domestika challenge winners!

February 1, 2024

Thank you to everyone who participated in the January Print & Pattern Challenge with my Domestika Course, Pattern Design for Homeware (aka, Playful Patterns in Illustrator). I’m so pleased to announce the winners here today! I had a wonderful couple of weeks connecting with everyone who participated — seeing your progress and hearing the ways the course positively affected your practices really made my heart sing!

Congratulations to these artists for their amazing work!

Underwater Fun by Marera

I have such a crush on this collection! That hero print fills me with excitement — I think it’s totally unique, modern, cool, and I would happily live with it in my life. The colors are so cool, the textures bring the whole thing to life and even with a high level of elements, it’s so resolved — everything just clicks.
@marera_studio / www.behance.net/marerastudio

Spring Forest by Laura Oster

There was a such a refinement to this collection and it was just so pleasing to my eyes. It showed a variety of explorations in each print that aren’t the exact same approach, but all work beautifully together. It has a simplicity, but details add lovely interest. This looks like it’s ready to put on products tomorrow!
@laura__oster / www.hellolaurao.com

Underwater Treasury by Tiina Achrén

Simplicity is not always so simple, but here, Tiina does it effortlessly! I love the minimal palette — and the work has to be strong to carry it with so few colors — and it truly does. I love the confident shapes, and I would put all those prints on my walls. It’s cool and modern and has great style.
@kuviokioski / www.tiinaachren.com

Bom Dia Alegria by by Alexandra Pinheiro

I chose this one for a variety of reasons! Not only was the work great, but you can just feel the love poured into it. Alex walks us through her collection with a charming story that put a smile on my face, and was clearly inspired, going above and beyond with her final patterns and mock-ups.
@tuscastudio

Rebel Jaipur by Elizabeth Bagán

From the initial moodboard to the final, this project really spoke to me! I love the big unapologetic boldness of the beautifully detailed motifs in powerful colors. It’s so punchy and alive! It’s got a lot going on (I love that), and uses color skillfully so that your eye doesn’t get overwhelmed. Super cool!
@soyelizabethbagan

Congratulations to the winners, and for everyone who created a collection for the challenge, and for anyone that even took a small step forward toward it! And if you’re interested in taking the course yourself, you can check it out right here. Have a great day!

January Print-and-Pattern Challenge on Domestika

December 11, 2023

Join me for a 2-week Print & Pattern Challenge from January 8 - 22, 2024, and start the new year with fresh creative energy! The challenge will take place via my Domestika course, Pattern Design for Homeware Products. The course is really about creating playful pattern collections, that you can apply to any products (but I focus on Home Decor, one of my passions!). I will be with you every step of the way and will provide a timeline with deadlines, so you can stay on track. And there are PRIZES! More on that below.

WHY JOIN?
During every day of the challenge, I will be there giving you your daily tasks and engaging with everyone’s progress. By the end of the challenge, you will have your very own Print and Pattern Collection for the Home, complete with name, story and mock-ups! Sometimes we just need a little extra push and some accountability! Not only is it a great way to feel a sense community with other like-minded creatives, but it’s also an opportunity to get feedback and encouragement on your projects. It’s also so valuable to look at each others’ projects and benefit from feedback those projects receive — it can really help you with your own work or address issues we all struggle with.

PACE / TIMELINE
I recommend following the course at the pace of the timeline I will provide — this will mean you are on the same trajectory as other students and can benefit from seeing their work and the feedback I provide on it. Do follow along as best you can — in order to be considered for the prizes, you must complete the project by the end date. Don’t worry if you fall behind a day here or there (or if you want to work ahead). I will be engaged with you during the course of the challenge and will review your work as it comes in. As long as you meet the final deadline, you will be considered for the prizes.

PRIZES
Top Prize: I’ll be choosing my two (2) favourite projects from the challenge. These two winners will each get a one-on-one mentoring session / portfolio review with me (1 hr).

Bonus Prizes: Along with the two winners, I will choose 3 more of my favourite projects. I will share these 5 final collections in a special class post on Domestika, on my blog and instagram (@elizabetholwen).

And if you tag me on instagram as we go, I’ll be resharing some of my favourite ‘moments’ from along the way during the challenge. So post your progress and tag me (@elizabetholwen) and use hashtag #elizabetholwendomestikachallenge!

TO SIGN UP: If you purchase the course, participation is free! In the Community section of my class, simply follow the topic called ‘January Print & Pattern Challenge’ for all the info. Once you follow that topic, you will get a new message from me with every step.

If you know anyone who is interested in exploring or improving the craft, please share! You can also buy the course as a GIFT for a friend — honestly, the course is ridiculously affordable. Like, the cost of a fancy coffee.

The challenge is open to anyone who has purchased my Domestika course. If you’ve already created a project, you’re very welcome to join and create another one. I will only be considering NEW projects for the winners. Hope to see you there in January!

introducing colorjoy!

November 22, 2023

I’m so excited to share a collection I’ve been developing for quite some time — I call it ColorJoy and it’s a pure celebration of joyful aesthetics. In an increasingly complex world, moments of levity are essential — and beauty is an antidote that raises the spirit and nourishes the soul. Let me take you on a journey of visual delights, where color uplifts and forms play in harmony — a collection that explores joy for joy’s sake. I even created a Spotify ColorJoy playlist for it! If you need a pick me up, it’s a great sonic representation of the collection.

Color plays a big part of this collection — it’s been such a positive influence on my life, an expression of my creativity and life energy. This spirit has expanded into all the nooks and crannies of my world and most definitely in my home, which has been a playground for exploring the colors and shapes of joy, which have very much informed this collection. I have designed the types of prints I like to live with in my own space, in my own life. Simple, graphic, soulful.

The collection has over 70 patterns and 70 illustrations… here a sampler of some of my favourite prints. I’ll slowly be sharing more of the collection with the world eventually, but if you are a potential client and you’d like to see the full collection now, please get in touch. I’d love to share it with you!