small craft business

Designing an Art Quilt Series: Part 1

[hr]Designing an Art Quilt Series

I have been asked about my process and thought I would share with you how I approach a series. I will be completing this in multiple posts. Part 1 – Planning and Research, Part 2 design and layout, Part 3 Marketing. Who knows, there may be more. Let me know if you would like to hear about anything specific.

Quilt Art Design

Without having a process it can be overwhelming and be intimidating for a new artist. Maybe you have always wanted to try, but you are not sure where to begin? I have a tip for you, there are no “right” ways to do it. Design can be approached many different ways.

Planning and Research

Like any work, even in quilt art – planning is actually a huge part of the process. I start with an idea of what I am interested in tackling. Sometimes it’s an image or subject that I have seen that really strikes me. Sometimes I am working with a client and need to meet their wish list. For this blog, I’m not going to talk about commissions, just the original design. When it comes to a series, there needs to be planning on a bigger scale.

How I did it Then

When I began the Canada Quilts Series back in 2000, I had a grand idea: A large venue showcasing large fibre artworks at The Mississippi Valley Textile Museum. There were 75 feet of walls, but I didn’t have a solid idea when I booked the show. I will be honest here, I was flying by the seat of my pants. At 27 years old eager and energetic, I had never mounted a show of this magnitude before. I wanted to get my name out there and this was my opportunity. It was the best way at the time, it had high risks (not completing the show, making crappy quilts or no one shows up – all went through my head) but high rewards as well. In the end, it was a game changer for me. People still connect with me about the show – it was almost 20 years ago!

How I do it Now

Today, I do not wing it. It worked then, but I think that was luck and I had good supports in place to help pull it off. Now I am a planner. I prefer to work more methodically. Don’t get me wrong, the art is still imperative, but the project has many layers and I need to work on that first. Focusing on what speaks to me as an issue, I begin with a concept and look for inspiration. I take photos while on drives or walks, on vacation, wherever I can. I am always thinking of designs and always see potential thread paintings. Brainstorming ideas helps and I write them all down using Google Keep for lists if I need a fresh idea.

The Plan

I will actually look at the project as a plan.

Who am I showing to
What do they want to see
Why do they want to see it

I create a mission and goal for the exhibit and outline the values I want to stay true to.

After I have figured that out, I turn to the logistics. Where will I display, when will I do it? I will often work a this part of the process alongside the creating of the works.

Once I have landed on a topic I want to explore, I will collect ideas for the individual quilts and consider many things. I want to find topics that interest me, but I really want to find the topics that will speak to my audience. The planning and design are the heavy lifting in my opinion. I spend a long time working out the ideas for the overall concept of the series. Then I work one at a time. I can’t fit the ideas for every quilt in an entire series in my head all at the same time, so I plan out 3-4 of them and get started.

The final part of the planning is how will I execute – this is an exercise in time mapping – I work out a reasonable time frame for each piece and put that into my schedule so I am able to complete the series and keep working at other parts of my business as I go.

photo by Pauline Donalson

My Next Series

Right now I am really excited about endangered species – well not excited – interested in highlighting the urgency for protection. I am passionate about protecting wildlife and nature. Bringing a focus to species at risk is near and dear to my heart. Where to start though? There are over 200 species at risk in Ontario alone.

So let’s talk about my first piece. The Rapids Clubtail Dragonfly. I chose this insect because it is found locally. Well, it’s hopefully found locally. Being endangered means that there are few of them. This year there were no sightings! So I have my subject, now I need to research. Where does it live, what is the habitat when sighted, what is the size, colours, variations and striking features? For this, I actually enlisted the help of a local biologist Pauline Donaldson. She was happy to help bringing the plight of this creature to light and sent me all kinds of great information and photos for me to study.

Researching to find images that are striking to me, I gather all of the information I can. I do not look at other artists who have worked in the subject. I do not use images that are copyrighted. If I need to use an image i.e, it is the perfect setting and I can’t get my own, or find an open source – I ask permission. More often I move on to another image, I would rather have clear use of it rather than muddy the water with another artists work. (Just my two cents on copyright).

What’s Next?

Stayed tuned for my next blog post Designing an Art Quilt Series Part 2 where I talk about the drawing, layout and execution of my pieces.

What was that judge thinking?

Scoping out how a judge determines the top quilt at a show.

When we speak of inspiration, we don’t often think of attending lectures and professional development. It really it is so great for getting the creative juices flowing for a business. I decided I would do some direct professional development at the latest Canada Quilter’s Association Conference. I took a workshop called “What was that Judge Thinking?” with Joyce Brown and Judy Villett. It’s the first of a series for the Quilt Judge Certification Programme. The program trains judges and jurors in the profession of assessing and critiquing quilts and fibre art within the context of a competition. The instructors have been in the biz for over 30 years and brought with them a wealth of knowledge to impart on an eager group.

After listening, participating and networking, I’m not sure if I will go through the whole program, but it was certainly helpful and food for thought for the future. The whole process of entering, hosting, coordinating and judging a quilt show were covered in the day.

How Hard is it to Judge?

The hardest part of being a judge seems to be taking into account the design elements of a piece as well as the technical details. You really need a solid background in design and and clear understanding of colour theory. Without these basics in understanding design, it doesn’t seem possible to critique a work without bringing in your opinion. The next step is the technical side, pouring over a piece, looking for the workmanship and fine details to set a work apart. Then you have to take both into account, does one outweigh the other in the submission? Of course you then have to look at them in context of the other top works.

Colour Theory Samples by Judy Villett

It really opened my eyes to what a judge faces when 150 quilts show up and they are all the cream of the crop. How do you differentiate without bringing your opinion to the table? Looking at a design objectively without know the artist or their intentions. Really studying it to determine what works, then hearing the artist’s statement. Then they take the top contenders and zeroing in on a winner, it can’t be easy!

The Best part of Workshops

One of the best parts of the day was meeting some like-minded artists. Community is so important and building relationships in the industry makes all the difference to a successful business in my opinion. I look forward to meeting up with the ladies I met again at future workshops.

If you are interested in the program you can see more details here: judges-certification-program

You can see what workshops are coming up in the 2018 Conference for CQA which takes place in Vancouver here.

First Steps in the Art Business

It’s worth making a Business Plan!

It has occurred to me that there are others out there who want to start a business with their art, so I thought I would share my journey as I go. Where to start? It’s a big question. I’ll lay out my path for you, take from it what you want and adapt it to your own style, needs and skills. If you have other steps to recommend by all means comment, we can all learn and help each other out!

The Plan

…this is about as dry as it gets, the whole concept of a business plan can make most artists eyes glaze over and the daydreaming start. Even myself, I love planning, love spreadsheets, but having to sift through this is a special kind of torture. But I am determined to work my way through this. It occurred to me that I am likely not the only artist to want to stab my eyes out when thinking of writing proposals and plans, I really just want to create my art! It seems that many artists are in the same boat. I decided to talk to some seasoned artists to see if they did one, all so far have said no, but think that they probably should have. We often launch into our work and are caught up in the art, the feedback we receive, the next commission or show and suddenly find ourselves winging it. This works to some degree, but to get the most out of art as a business, the business side has to come into it at some point. As I step through this process I want to find a more appealing way to look at this side, from the perspective of an artist. I’m devoted to this process no matter how long it will take! I appreciate any feedback you may have to help along the way. Then I will share what I have learned.

Building an Art Business

The Long and Winding Road Back

I’ve realized that the way back is a very twisty and windy road. I have looked back at all of my past posts (five, clearly I am not a blogger!) and they are all about starting again and again… and again. It would seem that I’m not serious about this… but that is not the case! I am realizing that none of this is actually starting again, it is all part of the journey. All parts of my life are connected and will make sense together eventually.

Next Steps

Now I have to figure out how to put those skills into a business plan for my art business. It’s one of the hardest things as an artist. Creating is the fun part, we get feedback on how people feel about our work and usually, it is positive. We live for that!

Having to track inventory, sales, create letterhead and logos, communicating with clients and keeping contact lists is mundane and certainly does not feel creative. But really without a good business/marketing plan, we are winging it and it shows. I had no idea how important this all was early on in my career as an artist. Now that I have had some perspective I can see, it’s essential. So I will embark on this endeavour with excitement for the spreadsheet, create goals and tasks, contact lists, social media streams, and interesting content for my website and utilize systems to streamline all of this. Then I can get to the fun part of creating.

Designing an Art Quilt Series: Part 1