This post is from a blog hop that’s a collaboration between 40 different designers who are celebrating Pantone’s Radiant Orchid—2014 Color of the year! In the next year of two, you can expect to see a lot of this color.
We were asked to design a collection of three patterns. Of course, being the rule-breaker that I am, I decided to share four with you. Who am I? I’m Sherry London, fairly new to the surface design world, but oh so experienced in Photoshop and Illustrator. I’ve been working with them since Photoshop 1.0 and Illustrator ’88.
I’ve developed patterns, mostly for my own delight over the years, but I am really loving being part of the surface pattern design community. My work is quirky, involved, and almost totally digital.
This design was an amazing journey that took me through my newest obsession, FRAX, on my iPad and iPhone to discover another world of Guilloché, Butterfly Curves, and some of the other miracles from the brain of one of the FRAX geniuses, Tom Beddard. The background has a number of fractals put together and all of the flowers and leaves are from other fractals. Many of the shapes of the flowers are either Guilloché or Butterfly Curves.
Generated Mathematical Forms
I also created a fractal from a photo I took of an hibiscus in my garden, sent it though FRAX, and then through several other iPad and iPhone apps and finally altered the color and made a composite in Photoshop. I then used it as a texture to tone all of the patterns.
How to Create a Texture
My batik image is also created from a fractal that I generated in FRAX.
Batik Pattern
It, too, went through a cumbersome (but totally engrossing) project to generate the same fractal a number of times but with different color combinations and then put them together in Photoshop. That was only the tip of the iceberg as I decided to also make it repeat. The repeat process combined the fractal in several ways and a lot of blend modes and luminosity masks!
Getting there is all the fun!
The final two patterns weren’t quite as complex to create. The next one is a combination of a fractal, Photoshop filters, and another iPad application, TileDeck Lite, that creates patterns as you doodle.
Pattern from TileDeck lite and other embellishments
My last one:
Dark Dreams
I used parts of a single fractal made into a pattern and then severely manipulated in Photoshop—which is usually my drug (uh… program) of choice! I can play happily in the Photoshop sandbox for hours without coming out of my trance.
Starting Point
Thank you for visiting! I hope you enjoyed my process and will check back to see what other goodies I create.
Great work … as always !
Nandita, thank you so much! –Sherry
wow I love your patterns! featuring you on my blog tomorrow check it out when it goes live 🙂 http://www.hayjayoh.wordpress.com
Hayley, thank you. I will definitely check out your blog site.Good luck with Society 6! –Sherry
Sherry. WOW!!! Floral Painting and Starting Point…..if they were edible I would eat them. I LOVE these as well as the others, but especially these! Absolutely Gorgeous!
Kim, thank you!!! I am so happy that you like these. –Sherry
I love what you shared of the process behind the patterns! Very interesting as I love using photoshop too. My favorite patterns are “batik” (I did batik too, but in illustrator!) and “dark dreams”.
Tina, thanks! I am really glad that you like them. I can’t even begin to picture doing a batik in Illustrator (grin) –Sherry
Hi Sherry, WOW, I love your experimentation with apps and Photoshop. The outcomes look amazing, especially Dark Dreams. I love exploring digital effects too. I must give Frax a try!!
Wini, thank you so much! Do try FRAX. I think you’ll find it fascinating. –Sherry
wow! nice approach…love that batik one.
Femi, thanks! I had fun doing it. –Sherry
Sherry – they look amazing, completely different and original. Love them all. You are a PS master.
WOW! I absolutely love love love your designs!! SO beautiful!
Anchobee, thank you so very much! I am really honored that you like them. –Sherry
Trina, I m so happy that you like them. Your collection was totally awesome! –Sherry
Wow! Uber ( über) is the word that came into my mind. Talk of being connected with PS….absoultely magical!
Vee, thanks! I have a LOT of years with Photoshop (grin) –Sherry
What a tour! Gorgeous and informative. Love the last one Sherry, very unique and special.
Ellie, thanks so much! –Sherry
Very advanced and intricate technique, I like the complexity. It’s nice when we cannot guess the process, challenging!
Marie, thank you so much. I love simple geometrics–but I don’t seem to be able to create them (grin). My ‘style” seems to be very intricate and complex. I am glad you like them. –Sherry
I think my favourite is “Dark Dreams” but I love them all. A fascinating post about your use of fractals. Gorgeous colours!
Amazing! I loved seeing your process to creating your patterns with fantastic textures.
Dark Dreams is amazing..would love to see this printed on soft slinky fabric!
Love ur work Sherry! Looks very fashion forward, fashion industry –I can see a runway model with a dress made with your prints.
wow! Amazing collection, Sherry. congrats!
Karla, thanks! –Sherry
Incredible use of color! Love the tech connection you use with your artwork.
Joni, thanks. I love the color of year! Any form of bright pink just inspires me. I’m glad that you enjoyed the posting. –Sherry
Sherry, I didn’t know that you did fractal designs! These are amazing! thanks for showing your process, I think that part is so cool too. Lovely designs!!
Mary, thanks! I loved the old KPT Fractal Explorer filter and sobbed when it no longer worked. I was so overjoyed to find FRAX. I do play with other programs as well but nothing is as easy to use with as much power as FRAX.
Great post Sherry, very interesting! Your digital patterns are brilliant, I especially love Dark Dreams! Thanks for sharing! x
Daniela, Thank you! I am really happy that you liked the post! –Sherry
Such stunning textures, Sherry! Dark Dreams is gorgeous! 🙂
Sylvia, thank you so much!!! –Sherry
Amazing especially the Fractal Painting Sherry!
Nina, thanks so much!
You made crystal clear you had fun going through those processes. Enticing. Well done!
Bethania, thanks so much!
Hi Sherry, Your work is just phenomenal and pretty amazing!
Also you are an excellent teacher; a total “fusion” of knowledge, with a big splash of color. Well done. 🙂
Lisa, thank you so much. *Yours* was amazingly awesome!!! –Sherry
So pretty! I really enjoyed reading how your designs came about!
Jolene, thank you so much! –Sherry
Sherry, these are mind-blowing! I love the color of the year, by the way. Such a saturated magenta is a thriller to me.
Sara, thank you!!! I am really glad that you like it. I wish I could have made it to the knitted flowers show in Brooklyn but I found out about it too late. –Sherry
These are wonderful. As usualy, you do stuff with PhotoShop I only dream of. No wait, I don’t even know to dream of these. 🙂
I know you’ve mentioned tutorials somewhere, and I’m going off now to find them.
Linda, thanks so much! They are at http://patternpatter.com. By the way, Happy Birthday! –Sherry
Stunning work Sherry, great to see your design process!!
Miranda, thanks so much! This is the first time I’ve used iPad apps in my design process and I really enjoyed it. –Sherry
wow – these look amazing!! such a great set!
Faye, thanks so much! –Sherry
Wow! So interesting reading about your work process and the maths behind the patterns. Love it!
Lesley, thanks so much! The nice part about FRAX is that I don’t need the maths to use it (grin). Math was never my best subject! –Sherry
Whoa Sherry you blew me away. You are such a master at Photoshop and bringing in the Ipad to it. WOW!
Great work. Thanks for sharing you information on how you did it too.
thanks
MaryJane
Maryjane, thank you. I am so glad that you like them. I’ve been amazed at what I can do on the iPad then bring into Photoshop for compositing. I’ve had a blast doing this! –Sherry
Interesting how you create your work and pretty amazing results!
Dawn, thanks so much! –Sherry
Amazing skills here my friend! I need to take one of your classes. Dark Dreams and Batik are really lovely!
xoxox
Deborah, thank you so much! It was such fun seeing you at PrintSource last week! –Sherry
Fabulously fractal-ly designs Sherry…love the rich colors, a visual treat!
Carrie, thanks! Glad that you like them. I have loved fractals for years! –Sherry
Fabulous work Sherry and thanks for showing your process x
Tina, I am glad that you liked them. This was such fun! –Sherry
Wow!! Looks amazing.
Sherry, these are super super fantastic! Your designs have grown faster than the speed of light woman! Amazing talent you have with the software, I am in awe and want to be you!!!
If you are not already selling your prints, I predict you will be very very soon!! Bravo!
Dawn, thanks so much! I am having so much fun doing this! –Sherry
Just gorgeous Sherry…my favourite is “Dark Dreams” . Great post !
Maike, thanks so much. I almost didn’t include that one because I wondered if it was too dark for the “collection” but I’m glad that I did. –Sherry
Wow! Love seeing your design process..
Onneke, Thanks! –Sherry
OOOOOOH! Thanks for letting me into your process! And enabling me with some new
drugs, Apps. Haha.Guess who tried to code and failed?
Anne, I was a programmer at one point. That doesn’t make me much better with WordPress (or with maths if I need to actually calculate a formula for a fractal), but FRAX has no formulas to use!
Enjoy exploring. FRAX is a pure visual treat. The other apps are fun. If you need links or more info, just ask! –Sherry
I absolutely loved your post and the way you’ve created your funky designs. I’m off to see what Frax is as I now want to play in that sandbox for a bit. Fab work Sherry!
Annieline, thanks so much! I am really glad that you liked these. I have spent hours and hours with FRAX since I got it and it amazing. Sometimes I just render textures from it it to use or things with interesting shapes that I can use just for the shape. Enjoy!!! –Sherry
Whoa, Sherry, the first design is to die for! Also LOVE “Dark Dreams” 🙂
Sonal, thanks so much! I am so happy that you enjoyed seeing my images! –Sherry
These are amazing Sherry! I really like the last one, Dark Dreams and the Batik pattern. Gorgeous colours!
Rebecca, thanks for the compliment! It means a lot to me. –Sherry