Behind every design on Spoonflower is an independent artist from around the world.
It’s no secret that Spoonflower is the world’s largest marketplace of indie pattern designs (over 1 million designs and growing!), but did you know that you can print any design on our 20+ fabrics, our 3 wallpaper offerings and on a growing collection of unique made-for-you home decor that you can’t find anywhere else. Read below as eight designers from the Spoonflower Marketplace share a behind-the-scenes look at their work, their favorite design tools, and the things that inspire them most.
Meet the Featured Artists
Kate Gabrielle
Location: United States
Design Style: Retro, colorful, fun, and very, very pink
IG Handle: @kategabrielle
How are you staying creative right now?
I’ve been trying to come up with ways to use my creativity to help spread some cheer online. I sent paintings of sunshine to my Patreon supporters, I’m currently working on a silly video series inspired by classic game shows, and I’m still trying to come up with new products and designs that will make people smile. I’ve had days where my creative drive is very low but I just remind myself that using my imagination is the best way to put my own mind at ease and that by being imaginative I might be helping someone else to get through a really rough day.
List three fun facts about yourself:
I can wiggle my eyebrows, David Duchovny once told me that he liked the hat I was wearing, and I collect McDonald’s lapel pins from the ‘90s.
Jeanetta Gonzales
Location: United States
Design Style: Vibrant, graphic, playful and feminine
IG Handle: @nettdesigns
How are you staying creative right now?
There’s a wave of amazing inspiration on social media right now filled with lots of creative challenges and prompts to draw and create daily. I love how the creative community is coming together, using their talent to inspire others and spending their time at home to make something fun that they can share. I enjoy participating in the challenges, and seeing all the amazing art on social media is fueling my creativity.
List three fun facts about yourself:
I have had celiac disease for 14 years, long before gluten-free was a “popular” thing. Food options are so much better now than it was then. I have two baby teeth that are permanent. I’ve been an artist coach for a few years now and have had clients from all over the world such as in Australia, Indonesia and France. I love facilitating an artist’s creativity, confidence and skills, and helping them see the possibilities for their career and future.
Derek Quinlan
Location: United States
Design Style: Wallpaper you’d see in an old horror comic book
IG Handle: @landofquin
How are you staying creative right now?
I’m getting married in October so I’ve been pouring a lot of my focus into that. When it comes to my personal work I’ve found setting and staying on top of everyday goals to be a good method to keep me going. I’m always a little stressed about producing work, especially for social media. So with how things are, I’m teaching myself to take things one day at a time.
List three fun facts about yourself:
I’m currently obsessed with collecting old creepy pulp magazines, I have ongoing debates with my fiance about buying a Ouija Board and I’m named after the band Derek and the Dominos. My dad says that a song of theirs came on right after he heard I’d been born.
Jackie Tahara
Location: Canada
Design Style: Clean intertwined motifs and bright exuberant colour
IG Handle: @unblinkstudio
How are you staying creative right now?
I am trying to be very disciplined about sticking to my regular daytime routine as much as possible: waking up early, doing my workout or run, making sure the kids are happy and fed (when they eventually wake up, they’re teenagers!), sitting down in my studio to work through the tasks I have on my list, one-by-one, putting on my headphones with music, turning off the news, drawing, doodling, researching, repeat.
List three fun facts about yourself:
I can move each of my eyes independently of the other and make my nostrils go big and small—when I do these together, it is a very effective party trick (try and imagine what this looks like, haha!). I married my high school sweetheart (many years and intervening experiences later) on top of a mountain. Lastly, I love Adobe Illustrator
! My three fave tools are Image Trace, the Smooth Tool and the Live Paint Bucket.
Cat Hayward
Location: United Kingdom
Design Style: A quirky mix of color, digital collage, watercolours, and texture
IG Handle: @cathaywardart
How are you staying creative right now?
I don’t believe in forcing it when I feel down or stressed, so I give myself time to take a break from it when I need to. I try to keep a little spark of creativity by playing around with different materials, silly doodles, or I’ll focus on my gardening ideas as a different way to be creative.
List three fun facts about yourself:
I talk (and sometimes sing, badly) in my sleep. I’ve never had my own garden but as of this year, I’m renting an allotment (like a Victory Garden) which I’m very excited about! In my last years of high school, I took drama as I didn’t think I was good enough at art.
Katerina Kirilova
Location: Bulgaria
Design Style: Black lines defining colorful flora and fauna
IG Handle: @katerinamitkova
How are you staying creative right now?
I’m staying creative as usual. When I have an idea for a pattern design I search for reference photos on the internet or look at photos that I’d taken. Then I start drawing. If I don’t draw something new, I have a folder on my computer with already sketched ideas waiting to be redrawn and colored in Illustrator. Sometimes if I’m tired or distracted I play a video game, play with the cats or go out for a walk.
List three fun facts about yourself:
I have 6 cats. I listen to audiobooks when I draw my patterns. Also, very often, I draw in my bed leaning on two big pillows with a tablet on my lap and surrounded by sleeping cats.
Francesca Besso
Location: Italy
Design Style: Eclectic although sometimes I feel like an artisan of the image
IG Handle: @chiccabesso
How are you staying creative right now?
At the moment I am fine, even if in my country and in my city the situation is very difficult due to the contagion of COVID-19. In almost a month of quarantine in my home, I went out into the world just a few times out of necessity.
On my balcony I breathe the spring air, try to stay in the sun a bit and do some cycling to stay in shape. Creativity and drawing help me a lot to pass the time; to calm the anxieties and to endure the forced detachment from loved ones and friends. We must keep calm and continue to resist!
List three fun facts about yourself:
I love to swim but I can only do it at the sea because in the pool I can’t stay afloat! When I work with passion, my order is chaos! Every morning I have to spend some time taming the mass of curls on my head!
Michael Uhlenkott
Location: United States
Design Style: Historically informed designs inspired by globally diverse influences
IG Handle: @muhlenkott
How are you staying creative right now?
These days I am doing more research and drawing by hand. I am also sending fabric to folks who are sewing and donating non-medical grade COVID-19 masks to those in need.
List three fun facts about yourself:
I compose music, I love to travel surf and I enjoy wearing vintage clothing.
Want to get to know more artists from the Spoonflower family? Browse the entire Meet the Artists series here. Or explore designer tips and more in our Seller Handbook.