Irish designer Paula McGloin joins us on the blog today, talking about the process of taking art from inspiration to finished product and translating the natural world to beautiful illustrations.

Paula’s cotton collection Gingerbread Bakery is in stores now.

Camelot Fabrics – Please introduce yourself and tell us what you do!

Paula McGloin – My name is Paula McGloin. I’m an illustrator and surface designer based in Dublin, Ireland. Born in the rural west of Ireland, my childhood was spent nearby woods, mountains and the sea. Nature has remained a huge inspiration in my work. I also enjoy travelling to new places and scouring flea markets for inspiration! I create surface designs for fabric, ceramics, packaging, stationery and homewares. My clients are based all across the globe. I have also illustrated three books. The first book ‘All through the Night’, based on a collection of poems, was shortlisted for two National awards in Ireland. I live in a small townhouse with my husband Michael and our slightly grumpy cat Gatchino. (Living with a cat is like living with a mini-jaguar. They are amazing creatures!)

CF – What’s something you’re excited to tackle right now?

PM – I’ve just started a new Jungle themed stationery project that involves many, many illustrations of animals. I really love working on jungle inspired illustrations, so I’m very thrilled. I’ve recently joined regular life drawing sessions in the evenings and I’m truly enjoying it. It’s something I used to attend frequently in art college but let it slip. To spend time focusing on my drawing skills is challenging, but the feeling of tuning out of life’s distractions for one single purpose of drawing feels very rewarding.

CF – What’s the moment in your design career that was the scariest? The most rewarding?

PM – I don’t think I’ve encountered anything too scary in my design career so far (thankfully!). But I’ll always get the butterflies just before something goes to print! Checking and rechecking all the details and making sure the artwork all looks okay helps. But it’s the trembling trepidation before I hit that ‘send’ button that always gets me.

The most rewarding thing for me is seeing my work ‘in the wild’, whether it’s my illustrated book in a shop window, packaging design on a shelf or an online fan posting an image of what they have created with my fabric design.

CF – How does your location inform the designs you create?

PM – I’m very aware that living in Dublin has had an impact on my design work. Dublin is a city with a village feel. Nature is a huge inspiration on my work, and although I live the heart of the city, nature is not too far away. The commute to my studio involves a 15 minute walk along the canal, and it’s full of wildlife. Along my walk I enjoy spotting the seasonal flowers and the wildlife. There’s a frequent solitary Heron that stands among the reeds hunting for fish; little Moorhens constantly pop out in front of me looking for food; beautiful drooping willow tree branches dangle over the water, and in summer the water lilies are in full bloom. Dublin is also a very artistic city with a vibrant creative scene. Surrounding myself in a community of other creatives is inspiring and motivating.

In some ways, my work contrasts very strongly to living in Ireland, particularly my colour choices. Weather, (particularly bad weather!) is a huge aspect of life in Ireland. It’s a constant conversation starter. For example today is a very typical mild, but overcast humid day. The sky is grey, it’s drizzling rain and the sun has not broken through the clouds yet, and most likely won’t in the next few hours. Sometimes it can feel a bit gloomy. I think the way I use bold vibrant colours in my work is almost like a reaction to the dullness of light in Ireland. I’m trying to inject a splash of colour and joy into every day though my work, especially the grey days!

CF – What are some of the inspirations behind your work?

PM – Travel has been a constant inspiration in my work. As an artist I feel it’s important to experience different cultures and environments. Years ago I visited Brazil and it has left me with a lifetime of inspiration!  I also find it really interesting to visit Art galleries and museums. I’m especially drawn to ancient art. Some of the shapes and figurative representations can be surprisingly modern. When I visit a museum I like to sketch and record my visit. When you glimpse an object or take a quick photo, you don’t really see something. But when you sketch or draw, you observe more deeply and notice the intricate marks of the craftsperson who made it. I recently visited the Neues Museum in Berlin. It holds a large collection of Egyptian art. There was one section of full stone wall carvings depicting animals of the Nile. They were breathtaking!
Mid-century art is also a huge inspiration for me. Graphically bold, abstract design fascinates me. I love the clever simplicity. I’m a huge fan of mid-century artists like Charley Harper, Lucienne Day, Alice and Martin Provensen.
CF – Can you tell us a bit about your creative process?  What do you most enjoy?

PM – I start every project with a research and sketching phase. Many of the commissions I’ve worked on involve illustrating animals and plants.  Sometimes the brief can be very specific and you have to find out more about a very specific tree or exotic creature. I love this part and I sometimes get lost in the research phase!
I will then create numerous small thumbnail sketches, each sketch quickly exploring a different idea or composition. I will collaboratively review my sketches with the client, sometimes changes are made and then I will start on a large final sketch of the design. Once the final sketch is approved, I move to digital. I scan in the drawing and start working in illustrator. I will create the main solid shapes and experiment with colour variation, building a picture of what the illustration will look like. I will then continue by adding details to the artwork, integrating a variety of pattern, lines and simple shapes.  Depending on the brief, I may finish my artwork in Adobe Photoshop by adding texture and depth to shapes or backgrounds, and also using custom paint brushes to add definition.
When I’m working on a personal project, I like to shake up my process of working completely. I keep a sketchbook to experiment with painting techniques and colour. I like to try new hand printed projects with rubber lino or mono printing. I also like to sketch from observation whenever possible to improve my drawing skills.

CF – What is your creative workspace / studio like?

PM – My studio is based in a former factory near city centre. It’s filled with a mix of creatives: milliners, writers, painters and designers. It is very inspiring to see how other creatives work.  My space is surrounded with inspiration across the walls, a mix of artwork I love, some of my own sketches and designs pinned up as I work through projects. I’ve organised my space so that I have space to work on the mix of digital and handmade work I create. There is a space for drawing, sketching and printmaking along with my computer and large Wacom screen tablet.
I love books! I collect art related books, nature reference books and also have a large collection of children’s picture books. I also collect fabric samples, trinkets and interesting objects that I place around the studio.

See more of Paula’s work around the web:

Collections – camelotfabrics.com/designers/paula-mcgloin.html
Website – paulamcgloin.com

Instagram – @paulamcgloin
Twitter – @PaulaMcGloin