Surface pattern experimenting!

Today I was working with some of my existing prints to make patterns by scanning them into Photoshop, and then playing around with them. They were inspired by 1950s fabric prints. Here are the results.

This is the first I tried. I think it doesn't work hugely well because it's too busy and there's a lack of negative space. I need to remember to factor in negative space in my later prints.

Then I tried changing the colour of the one above. I like this colour scheme too because it is very vibrant and bold, and quite pretty.

I then developed this by distorting it. I like the effect this gives because it is pretty and reminds me of blending ink. It also reminds me of Ted Baker prints which is always a bonus!

The next pattern I made was this. I think this works better as it has far more negative space. I also enjoy the simplicity of the shapes. I get a really kitsch 1950s feel from this print. I think the colours are good because they seem very happy and vibrant. However I decided to try experimenting with colours to try different effects.

I manipulated the colours to get this outcome. I think the blue is nice but the black is a little oppressive, although I really think the selective palette has a very good, simplistic effect. As a result I tried replacing the black with white.

I think this also works well, with the lighter feel looking fresher and less gloomy, however I wanted to add some subtle colour in the background.

I think the pastel blue and yellow look sunny and retro together, like the effect I was trying to create. However I wanted the image to look even  more simple, to become more striking and abstract, so I simplified it.

The muted blue scheme reminds me of Dutch pottery design. It has quite a calming and serene appearance. I think the simplification and abstraction adds to the 50s feel.

 

These were just playing around with the hue. I think keeping the colour muted is good as it looks calming and retro. The simplicity of the shapes is nice.

The final print I made was using a similar starting point - ie. the same print but a different edition:

This is much bolder in colour scheme. I think it does work well but is a bit busy, and the first variation I did works better.

I used the 'glowing edges' effect to simplify the image. I like this but I think the colours are a little bit clashy. As a result I took the colour away to leave just white lines.

I really like this effect. But I thought if used in large doses the black could again look too oppressive, so I tried inverting the colours.

I think the sketchy effect looks cool. It's very simple but still obvious to see what the subject is.

I also played around with the colour of the original to see what just one colour would look like. I think this has a nice effect but that the original colours complementing each other work better, as it helps to differentiate the different areas of the image. So to finish, I just experimented with the hue of the original image.

These colours seem really vintage, striking and 50s to me which I think works great. They also add a sense of unreality and quirkiness which I like.

My next step is to design a new print design specially, bearing in mind what I've learnt from this exercise. I'm then going to mono print it.