaging and paper as well as gift and home decor accessories, so a booth at Blueprint in May would be a dream way to launch my new brand and portfolio!

Before starting my surface pattern career, I was a freelance copywriter for over 15 years and a freelance illustrator for the past two years. In 2014 I illustrated a weekly column for The Guardian and last year my first book was published.

Please do let me know if there are any problems with my PDF submission or you need any other information from me. Thank you so much for the opportunity!


Entry 1 17 December 2015

Esther Blay





My name is Bley Hack, and my brand name is Esther Bley Designs.  I currently live in Dayton, Ohio, USA, with my husband and five young children.
I have always loved to make things, but my interest in design started when we moved to London when I was a child.  The beauty and history of our surroundings was overwhelming and very formative for my young self.  I studied art history and fine art in college, and began my career as an elementary art teacher.  Children’s creativity has always inspired me; it is so pure and unselfconscious!
After leaving teaching to raise my children, I found that I needed to start creating again myself to fill a creative void.  Textiles have always been an inspiration, and I am an avid sewist and knitter, so surface design seemed to just naturally flow from that.
I began educating myself using various courses, including MIID Module 2 and The Ultimate Portfolio Builder.  I am a graduate of MATS, as well as various CreativeLive classes that helped me learn the Adobe programs.
Currently I am working towards building and polishing my portfolio in preparation for my first trade show, Surtex, in May of 2016.  I have some fun personal projects too: each year I design a new yearly desk calendar to give to friends and family at the holidays.  I am also exploring the possibilities of collaborating with my children.
I would love to win this competition as it would give me another venue in which to exhibit my work, and a broader audience in which to find potential clients.
Thank you for the opportunity, and please let me know if you need any further information!
You can find me on the web at: estherbley.com; and on Instagram @estherbleydesigns.