Julia {aka JulesAndInk} Pellizzari’s favourite piece of advice was given to her when she was first venturing out into surface pattern design for herself. “I was reminded that no matter what, always keep moving forward with your passion and what it is you want, each and every day.. even if it’s a small step, it’s something…and you’ve then succeeded for that day because you didn’t let fear or any other negative force stop you.”
That is why on her blog she features a category called “Small Steps of Success” – to remind herself of this and to document it in a tangible way.
“Celebrate those small or big milestones of growth.. because in the end, it’s all about those daily steps that will ultimately get you to where you want to be!”
Her surface designs exude happiness, yet gently so – like having a conversation with a friend you’ve just met. It’s a world of softness and daydreams – bright, fresh pastels and delicately textured watercolours fill the space in and around her drawn and painted forms. “I’m definitely an introvert and love my coffee shop daydreaming…If I could paint all day to experiment with painterly pattern type of designs on infinite white canvases, I would be completely content in my own little world! :)”
A real ‘popstar’ moment came for Julia when Rachael Taylor chose her Popsicle design as the winner in a Twitter contest in June last year, and she posted about it on her blogs. “It was a very fun experience as I’ve always been a big fan of hers.”
“The key with drawing is patience”
On the technical side of things, she draws, paints and scans her work principally into Adobe CS6 Illustrator and Photoshop. However, she doesn’t limit herself to one specific method of working, but switches things around freely. “I do love experimenting! I like to create interesting textures and colors with watercolor and paint to eventually scan..there are really no rules. A good idea to try is layering colors to get different looks or make stamps to create a block print style. You will eventually find that sometimes the simplest design can look really amazing once repeated. I also like to incorporate pen illustrations into my work, but the key with drawing is patience. I sometimes like to retrace my illustrations numerous times until I’m satisfied with a final, clean look to scan..but really take your time with it…fill up your whole page even with doodles and just let your mind wander without judgement.”
Once her main print design is tied down, she then moves onto creating other supplementary designs for a collection, keeping the core idea of that design firmly in her head.
Working from her home studio in Chicago, Julia says she is all about making the creative space your own and using the space in the way that works best for you. “I would describe my space as colorful and fairly organized…I also have a bulletin board I like to pin colors and ideas to (aside from my obsession with my other boards aka Pinterest…which you can find here 😉 ).”
Not only does the physical space have to be organised and workable, Julia says it’s important to her to have her head in the right place too. “I have a tradition of lighting a candle at my desk every time I start really diving deep into working, to symbolize my devotion that day to doing what I love and really just honoring that time to myself.”
You can find more of Julia’s work on her website, julesandink.com, or follow her on Pinterest and Instagram.