Patterns with Evgenia Chuvardina
Evgenia Chuvardina creates wonderfully bright, pop-inspired designs and patterns that will set your world ablaze in vivid color. We recently asked her about her process for creating.
Please share with us how you became interested in design and illustration? What piqued your passion?
I have been drawing since I was a kid. When I was a child, I went to a children art school for seven years. After it, I went to the Academy of Architecture and Arts. I have a degree in graphic design. Art education in Russia follows classical traditions; you have to learn how to draw and how to paint, composition, colour theory and history of art. I can say that I have been an artist and illustrator all my life.
Your designs are full of bright and bold colors and wonderfully unique concepts (and yummy foods). Where do you find inspiration for your patterns?
My inspiration is in the pop art. I find it amusing to play with this current fascination of food sharing on Instagram, all of the “thanks to Instagram my grandmother knows what I ate today” shares. I’m not sure if it is a good thing or not, but we are influenced by the mass culture, movies, advertisements and social media. I guess that’s where the “yummy foods” come from.
Of your designs, which is your favorite?
My favourite pattern is “Doughnuts”.
"It is crucial to consider the particular product, for example, the size and the number of elements of the pattern on a duvet cover can’t be the same as on a phone case. Also, don't underestimate the power of the product preview feature."
"Sweet Donuts" Throw Pillow
Your color palette is very bright and bold. Have you found that your palette is instinctual (based on colors you prefer using together) or does the inspiration come from somewhere else?
I really love summer time, heat, the sun and bright colours but unfortunately, in the place where I live there are not so many colours around, I call it colourless. I have to add colours to my life, so this palette is a compensation of some sort. Some combinations are coming to me by accident, for example, I saw a woman in a bright skirt yesterday, and I’m still thinking about it.
Please share with our community how you create your patterns. The technical process you use? Illustrator? Photoshop? Do you hand draw any parts of the pattern?
I think it will be easier to explain the process of creation by using an example, let’s take “Colourful fruits”.
Once an idea is formed, I hand draw it on any piece of paper I find. Then I look for photographs of the real objects on the Internet (or real fruits in a supermarket), what are their features: colours, shapes, particular details? The next step is to draw the best sketch in the digital form. Even though for this kind of work Illustrator would be a more suitable choice, I prefer to use Photoshop because it feels more like a hand drawing, which I really love. Next step is to choose a right colour, sometimes it takes a lot of time to find it, and of course, the right colour is the main point in my illustrations. When this bit is done, I arrange work on a pattern structure.
When you’re designing patterns for finished printed products, what advice would you give to other artists so that their patterns look their best on products?
First of all, you have to check everything many times, ”God is in the details”. It is crucial to consider the particular product, for example, the size and the number of elements of the pattern on a duvet cover can’t be the same as on a phone case. Also, don’t underestimate the power of the product preview feature.
[Banner Image: Doughnuts]
"Watermelon" Photographic Print
Stop by Evgenia Chuvardina shop to check out more of her dazzling designs!
