I was lamenting to a friend that I feel so out of step with the design season still. Trying to come up with projects for fall can be quite a challenge when you are ready to celebrate spring with soft pastels and florals.
What if you are working on submissions for magazines or designing your jewelry for the next season and lacking in inspiration? A few things that get me going are the color trend reports and seasonal nature-inspired photos from flickr.
2009 Fall color palettes include: lighter and muted shades of rust and golds along with avocado green and a fair helping of dark navy blues and dusty purples. Add in darker stones, wood and antiqued metals for a touch of the fall season. You can’t wrong with trees and leaves for motifs along with other woodland inspired focal beads.
And while you are thinking ahead of the coming seasons, why not give the Stringing challenge a whirl for the next issue. You can find the details here. The theme is “Magical Forest”. That might be a good starting point for me. The deadline is June 17th.
Andrew Thornton
March 25, 2009 at 5:21 pmOne thing that I do is make mini-reports for myself when I go to the big shows, like Tucson and Bead&Button. I make sure to note any new products and try to gage the color palettes from what's available on the tables. This seems to help. More often than not, these are the same sources for a lot of major designers. Knowing this gives you the leg up on designing with trends and to forecast for future seasons.
Also, subscribe to major craft company product releases and sneak peek previews. You'll be first to know what's coming out and how you can incorporate this into your design or how to market a piece.
Alice
March 26, 2009 at 12:01 amBy the looks of that gorgeous necklace you are having no difficulty in coming up with fall designs!
Thanks for posting about the Stringing contest. I’ve never entered one before, but just maybe….
Alice
hint
March 26, 2009 at 8:23 pmthanks for spurring me into action and I love your tip about Flickr!
Fab Fibers
March 27, 2009 at 6:51 pmHey that’s a beautiful peice you got on display. I love wearing it!