Do you imagine yourself enjoying an afternoon painting washy, watercolour florals before stopping and thinking:  It looks too hard. I’ll never do a good job? Lots of people hesitate to use this watery medium. You are not alone. But, watercolour florals don’t have to be complex, exact botanical renderings.  In fact, the simpler ones are often the most successful. “It’s really just a matter of knowing which brushes to use, and how to use them,” freelance designer, Angela says. “And it helps if you can let go a little and trust in the process.” In this tutorial  you will see how An ..read more

Want a quick and easy way to elevate your design? Add a texture! Textures can add interest and authenticity to even the most basic print. Textures come in all shapes and sizes and are used in print in multiple ways. In this post we discuss the impact of an ‘all over’ texture. That is, a texture that will be used across an entire textile design. In our upcoming Photoshop course (launching June 22) we use ‘all over’ texture in many chapters, so we thought we would help you prep for that whilst helping you build a texture tool box (or texture library as we call it here) for long-term use. In ..read more

If you find roses a little scary to draw, we don’t blame you. They can have  a lot of petals (up to 40!), and each has a unique set of curves, folds and creases. While it’s easy to get frightened by the detail (we all felt the same in the beginning!), in textile design we learn to look past it. We set out with a very simple plan that helps your final painting ‘read’ correctly in any end product. Senior Designer, Kat shows you how.   YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 2 Minute Tutorial: Create A Peony Bunch How to Observe Flowers in Nature (And Why You Should!) The Key to a Pro-Looking Line D ..read more

High fashion is aspirational, but not always easily translatable for everyone’s wardrobes. Taking the time to think about how to interpret high fashion trends for commercial outcomes will really boost your chances of creating a sought-after design. Sometimes what makes it onto the catwalk is a concept – an extreme version of an idea that can be filtered to suit a broader range of tastes. First of all you need to learn to identify trends. Keep your eyes peeled for recurring themes. When something pops up time and time again across the catwalks you can bet that commercial retailers will be look ..read more

All kinds of professional design studios work from mood boards (or trend reports, as we call them here).  They’re pretty standard design tools and when you start working in a design role you’re expected to know what to do with one. So we thought we’d deconstruct a Longina Phillips Designs Trend Report so you can be sure of what you’re looking at. Sara, our head of design, unpacks the page. THE MOODBOARD: “Created by creative director, Bec, our Trend Reports are usually comprised of a selection of reference images, an inspirations blurb about the story and her vision and some colour tabs for u ..read more

You’ve worked in non creative industries and secured jobs before. Your most recent resume got you a job in a cafe you love. It was the right type of communication for that particular time and that particular place. But will it help you land your first design role? Creative director, Bec reveals some common mistakes we see new recruits make. 1. Composing your CV in Word “Word is a clunky program,” Bec says.“Even though we aren’t graphic designers, we look for good presentation in a CV.” A CV is no standard document. It’s an important sales tool and it has to catch the interest of the reader in ..read more

Working on an illustrated print design? Your line work is everything. Especially if the design is intended for textile. Because there are two main ways that clients print their textiles, and each method requires a specific type of line in order to produce a clean (aka. smudge-free) print. Have we lost you? Hang in there — Senior designer, Katrina tells you what lines work with what process so that you can please clients with a professional design that not only looks great, but prints perfectly. 1. SCREEN PRINTING Screen printing is a process that clients use for smaller budgets.  A lot of our ..read more

ONE THING?? You ask. There’s a million things on your list that need attention. But hear us out. To get ahead as a textile designer this year, you need to do less. Yes, you read that right. Stop trying to do it all. And ask yourself this question by Gary Keller in The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results: “What’s the ONE THING I can do, such that by doing it everything else will seem easier or unnecessary?” Keller calls it the focusing question. Think both big picture (Where am I going?) and small picture (What’s the best thing I can do right now to help me rea ..read more

Aaaaannnnnnnd we’re back! We’ve eaten the turkey, opened the pressies, shopped the sales, and now (sigh) we’re here again. Right were we left off.  If, like us, you’re struggling to deal with the reality of the real world (HA!) then read on.  We’ve compiled some back-to-work warm ups in hopes we can help you reengage with your productive self and rediscover your flow. Well, you wouldn’t run a marathon without doing a few stretches first, would you? Come on, let’s do it together…   1. SCRIBBLE  Take a piece of scrap paper and any drawing implememt and scribble. Just scribble. For high acheive ..read more