Surface,Textile & Graphic design: Designer interview: the talented Lily Reilly!

Hello, I am so delighted to feature today in our blog the lovely Lily Reilly, an Illustrator & Surface Pattern Designer from Cork, Ireland but currently living in Berlin,Germany.
Lily's studio name is Petal to Petal.

I really love Lily's unique style that she named :"flower bomb" and sweet personality, I am really happy that she let us know more about her and her fantastic work. Enjoy!

How she did it:
"I love to create pattern and imagery at any chance I get, my main areas of interest being textile and surface pattern design and fine art/ illustration.
I studied Graphic Design and then trained as an Art and Design teacher, both at Crawford College of Art and Design in my hometown, the beautiful Cork City. I graduated from Rachael Taylor and Beth Nicholl's course 'The Art and Business of Surface Design' last summer."

Her work and style:
"The subject matter of my work is primarily quite feminine- I love to work with florals, hearts and other positive imagery that I hope will make the world a prettier place. My style is quite intricate and I use a lacing pattern that I call ‘flower bomb’ in a lot of my work. The pattern explodes and disperses and I like to experiment with it and use it in different ways. I particularly love working in monochrome and just concentrating on the shapes and detail of a pattern. The pattern explodes and disperses and I like to experiment with it and use it in different ways".

Her inspiration:
"So many different things inspire me- the detail in nature, fashion, retail display, classic and contemporary art, the enthusiasm in people for what they do..the list really is endless.
I like to look on Pinterest - although a lot of the time it’s for recipes as I love to have something nice on the table for my boyfriend when he gets in from work".

She found our she wanted to be a designer when..
"My parents are both creative and I come from a creative family- my sister is also an artist and my brother is just finishing film-making in college. Our household was always a creative one so making things has always been a second nature to me.
I was introduced to Charles Rennie Mackintosh and William Morris by a family friend who used to give me books and their work and the ethos of the Arts and Crafts Movement just blew me away- I thought ‘what a lovely way to view the world’. I studied Graphic Design and then became an Art and Design Teacher and always did my own illustration work in my spare time. It took me a while to pinpoint exactly what it was that I wanted to do'.

Her favorite part of being a designer:
"I can honestly say that I don’t have a favourite part- starting a new project is always exciting, when things are evolving half way through that can be interesting and at the end when I have finished something that is a nice feeling too".

Her upcoming projects:
"I am currently part of an exhibition here in Berlin, which I helped to organize with two friends. I am typing this as I curate the gallery space. The exhibition is called ‘all in the detail.’ And it shows three very different but feminine artistic styles. The opening was on Saturday May 4th and we were overwhelmed and delighted with the turnout and the way the night went. The exhibition runs for the whole month of May.
I am finishing off a few projects at the moment so I can move on to new things. I like to work on a few different projects at the same time- I think that mixing it up that way keeps it fun.
I am always open to commissions and collaborations with other designers and I enjoy participating in different events and exhibitions".

Her big dream as designer:
"My dream would be that I can keep doing what I do and for it to be well received- as there is nothing quite like people enjoying the work that you create, which is personal to you".

Her favorite medium to design:

"I love working in pen on paper- I always have. I studied Graphic Design and one of our topics was print. I developed a healthy obsession with paper- the texture, the weight, the colour- it is wonderful stuff! I really enjoy sitting down with some nice new pens and beautiful paper and just starting a project- it’s just as exciting for me as when I finish the piece. In the last couple of years I have been working on wood a lot but it is much more time-consuming and harder on my pens!"

How she stays motivated:
"I plan my days using a really great little calendar on my desk- it is a blank calendar with a weekly display and you fill in the month and dates. That way, if I’m away for a few days I just pick up where I left it and it makes me feel less pressured.
I think that it is really important to give yourself little breaks throughout the day too- I sit out in the sun for a bit, head over to my friend’s house around the corner for coffee and a chat or head around all the lovely little shops and boutiques around here for a look. I draw inspiration from everything and that in itself motivates me to work on a project. As I’m working on something, new ideas come to me and I am happy to say that I don’t have enough time to make everything I dream about".

Her favorite thing is her design studio:
"My favourite thing in my studio would have to be my cat Poppy, if you can call a cat a thing? She curls up and sleeps next to me as I work, and she likes to play with my pens, which she seems to have a fascination with. She is the first pet that both my boyfriend and I have had outside our families".

The world believe means to her:
"Believing in yourself is so very important. If you don’t, then it is likely that others won’t believe in you either. Create work that is an extension of yourself and you will flourish".

How to get in touch with Lily:
Blog: http://www.petaltopetal.blogspot.de/
Website: http://petaltopetal.carbonmade.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PetaltoPetal
Twitter: @PetaltoPetal
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/PetalToPetal
Society6: http://society6.com/PetaltoPetal
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/petaltopetal/

2 comments:

Petal to PetalMay 13, 2013 at 9:40 PM
Thank you Rosie! x
AnonymousMay 13, 2013 at 10:53 PM
I have been following this lovely young and girly designer for some time now and am always amazed at the range of little flowers she produces. Such detailed and intricate work. I can see all her designs working on stationery, kitchenware, bed linen, curtains, make-up bags, handbags, clothes, etc. etc. so I hope that she gets 'discovered' so I can buy her designs to put all over my house!

Thanks for your message!

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Monday, May 13, 2013

Designer interview: the talented Lily Reilly!

2 comments: