little smilemakers studio: nature

Showing posts with label nature. Show all posts

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Pura Vida Collection // Sweet jungle animals // Costa Rica jungle designs for fabric

Five years ago I traveled to Costa Rica, the country was number one on my bucket list of places to visit for a long time so when I finally saved up enough money I couldn’t wait to see all the lush green parks and quirky animals.

As you know I love traveling and whenever I come back from a trip the first thing I do is create new work. Usually I have been on the road for weeks and during my trips I never get around to create anything, I do however collect scribbling and sketches, little thoughts and notes. So when I come back my head explodes, it is full of fresh ideas. But 5 years ago I didn’t make any time creating a full collection of prints after my trip to Costa Rica and while I was cleaning out my photo’s when my new computer arrived in the studio I found all these images of sloths, snakes and wonderful wild life, beaches, corals and national parks. And those fresh fruit! Pineapples, banana’s and papaya’s. I got that itch again. Something needed to be done!

I finally sat down and created an entire Pura Vida series of fabric this year. Inspired by my trip and inspired by my Costa Rican muse who reminded me to revisit this inspirational journey. I hope you enjoy how this collection has turned out. We created some sloth designs, sweet baby snakes, fish and a mix of tropical birds of this lush green paradise. Of course lot’s of green shades and colorful bright colors for fall and winter.

All designs featured in this post can be found in our Spoonflower online fabric shop where we offer our designs on 16 different textiles and wallpaper. If you have trouble choosing the right fabric for your project check out our Spoonflower frequently asked questions post. And do reach out if you need another scale for your project, we are happy to add an extra scale to the shop for you.

If you would like to license one of the designs for your business, please send us an email or take a look at the website for more information.

Monday, November 10, 2014

Sources of inspiration: Cactus heaven // Botanical inspiration in Gran Canaria

The change of seasons can be a great inspiration. I love fall weather and see the leaves change color. In Holland you can see the joy of all seasons but when I travel I enjoy the difference in vegetation too. Colors of plants, shapes and leaves, they can be very different from the plants growing in this part of the world.

Last week I came back from a week of traveling on the Canary Islands where I went to see a botanical garden which was created in 1952 by the Swedish Eric Sventenius. His goal was to protect all species of plants from extinction that were growing on this island. Now this great garden has become a great lush place of green. A lush heaven on this dry island of Gran Canaria. When you walk into the garden the first thing you see is a forest of small palm trees that reminded me of juicy pineapples. When you walk further you can see a small pond surrounded by amazing colorful flowers and close to that same pond there is a huge bush of cactus plants that is totally breath taking. This garden is a great mixture of plants and it will take up your entire afternoon to take it all in.

I have this weird thing for cacti and have used this raw dry vegetation as inspiration for my 'raw nature collection' last year. For this collection I have created ink sketches of small insects and desert plants which are available on home deco items, wall art prints, throw pillows and phone accessories and stationary. During this trip I arranged a photo shoot in the garden for one of my Dutch clients. We made a series of portraits with abstract plants and popping colors in the background. It was not hard to make some great shots.

The garden is located in a valley and goes all the way up against a steep hill. The view on top of the garden is gorgeous. If you ever get the chance to travel to Spain, do visit the Canary Islands. You can find this botanical garden, Jardin Canario Viera y Clavijo on the island of Gran Canaria.

Are you already looking for some seasonal presents? Looking for fun Raw Nature christmas gifts? Take a look into the Society6 shop for home decor items and fun art prints with cacti theme or creepy insects pattern. These designs are also available on fabric and wallpaper via Spoonflower. Have fun!

Saturday, September 1, 2012

> Happy september! Enjoy the color changes of pre-autumn!

As a graphic designer i am always working on 'the other side of the seasons.' Just a month ago i finished the December and christmas designs i worked on. The summer is always a bit slow. People going on holidays, companies closing for the summer. But i am working for the big holiday rush already.

September is always a fresh start of new things. People going back to work, feeling this new found energy. A very productive month. Just before it all starts i wanted to post a quick note here. I will be busy designing some interior products this month. For a new summer collection. So my life will be all 'flowery colorful' the next few weeks. But just for Septembers sake: You can take a look in my online card collection for a cute autumn note like the one above. Have a nice after-summer time and enjoy the color changes of pre-autumn!