The Random Motif Generator

One of the many great things I've been introduced to through the Textile Design Lab is the Random Motif Generator. The idea is to use this tool to come up with new ideas for pattern designing. The resulting pattern may end up being part of a larger collection, or just a fun experiment using different media and theme.

My version of the Random Motif Generator has four columns; product, colour, categories, and media. Under each section there is a list of different possibilities. Using a random number generator, which you can find online, a specific item from each list is picked. For example, in my case I used the random number generator and got; #12 for Products, #18 for Colour, #7 for Categories, and #13 for Media. This means then that the challenge is to design a Spring-themed pattern for the stationery market using printmaking and a low key colour palette. Now that's a challenge, a low key colour palette for Spring!

Since the design is for Spring, I went with linocuts of a butterfly and flowers. After making the stamps, I printed them using black ink, scanned the image, and developed the pattern in Illustrator. Here is the pattern I came up with,

Interesting,.... the low key colour palette was the most challenging part of this design. Since this was suppose to be for the stationery market, I made a mock-up of the design as a postcard.

This is a lot of fun to play with. The end result could be the start of an exciting new collection or just a creative outlet and an opportunity to try something new. With everyone spending a lot more time at home, this good be a useful tool to try!