I'm an artist, surface pattern + fabric designer, author, mama, and online teacher in Portland, OR. I believe in the power of art-making as a tool for radical self-care. I help people feel a little bit brighter and a little bit less alone through the art and products I make, the words I write, and the classes I teach. Come join almost 10k people in my colorful, uplifting world!
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Hi Reader, Happy Tuesday! I hope you're doing well, wherever you are in the world. Right now I'm sitting in my quiet studio, listening to rain falling on the skylights in the roof. My kids and I had a long and busy weekend filled with bike riding (G learned to ride her bike!), board games, sunshine, pulling weeds in the garden, planting tomatoes, marveling at the poppies blooming, going to look at a free piano that we decided we're going to acquire, more bike riding, and lots of time with friends and neighbors. Life is so full and busy these days! I've been teaching my Unleashed class for the past few weeks (we're already half-way through the 6 weeks!), and the twice-weekly live gatherings have been a delightful balm for my soul and a wonderful way for me to get back into more regular art-making. I go through phases where I make a lot of art and then I don't make much for a while as I get immersed in more computer-based work. I'm really happy to be entering a more art-heavy phase right now, and it's feeling so good to paint! Here's one that I created last week: I'm feeling pulled to create these made-up landscapes, so that's feeling kinda fun! We'll see where it takes me. I also have quite a lot of paintings filling the walls of my studio right now, and I'm realizing I need to spend some time photographing them and then having a big painting sale! So stay tuned for that in the coming months. In other news, I also spent a good chunk of time recently creating THIS! The Pattern Design Primer. It's a 38-page guide for anyone who's interested in learning more about pattern design and how to get started. I created a course called Pattern Camp way back in 2014 that was an absolute blast, and then I retired it in 2017 as I was in the throes of early motherhood, BUT I'm bringing Pattern Camp back this summer! Yes! So if you want to learn more about pattern design and see if designing repeating patterns on the computer is something you might like to learn how to do, download the guide! It's totally FREE.
Until next time.... LET'S BE FRIENDS ON IG!
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Jessica Swift.
I'm an artist, surface pattern + fabric designer, author, mama, and online teacher in Portland, OR. I believe in the power of art-making as a tool for radical self-care. I help people feel a little bit brighter and a little bit less alone through the art and products I make, the words I write, and the classes I teach. Come join almost 10k people in my colorful, uplifting world!
Hi Reader, Happy September! My GOSH was August a wild and chaotic bonanza of experiences in my world! I taught Pattern Camp, had a birthday (and a birthday sale!), camped at the epically beautiful Crater Lake, my son started 3rd grade, and I spent this past weekend in Colorado with my kids where we went to a college football game, did a super hard hike, spent a lot of time with my whole family, and I even got to go see my very favorite musician, Gregory Alan Isakov, at Red Rocks (with seats...
Enrollment for Pattern Camp is closing this Friday, August 2nd! Hey Reader – Happy Tuesday! I hope you're having an awesome week so far. :) My kids are in camp this week and I'm spending my days in the studio putting the final finishing touches on my Pattern Camp course that's happening this coming weekend, August 3 & 4. I'm so dang excited about this course! Watching students go from frustrated to confident using Adobe Illustrator, from patterns being a mystery to being able to design them...
Enrollment for Pattern Camp is OPEN!Doors close on August 2nd. Hi Reader, Pattern Camp is starting in just 8 days! When I was just getting started as a pattern designer many years ago, I exhibited at a trade show called Surtex in New York City. One of my most vivid memories is of an art student who walked into my booth, already jaded and full of doubt, and asked me if I really thought I could make it as a successful pattern designer in a world that was already so saturated with pattern...