Mastering the Art of Fabric Printing and Design

03/27/2012

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Mastering the Art of Fabric Printing and Design
Techniques, Tutorials, and Inspiration
Laurie Wisbrun
Chronicle Books 2012 US
RotoVision 2011 SA
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Images from www.centsationalgirl.com and www.chroniclebooks.com
Freelance designer Laurie Wisbrun’s recently published book covers a great many aspects of fabric design and printing. Divided into three parts, this informative guide is a wonderful reference manual.

Part 1, Designing for Fabric, includes brief descriptions of basic pattern types such as floral, geometric, conversational; types of repeats, scale and density etc. There are discussions of legal considerations in regard to source material, building mood boards, and color and trend forecasting. Terrific tutorials explain with clear photographs and concise text several styles of repeats both by hand and with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
Part 2, Fabrics and Fabric Printing Methods, begins with a discussion of fabric types, inks and dyes, and continues with a comprehensive section on printing techniques including screen printing, stenciling, block printing, and resist dyeing. Again, marvelous tutorials cover these hand printing methods.  Also included in this section is a nice overview of digital printing and working with firms such as Spoonflower.

Part 3, The Fabric Business, includes chapters on the different careers in the industry, developing collections for licensors, developing a marketing plan, and the ins and outs of trade shows.

Interspersed throughout the book are inspirational interviews with established designers such as Lotta Helleberg, Joel Dewberry, and Josephine Kimberling, who work in varied capacities in the fabric and textile field.

The information on understanding patterns and the fabric industry provides a good overview for beginners, though it is not as in-depth as someone who is more advanced would want it to be. However, the tutorials really shine. That alone is worth procuring  a copy for your bookshelf!

-Karen
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Our New Book Series

03/04/2012

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The Book List icon
Here is the first of what we hope will be many entries in our new book series "The Book List." We've got a ton of books to share with you! We also want to hear what industry books you've been reading, so drop us a line if you have suggestions or want to write a guest post for this series.
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Photos from the Chrysler Museum Library blog.
British Textiles: 1700 to the Present
By Wendy Hefford, Ngozi Ioku, Valerie Mendes, Linda Parry and Natalie Rothstein
ISBN 978-1851776184

I was fortunate to receive this wonderful book from my darling daughter as a birthday gift this year—I do have my kids well-trained in the gift giving department!

The book is a compendium of several previously published books by the V&A on the subject of textiles, with an introduction by Linda Parry, curator in the textile department of the museum for over thirty years. Covering over 300 years of the British textile industry, it is richly illustrated with over 1000 images. 

Each chronological section is introduced by an expert in the field explaining how the fabrics were manufactured and how the designs were influenced by the technological advances and artistic trends of the period. The essays are a bit dense, but geeks like me will enjoy reading them. There is also a short glossary of terms and an appendix of textile firms and designers, as well as a list of books for further reading.

All said, the real strength of this weighty tome is the amazing color plates. With few exceptions, the designs are pure eye candy. I particularly liked the designs from the early 1700s. Even some of the fabrics that are 300 years old seem remarkably contemporary in both composition and color palette. Truly inspirational!

-Karen

All images are from http://chryslermuseumlibrary.blogspot.com.

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"Clandon" furnishing fabric, roller-printed cotton, 1977.
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"Jupiter" furnishing fabric, 1967.
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A sample from a silk weaver's pattern book, 1805.
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Fabric by William Kailburn, designer and calico printer, 1787.
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"Crocus" printed fabric, 1893.
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