June’s feature artist is Elizabeth Silver, the designer behind Amira, Game On and most recently Mod Blocks. Elizabeth’s style is always fun, always fresh, and always on trend. Read on to dive into her creative process!

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

Elizabeth Silver – Hi! I’m Elizabeth- a designer and licensed artist living in Raleigh, North Carolina. I create surface patterns and illustrations on a freelance basis for companies big and small, designing everything from dinnerware to wrapping paper. For my licensed work, I design art for greeting cards, gifts and most importantly, fabric! I have two little boys (ages 3 and 1) and have dreams of sleeping past 6:30 AM again some day in the distant future.

CF – Trend-spotting is an important part of your work. What are some trends you’re loving lately?

ES – I do love keeping track of what’s trending and after travelling to New York for Surtex and the National Stationery Show this spring, I‘m brimming over with new ideas. I love conversational prints so much and food themes always make me smile. I was so happy to get a pretzel print into my newest Camelot release, Mod Block, and snack foods are for sure still trending. I’m also digging the starry sky/constellation themes that are floating around lately, I definitely have a few sketchbook pages percolating with those motifs!

CF – With a BFA from Syracuse University, nine years as a New York textile designer and 6 years of freelance design under your belt, what’s your #1 tip for aspiring fabric designers?

ES – There’s no way one tip could cover it all, but I’d say start by designing collections that you’d like to see in the market. Give yourself assignments and deadlines as if you already have a fabric client. Without a portfolio of work no one knows what you can do, so it’s all about designing what makes you happy while you refine your skills and style.

CF – What inspired you to design your first collections for Camelot – Mod Blocks, Game On, and Amira?

ES – Game On was actually the first of the three that I designed, before I even was signed with Camelot. Per my advice in the last question, I designed it specifically with fabric in mind. I’m not a gamer, but I spent 3 years designing in-house for GapKids, and one of my responsibilities was doing all the prints for boy’s underwear. Video game prints were always a hit in that job, and my husband’s favorite way to relax is by playing games from his childhood, so it seemed like a fun (and popular) theme to work with.

Amira was next, and I had bold home decor patterns on the brain, which led to a fun boho ikat stripe. I love to mix in different elements to my collections, so I thought it would be pretty to add in some butterfly motifs to round out the patterns.

Mod Blocks was a collaborative effort between myself and Camelot creative Director Sandra Akl. I was just coming off maternity leave and I was excited to work on something new, but I wanted to be sure it was something perfect for Camelot’s spring line. When Sandra suggested a black and white mix and match idea, I was so happy to get to try a lot of different mini geometrics and fun themes (cacti, animal faces, letters!) all in one broad collection.

CF – Can you tell us a bit about your creative process? What do you most enjoy?

ES – I keep a running list of themes I’d like to tackle. When I have the time to work on new collections, I sit down and spend an hour or 2 with my sketchbook – or lately, my iPad. First I make lists related to those themes, next I play around with layout ideas in the form of really quick sketches, and finally I draw out more detailed motifs that I can scan or transfer to my computer to use as the bones of my new designs. After the heavy lifting of brainstorming is done, I get to the fun part of executing my ideas in Adobe Illustrator. I most enjoy this part, when I know exactly what I want to do and am just in the groove of doing it. I’ve always loved putting prints into repeat; it is one of my favorite things about being a pattern designer. There’s a certain puzzle-like aspect that’s so satisfying when you’ve gotten all your imagery to fit together seamlessly.

CF – What is your creative workspace / studio like?

ES – I’ll be sharing pics on Instagram, but my current office is a bit chaotic. We moved into a new house a year ago, and now I work out of our sunroom. It’s big and it’s bright, and it has a great view of our yard and pool – and for those reasons I love it. The drawback of a room that’s all windows is that there is virtually no wall space, so things I previously had hanging on the walls or tucked in a closet are shoved against windows or piled on my desk. Plus – no place to hang fun decor and licensing samples. It’s begging for a makeover and more appropriate furniture, but I’ve been a bit busy in the last year!

See more of Elizabeth’s work around the web:

Collections – camelotfabrics.com/designers/elizabeth-silver.html

Website – elizabethsilver.com

Instagram – esilverdesign