The Kindness Cup – Magical Worlds Illustration

The most special night of the year the nights when the Kindness Cup is presented. A great celebration for the winner of the highest accolade.

I initially cringed at the magical worlds brief but quite enjoyed it in the end, right about the time I started adding fairy lights to the illustration.

The Brief: The ‘Magical Worlds’ prompt for #portfolioclub for this month got me thinking about ideal worlds, and how it would be if kindness was valued above all else and was the greatest achievement of success.

Life in this alternate reality would have cultivating kindness at the foundation of its values. It would be life’s work to be kind.

My initial concept, drawn whilst brainstorming.

The brief had an ‘ethereal’ prompt and a defined four colour palette, which are not my normal colours therefore this was challenging, but I enjoyed working with them.

This figure is in the colour palette defined in the brief.

I spent time this year drawing trophies for illustration work to promote tennis club events for social media posts and on winner’s certificates. This work informed the development of the Kindness Cup.

Tennis Club Promotional Work featuring trophies

The Kindness Cup with the cast iron work of the Paris Metro, which inspired the design. I love this art deco work by Lyonnais architect Hector Guimard.

The Kindness Cup – inspired by the cast iron of the Paris Metro

I began to see a face in the trophy. So I developed this and might explore it further. Here’s a gif of this in the meantime.

My characters who formed the community crowd.

I made the characters into silhouettes and gave them LED lit balloon and light up tulips. Added a little mist for atmosphere. The fairy lights, a fuzzy moon and multicoloured stars light the scene.

#illustration #kindness #trophy #magicalworld #success #thesecretofsuccess #valuekindness #conceptualillustration #illustrator #sheffieldillustrator #lancashireartist #howto #inspiration

Related work:

Portfolio Club – Circus Illustration

Breakfast Cereal Design Concept

Bali Parasol – Instructional Illustration Work

#PortfolioClub September – Folk Costume

You can see more of Hector Guimard’s work here.

Thanks for being here. Please Like if you do and supportive comments are always appreciated.

 

Workshop – Final Places Available

Make a fabric bird, or two, or something else that makes your heart sing at the fabric design. workshop on 2nd June. Book now with Sue of Stitched Up and Fleeced, Sheffield’s leafing textile studio.

For more details about the workshop click here . To see inspiration for what you might like to make visit this link. There really is no limit to what you can design and make.

Here are some examples of workshop attendees designs.

Hope to see you on 2nd June. If you’re too far away let me know where you are and how you like to learn and we can find a solution for you to try these techniques.

Book the workshop and enquire now by contacting Sue at Stitched Up and Fleeced using this contact form.

Fabric Design Project – Window Box Tulips

Now there will always be flowers 🌷 by my window. Started with plain white fabric and hand painted the design before printing it onto the white fabric.

From my initial marker drawing to being in use, my designer draught excluder, here’s the story in a less than 40 seconds video.

Marker sketches

Painted designs ready for pressing into the fabric.

Used passionflower tendrils for wax relief to add texture to the bias binding.

I reused filling from the previous draught excluder, which the fabric had worn through.

I’m delighted with the end result it’s practical and pretty at our juliet balcony.

I like the immediacy of these fabric design techniques. It takes just 30 seconds to transfer the painted design from paper to fabric. I only use the fabric I print, not having to buy patterned fabric by measurement and trying to match up the patterns, with lots left over. I can just work with white fabrics and print the panels to the size and scale for whatever I am making. This can be reusing and repurposing fabric, anything from clothing to pillowcases. The designs are entirely my own and are unique and unrepeatable. This uniqueness and bespoke nature of these techniques is the magic that I’ve found, and that I enjoy sharing through workshop sessions.

Follow my blog to see dates of upcoming workshops or email me if you’re interested in a one to one session inspirebykim@outlook.com

Related posts:

Fabric Design Workshop

Bird and Flower Cushion

Miniature Cheese Plant

Workshop – Testimonials

I’m delighted to have received these testimonials after a run through of my upcoming workshop, which will take place at Stitched Up And Fleeced in Sheffield on 9th March from 10-12:30.

“The workshop had a relaxed environment in which I felt comfortable asking for help or any questions about the work. The organisation of the workshop meant it was enjoyable and the time given meant I wasn’t rushed into completing my design. I am very happy with what I produced and the skills and knowledge about heat press and the dyes I developed during the process.” AGR, Sheffield.

“I thoroughly enjoyed trying a totally new skill. Instructions were very clear and the group dynamic made the whole experience much fun. It was great to see the vibrant finished result emerge from my own design. It was rewarding to complete the task from beginning to end in just a few hours.” JPS Chesterfield.

“Amazing evening experiencing the ‘Magical’ creation, made possible by the unique experience of Kim and her Heat Press techniques.” MK, Manchester.

The workshop provides the opportunity to create a design and transfer it onto fabric for use in a fashion, sewing or craft project.

Priced at just £30 it’s a lovely, great value experience for some quality ‘you time’ or a lovely early Mother’s Day gift.

Book now at

http://www.stitchedupandfleeced.com/workshops

Here are some of the lovely work made at the workshop trial run….

Here are samples I created to demonstrate a selection of design methods to use in the Heat Press.

For more information click here.

Book at http://www.stitchedupandfleeced.com/workshops

This website is supported by Colourcraft Ltd.

Satin Cheese Plant…

I had an idea to make a cheese plant, this was inspired by seeing the cheese plant when doing Yoga With Adriene. I didn’t want a cheese plant that would grow too big or might result in soil spilling onto the carpet, so decided that a mini one would be ideal.

My favourite fabric at present is satin, I love how the light catches it and used it recently for the Bird and Flowers Cushion. The cushion featured leaves and so I can recognise the idea flow through these projects.

The Bird and Flowers Cushion

Following this commission project I made a bookmark, a pretty lady emerged, and then an eye mask.

So botanics were a theme flowing, or should I say ‘growing’ through my work, largely this was inspired by Botanica – Encyclopedia of Inspiration by Uppercase Magazine, a book I love. My garden is also a huge source of inspiration and vital to my creative process.

Here’s the cheese plant creation process in a one minute video. Including a quick animation that I was inspired to make. This quickly shows the steps to creating the miniature cheese plant…

This video and my growing collection of art videos can be seen on my YouTube channel.

I’m really pleased with this outcome and eager to see where this leads on to, I have some ideas but not ready to share them just yet.

Cheese Plant in Satin – Copyright Kim

Related creations that led to this work are:

Bird and Flower Cushion

Eye Mask

Mini Bunting

My Life in Paper

Thanks so much for being here. If you know someone who would enjoy seeing my work and maybe they like creating too, then please share this with them.

Enjoy creating…

Bye x

All the images are copyrighted.

Blackpool Icons Textile Project

I wanted to make a really special and unique gift for a loved one, encapsulating all the things they love about Blackpool and the Lytham St. Annes in Lancashire.

I transferred carefully selected images to a range of fabric textures using sublimation and gel medium methods. Then stitched into the images before assembling them in a kind of patchwork.

I added hand painted seaside icons such as ice-creams, buckets and spades, fish and chips.

I included some of my own repeat pattern fabric designs and sewed into the design to represent the sea, rollercoasters, the beach and also to accentuate elements of the design.

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I chose a candy stripe fabric to represent rock and a fun ice lolly fabric for the reverse side of the cushion. Bright blue bias binding and zip really made the colours ‘pop’ in the design.

I’m delighted with the outcome, as is the recipient who hopefully will have many hours enjoying the images, detail and references which will evoke nostalgia, memories and encourage a new way of seeing a favourite place to visit.

Here’s a one minute movie of the project…

My artworks which relate to this project are:

Paper Art Pictures

Inspired Bags

The Inspire Bear

Inspiration On Your Wrist – Design Concept

Wearable tech could improve positivity – make a huge difference to a person’s mindset, rippling throughout their life and relationships for fulfilling outcomes.

I developed a smart watch concept that will monitor pulse, body temperature and motion in order to prompt timely delivery of motivating images and inspiring messages.

For example; elevated heart rate, without physical movement, could be an indicator of anxiety – in this instance the device would alert the wearer, through tone, music track, vibration and/or screen lighting up, to inspiring content, tailored for them through preferences selected in an app.

Sketchbook illustration of the concept.

The smart watch design prototype

The watch console would slip into a stretchy elastic strap that can be changed and easily replaced. Comfort, own choice of design, washable, changeable and inexpensive.

 

The strap idea came from my custom designed and printed hair and wrist bands.

There could be the option for the wearer to print their own strap design at home – making their product unique.

 

The idea is developing and I wonder whether this could be an app in itself. Will explore that idea.

Posts related to this are:

Exhibition – Sheffield 13th – 15th June.

Inspired Bags

The Inspire Bear

Well that’s all for now, thanks for being here 🙂 you can see more at my Facebook page and Instagram feed.

Ski Themed Zip Bag

To make a unique birthday gift I repurposed a micrfibre glasses cloth, featuring a ski piste map, into a zip bag. 

Les 3 Vallees is the French Alps ski area featured. 

Here’s the story in pictures…⛷

I machine embroidered skiers onto the bag.

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Having fused cotton fabric to reinforce the bag I added a zip

Completed with an Inspire by Kim label – here’s the completed Birthday bag

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Here are other bag products and sport themed items…

Football Fan Bag

Inspired Bags

Paper-cut pictures

News – New Shop Now Open

Instagram Highlights

Here are latest highlights from my Instagram feed. I like Instagram as I can send my work across the planet and people near and far can see it, maybe in far flung places that I can only imagine. From my life to theirs in an instant. Shared interests found. 

It’s been a busy time with my Foundation Studies final exhibition. My products exhibited for the first time after months of hard, but enjoyable, work at The Workstation in Sheffield City Centre. 

Sam – ebook page – Copyright Kim

Sam – ebook page – Copyright Kim

I remembered my intricate paintings of the white dog Sam, completed a year ago, on his journey as he hoped to fly. I shared a previously private video of the ebook. You can watch this, 55 seconds movie, here. 

Work In Progress – A rare sunny no breeze day meant I was able to work outside on my next intricate paper cut picture. This imagined scene is inspired by the Brighton’s seafront, with a tearoom, vintage style dress and ladies wear shop, and next a beach goods shop. This is the latest in my series of paper-cut pictures. 

For a family birthday for an avid French Alps skier I turned a microfibre glasses cloth into zipper bag on my wonderful Bernina sewing machine. 

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I hand painted, printed and sewed a shower cap as my final exhibition product. Wipeable lining from my friend’s Sheffield haberdashery emporium Direct. Loved the pink satin binding – a beautiful find from Berwick Street, London. 

I made a video of my recent work to promote my exhibition. 

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​And finally my dress design fabulously modelled by Lucy. 

That’s a snapshot for now – more at my Instagram and Facebook Page. 

Whatever you’re doing enjoy and bye until next time.

Kim x

Exhibition time

Delighted to be able to show my work after so many hours of intricate work and digging deep creatively. 

Proud to be exhibiting in Sheffield City Centre at The Workstation until 8pm tomorrow as part of Sheffield College’s Design and Visual Art’s end of year show. 

My Ice-cream themed products – beauty bag, shower cap, light-catcher, buttons and hairbands

My product’s displayed as they might be in a retailer



My dress and hand painted scarf

My product range catalogue

The Sheffield newspaper photographer

My project has been to design and create a range of products to inspire and uplift people. I’ll then speak to retailers about stocking my products and will offer bespoke items as unique gift ideas. 

My mascot – the Inspire by Kim bear

See the recent blog posts for related stories and my Folksy shop

Thanks for being here.