Barbra Ignatiev | Art, Print and Pattern

I’ve moved! Introducing my brand new home on the web…

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 19:07:00 +0000

Update your blog RSS feeds, change your bookmarks, and celebrate with me, people, because it’s moving day!

Sorry for the rather loud type, but I’m excited to reveal the new BarbraIgnatiev.com! Sassy, splashy and full of vibrantnosity, (not a word but that’s OK) it’s a place to get inspired and see what I’m up to art-wise and life-wise.

Loads of new projects and artwork on the horizon, so please join me at my new site and also sign up for my Museletter (aka “newsletter”) to get updates straight to your inbox.

Thanks for hanging with me here ~ now, update those links + subscriptions already!

Also ~ looking to do a giveaway on the new blog and you won’t want to miss it! What’re you waiting for! Go go go :)

Inspiration > Harajuku Lovers Prints & Bags

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 18:39:00 +0000

This is why I love Gwen. She knows the power of pretty, adorable print. I’ve been a fan of the Harajuku Lovers line ever since it launched in 2005. Yes, I have never really grown up.

You can imagine how much I freaked when I saw these bags at the store. Hoops! Love! Angel! Music! Baby! Of course, I purchased what they had in stock ~ which, thankfully, wasn’t much. (This is the 50’s Girls print.)

I’m also in love with the line of makeup bags at Sephora. Tell me, how can one not feel elevated cute-wise when looking at them? Color and characters create POP.

PS: I might be away for a while. I’m working up a new home on the web! It’s going to be colorful, cheery and fully-featured, baby! I also have a few client projects in the hopper too. A busy, lovely time. <3

I’m not sure what I was doing in 2001

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 03:01:00 +0000

Ransacking your house is fun. You find weird things like a shirt you designed in 2001. It looks terrible and yet you rocked it for a time. In public.

I really don’t know what I was thinking. Clearly I was excited about drinking. (Well, I still am, let’s not fool ourselves. But now I get excited about drinking concoctions like hand-shaken Laughing Buddahs.) It was printed pretty horribly at Cafepress and there’s some weird… overtones I didn’t realize until now. Oy.

No matter. Nothing Courvoisier XO Imperial can’t cure.

pretty desktop background for sharing ~ pop flower

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 13:36:00 +0000

I made this desktop background for myself so I thought I’d share. It celebrates the warm & bright days that are nearly here, thank gosh. It’s a bit of a concoction of darks and lights, like this changeover that’s happening with the seasons. Muck on the street, sprouts of chartreuse grass popping up in curious places. That forgotten red mitten soaked by a dirty, thawing snow bank.

I saw a puffy robin the other day with a mouth stuffed full of worms and my heart swelled full of giggles. I think he may have even winked at me, and, if he had had a top hat on, would 0have tipped it to me.

It was an especially frustrating day for me, so that robin was the recharge I needed. I thought I’d pass on his good will by sharing some happy, boastful color with YOU. Pass it on, I say. Pass it on.

Many a good day to you, good sirs. (And gooooood madams.)

Download it here:

1920x1080 desktop background

time to cut the “recession hair”? Rockstar haircut, yes please!

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 19:07:00 +0000

I currently have what I call “recession hair”.

I’ve been growing out my hair for the past few years and it’s now past my shoulders. The great thing about having a longer style is that I only need to get a trim every 8 weeks or so ~ which is pretty economical. Short hair is harder to maintain ~ 5-6 weeks and a style loses it’s shape and is therefore more costly. But now that the recession is apparently over it might be time to change things up and become sassier!

I feel a Rockstar vibe ready to burst out pretty soon. I love this shaggy, uneven rough-cut look and I’d even do that deep dark color.

I’ve found in the past that changing up my hair makes me into a different person. Helping me to get where I want to be. Taking on a new persona. Have you ever found this to be true?

Yes, these photos are from Rockband. Is that weird?

I made my husband play Pat Benatar songs until I could get the right shots. This chick is apparently the “Pat Benatar” character in Rockband 2.

OK off to sing some Pat Benatar and virtually rock this ‘do! Gotta test it out somehow. I love singing Pat Benatar.

Next week ~ will be posting some new marketing work! I don’t do too much marketing stuffs, but this one was so much fun I couldn’t pass it up. Can’t wait to show it off!

Boston Terrier hooping like a debonair pro

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 05:03:00 +0000

For the Boston Terrier lovers out there, here’s a debonair fella showin’ off his mad mad hooping skillz. Only thing missing is a monocle and top hat. That just gets in the way of astral projections anyway (…hooping joke not funny to anyone but me).

Not really sure what I’m going to do with this guy. Will he be a limited edition print? A t-shirt? A bag? Nay, I’m afraid I do not know yet.

All I know is that I have to make a 2nd version that looks more like our BT ~ without the full mask that BT’s are known for. Hurrah for the American Gentleman!

new design ~ Playful Paisley

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 15:49:00 +0000

I have a new squirmy design available at Alluminare! It’s a paisley, and although I don’t normally love paisley, I loved designing this one. Each bit of paisley seems to have a life of its own, moving amongst flowers big & small. Of course, I had to make it have some element of cute. The design, I feel, is sophisticated & modern and adds just enough “oomphiness” to a room. Just imagine the all possibilities :) (warning ~ you prolly can’t)

The design is available on everything from pendant lamps, throw pillows, wallpaper and straight-up fabric so you can make your own creations! Color options are nearly endless and can be addictive to play with. (I had to force myself to stop.) Alluminare does an amazing job with their online creation tool and everytime I use it, it seems they have made more improvements.

Here’s some more of my fave colorways & products which, wonderfully enough, can be purchased here.

Can you tell I like color and to mix neutrals with blasts of brightness? It’s my fave.

Hey, do you like me? Well, now you can like me. (Publically.) Thanx.

San Francisco quick shots

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:09:00 +0000

All last week I was away to San Francisco, where the husband partook in the Game Development Conference (that’s what my “nerd” tweets were all about ~ god save the nerds!).

During the day, I worked from the hotel and did the occasional wandering. Below are some shots I took with my iPhone. Cuz that’s really all I use as a camera anymore.

~~~

Japanese influence… clockwise ~ I’m feeling a bit “lost in translation”; Yoppi kawaii “wall” yogurt experience; handcrafted sushi from Delicia; large fabric lamp statues in Hotel Nikko

Haight Street… creepy dead things at loved to death, taxidermy/curiosity shop; adorably ridiculous “guard dog” at a salon that everyone was taking photos of so I did too

Alcatraz… left to right ~ me breaking free from this tiny hole of an “apartment”; Mike being silly; Mike being silly again; the Cellhouse, with pretty gardens in front; other shots of Alcatraz island

It was also radsicles to visit with Cindy Ann Ganaden of Blu Penny Blog. She’s a charmer and she shared with me that she only has a few more days left until she takes the plunge into full-time entrepreneurship! Go, grrrrl!

Getting back into the groove of things again. Looking forward to creating creating creating after a refreshing California trip! I have a lot of things in the hopper so best get to movin’. :)

Tradition & Fantasy ~ Solongo Mollecker & my “traditional” past

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 21:47:00 +0000

I love the collision of fantasy and tradition that Solongo Mellecker has made into her own unique style.

Born in Mongolia, Solongo Mellecker now lives in Atlanta. She attended Savannah College of Art and Design and has been striving to incorporate her love of Western pop culture with the traditional methods & styles she grew up with. I’d say she’s succeeded.

More about that, but first…

My “traditional” days

I had a stint of trying out a traditional medium in my college days, but put my own spin on it. (See the rather angsty image above. Ha.) I enjoyed using egg tempera, the usual method for making Russian Orthodox Icons ~ paintings that awed and amazed me my entire young life, while going to church with my father.

There was something mysterious and magical about them ~ they shined, had an ancient, cracked look about them, and seemed painstaking to make. The use of icons at church seemed even more precious. They were kissed, they were knelt in front of, they were adorned with incense and flowers.

Russians sometimes speak of an icon as having been "written", because in the Russian language (like Greek, but unlike English) the same word (pisat', писать in Russian) means both to paint and to write. Icons are considered to be the Gospel in paint, and therefore careful attention is paid to ensure that the Gospel is faithfully and accurately conveyed. ~ Wikipedia

I used egg tempera in my own fast & furious ways. I didn’t have much patience for slow-drying oil paint and egg tempera dried faster, gave a similar shiny look, AND was less toxic.

Strangely, though, I enjoyed the slow process of creating the paint ~ cracking the egg, removing the whites by passing the yolk from shell to shell, then hand to hand, wiping my hands clean and then pinching the yolk to let the golden loveliness ooze out, mixing in the pigment to craft my very own paint.

Every once in a while I stumble across my pigments and think to try the method out again. Solongo’s paintings give me more of a longing to try out that traditional medium again, but maybe incite more fun and less angst.

Aren’t these fantastical?

(All images taken from Solongo’s site.)

designing through my funk

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 21:40:00 +0000

I’m not sure if I’m feeling the end-of-winter blues or what but the past few days have felt morbid to me.

I decided to work through it by designing what I’m feeling and where I’d like to be, emotionally. I wanted to keep it simple and get back to basics ~ pop-like florals to contrast with neutral stripes & rain “dots”.

I keep peeking back at the bouncy floral from time-to-time and most likely will make a desktop wallpaper out of it. It’s like wonderfully cheery FREE color therapy.

Thank gosh ~ only a few more days left to winter! And more travel next week <3

doodle online with odosketch

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:55:00 +0000

Here’s a neat thing.

Odosketch is an online drawing tool and it seems to be hard to make something ugly with the palette and brushes provided. The results are so soft and soothing and it will be ridiculously difficult to stop playing with. There’s also a whole gallery of sketches by
Odosketch users where you can peruse for hours, seeing each sketch happen over time.

You’ve been warned of the awesomeness.

I am now in Colorado

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 02:10:00 +0000

I made this iPhone background to remind me where I'm at... In case I forget.

It's only a sketch that I did with various apps on my iPhone. It needs more blue sky and color.

new work ~ disco-inspired cuteness

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 22:38:00 +0000

“last night a hoop saved my life”

Here’s my latest work on shirty shirts for hoop dancers.

I’m digging the disco vibe, actually. It’s retro and kitsch and glittery and, WELL, just fantastical fun. Without glitter in my life, I think I’d be next to death.

This statement is pretty true for me, although melodramatically true ~ hoop dance has saved my life, one way or another.

Hoop dance has given me a focus that I never knew I had. It’s given me a purpose ~ a creative outlet. I love designing for other hoop dancers! And I love designing with my sister. Bonus.

It’s given me a way to exercise, dance, show-off and connect with others in a way that doesn’t (necessarily) require booze and dirty dancehalls.

It raises my confidence, it forces me to be in the moment (great for a brain that wants to hold too much all the time) and it tells me it’s OK if I continually mess up & drop it. Just pick it back up and try again.

Hooping & dance give me the balance I need in my solitary, computer-driven, “mini-screened” life. I know life without dance would be sad indeed.

michael pukac ~ live painter

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:21:00 +0000

I’m kinda digging on the work of “Live Painter” Michael Pukac right now. These paintings have a gypsy, steampunk, maritime, fantastical way about them.

I also love his art business story. (In short, never give up! Find a way to get your work out there and try it all until something works.)

Pukac discovered live painting as a way to promote himself and he hasn’t looked back. Inspiring! I’ve been thinking about doing live painting. It’d be so much fun to interact and get the word out there.

the cute boot

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 22:45:00 +0000

Meet my new winter boots. They’re called “Bogs”.

Yes, they are labeled as “agricultural boots” but I am a tomboy at heart and like to get dirty every so often. Whilst still being pretty. It’s a chore but I do it somehow.

Initially, I had been looking for boots that were fluffy and seriously leather ~ something like a Mukluk only not as $$$ ~ but I guess mid-February is too late to ask for that. Rubber + neoprene was not my ideal, but after slipping these babies on I started to grow a new fetish. Just call me Rubber Lovah.

And, of course, the print is what really caught my eye ~ daisies aren’t my favorite but I have to say I am really liking the happiness they exude ~ they are growing on me. (pun intended?)

Plus, these boots are:

Rated for -40 degrees Fahrenheit
Have traction on the bottom appropriate also for car tires
Adhere to my foots with 4-way stretch
Have a great bounce factor with vulcanized rubber ~ nice to dance in, strangely enough
Guaranteed to not degrade in contact w/ oils, grime and other crap
Have handles! handles!!! Why don’t more boots have handles?!

Yay for pretty functionality! I’m all about it. So far they are really warm and easy to walk in. Can’t wait to trot around in these in the Rocky Mountains next week!

my new fave style icon ~ lykke li

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 01:40:00 +0000

I love the drama, feeling and wonder in these shots. Lykke Li, you are my new crush.

And this song is so quiet and tender, is irresistible. (She’s a Swede-borne musical artiste, FYI.) Spazzy background dancing is always my favorite.

Also, this shot, from what seems like an inspirational trip to Jamaica, made me laugh. Ah, local color. I want to go there, despite (or because of?) that shot. Anything goes, I say…

surface pattern inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 00:06:00 +0000

This pattern (Crooklyn) is adorable and it’s from Kimou Meyer, aka Grotesk. I stared at this for a good portion of the day, while sitting in the sun. It was perfect therapy on a cold day. Whimsical, silly and sardonic, there’s so much in this print to smirk about.

I found it in this book…

Over and Over: A Catalog of Hand-Drawn Patterns by Michael Perry

…which has been a great source of hand-drawn pattern inspiration for me.

I’m bummed Kimou doesn’t have a site up right now, but I thought the pattern was worth a post, since it’s so awesome.

go pack go ~ pretty superbowl brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 21:54:00 +0000

Of course I couldn’t resist making my Superbowl brownies pretty. If I have to watch a football game, I’m going to do it with a little style and cuteness. And, being from Wisconsin, I might as well try to step things up a bit and cheer on the Pack in the best way I know how.

I made this by drawing out my design in the middle of a doily, then cutting it out carefully with an X-acto knife and finally sprinkling on cinnamon (my topping of choice for just about anything. seriously… I put it on everything from grapefruit to coffee to ice cream). I only wish I woulda lifted the doily a little better and not dumped some of the excess back onto the brownies. Oh well, they’ll still be tasty, I’m sure.

Go Packers! Win it!

paisley’s poppin up

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:55:00 +0000

The above are all from Tory Burch. Spring feels nearly upon us, thankfully.

I just got back from a Snowventure. Milwaukee has been buried by 2 ft of drifty snow the past few days and my husband, it being his bday and all, decided we should go take a drive to the lake to check out the havoc. The waves were at least 12 feet high! Completely white + windy, it felt like the tundra.

So I’m especially glad to be back safe at my robot computer to look at this gorgeous resorty color and pattern. Strange, tho, that when I searched for “paisley” on the TB site, the search yielded nothing. C’mon, Tory, get yer nerds on that. Tag this stuff up!

I’m working on a paisley right now for one of my fave companies to work with. I’ve been thru several iterations, one being overly spermy, with tiny wiggling seedlings emanating out into the world. Now the design is feeling more like below, minus the moodiness. Delicate and mixed-up.

(Isis Dei at Laptop Toys) warning: don’t go to this site. it’ll hurt your eyes.

enlightenment to rock your 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 02:34:00 +0000

I wanted to let you know about two fabulous, inspirational + practical business resources that I’ve stumbled across in the past few weeks. Both are nice and interactive ~ I get so much more out of listening and watching than reading sometimes. Ah, the human/tech touch.

~~~

Failproof Series on IttyBiz

These are eight 30-min episodes that will tickle your brain with useful, practical advice to ROCK your biz in 2011. They swear, they drink and their snarky, bickering comments add the entertaining type of sass that this girl appreciates. Dave Navarro and Naomi Dunford are marketing heroes in the online entrepreneurial world and these vids help lay down the groundwork for what I need to do NOW to really give myself a fighting chance this year in my indie biz. Start here. Set aside 30 min every day for the next week! For realz!

~~~

Fire Starter Session Call

This call was especially interesting to me, as it featured Jessica Swift, a tweep and fellow Surface Designer, getting the white hot truth and insight from one of the sassiest coaches and business advisors around, Danielle LaPorte. The call lasted 1 hour, and Jessica got 30 mins of that time to hear Danielle tell her what she should change about her online presence and what steps she should take next to get the next level. Not only did Danielle state what she should change/add/etc but she stated the reasons why. Makes ya go “hmmmm… yes…”. I’ve already incorporated some of her wisdom into my own biz!

One of the main ideas she suggested is to get an advisor to help take her to the next step ~ this is something I’ve been really considering lately. Education on the personal level. I wouldn’t mind someone calling me their “Protégé”. I’m on the lookout for the perfect mentor! Yeepies! Who’s it gonna be? Who’d be my dream mentor? Hmmm…

This scares me but I can’t stop thinking of Martha. No no no. Altho I’m sure she has mounds of info to give. I guess I wouldn’t pass up free Martha advice if given the chance. Or even at a deeply discounted rate.

Gwen. That’s more like it.

new design ~ cheerful Mexican homeyness

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 22:46:00 +0000

I was feeling more homey and craving ultra-spicy tortilla soup today, so I felt compelled to refresh a design that I started a year ago, but then put on the backburner. It’s inspired by Mexican oilcloth and prints, cantcha tell?

What do you think? I could see this printed in a little framed plaque or perhaps on a tea towel of some sort. I love all the white and the bright color. So cheery and welcoming. (“Bienvenido a casa” = Welcome Home)

After all this domestic designing, I’m ready to get out and enjoy the weekend. Going to a hoop jam tonight, then picking up family at the airport and taking them on a tour of the coolest bars in Milwaukee. And probably having a margarita or 6.

new design ~ peace, love & hooping

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:39:00 +0000

“peace, love & hooping” is a new design for HoopPretty. The pattern inside gives it a very aztec/ new-age hippie/ folksy/ patchwork feeling ~ a pattern that I created, which comes from my Rock deLuxe Collection. The pattern is inspired by the vibrations of mood-altering music and is called “Vibe”.

This design also is available as an e-card. Send on your hoop love ~ to your fave hoop partner, your hoop teacher or someone you think would love hooping if only they gave it a whirl. <3

x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x

Barbra

inspiration ~ Papaya!

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 16:14:00 +0000

I’m in awe of the loveliness of Papaya!

“At PAPAYA! you will find an exciting spectrum of fine lifestyle, stationery, and gift items where urban boho chic meets art as inspiration…
Our products are infused with vital imagery that has been the first of its kind in the gift and stationary industry. We are proud of our color-loving renegade roots.”

Renegade, indeed! Last night, while perusing thru my latest copy of Stationary Trends and seeing, well, a lot of the same “bright, cheerful, modern” (read: “boring”) stuff, I stumbled across Papaya! ~ a wonderful concoction of vintage + modern, overlay of pattern, humming and sensuous color and wandering color. The aesthetic has an overall very exotic/wanderlust feeling to it, only a tad twisted. I like twisted and freaky. Naturally.

Ah!! and check this out! A hula hoop print! Definitely inspiring me to create prints of my own, especially for HoopPretty… !!!

The rest of the below images definitely speak to me, and I could look at the Papaya! site for hours. There’s a boho/gypsy feeling that I’m really digging on with all of these images. The graphics are crisp (not dirty or over distressed) and completely inviting and inspiring… and shall I say, a lil sexy?!

I feel like I’m going on a little journey when I look at this work. LOVELYISHNESS. <3 (also makes me want to make up new words)

(all images taken from Papaya site)

Did you know I’m doing more Facebookery? Head over and give me a like, if you so desire.

Tomorrow I’m posting more new work! Look for it.

ask call ~ Drew + Maria Brophy ~ a reason to drink cocktails, listen and relax

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 15:52:00 +0000

Have any plans tonight?

I’ll be hanging out at home with my sister, Rachel, sipping some cocktails, laptopping and listening in on the Ask Call with Drew Brophy. Woot! It’s a nice, productive way to be on one of the ccccoldest nights of the year ~ I certainly could use a little California flavor right about now. (11 degrees here in MKE. Yuck.)

Rachel and I are excited to glean some insight from Drew’s 20 years as a professional artist. I’ve enjoyed his YouTube Channel on many occasion. This dude loves paint pens ~ it’s his usual way of customizing things like shoes, helmets, surfboards, etc. I’ve been particularly interested in this way of painting and have tried out paint pens for a new secret project I’m working on. So far the results are exciting!

Maria Brophy has one of my fave blogs on art licensing, marketing and just living a creative lifestyle. I love her honest voice and cannot wait to hear her business viewpoint as it applies to art. So this is like a 2-for-1 for me :)

So if this sounds cool to you, hop on over and get on the Ask Call with Drew Brophy and Tara Reed! Join us… in a telecom sort of way. :)

Thanks to Tara for arranging these awesome calls!

Square ~ accept credit cards on-the-go with your iPhone

noreply@blogger.com (Barbra) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 18:10:00 +0000

This Square thing is rad. Look at how happy I am! (And crazy-looking.)

I like that all I need to accept credit cards is my iPhone, the Square app + this little parallelogram-shaped swiping thing. It’s a service called Square. This credit-card processing service has been on the scene for about a year now and I’ve heard great things about it in-person and online.

I’ll be traveling a lot this summer, selling my goods at fairs + gatherings around the country, and this thing will be indispensable. One of the problems I needed to solve was taking credit card payments on-the-go. I was worried I’d have to tote around a separate credit-card swiper the size of an elephant. So I’m excited that I found Square ~ check that off the “to-do” list!

You don’t even need to sign up separately for a merchant account, which is cool. No monthly subscription to pay ~ you’re only charged when you make a sale. They do keep fee structures much simpler compared to most payment processors however. Currently:

If you swipe (with FREE cute, square card reader) ~ 2.75% + $.15
If you key-in ~ 3.5% + $.15

This is cheaper than my current PayPal (Website Standard) Plan:

2.9% + $0.30 ~ $0 to $3000
2.5% + $0.30 ~ $3,000 to $10,000
2.2% + $0.30 ~ $10,000+

Yeah… I very rarely make any single sales over $3000. Yet.

Signing up was totally easy. Simply download the app on iTunes, sign up in-app, then complete your account info online. You’ll get an adorable, little square swiper in 2-5 days. And then you can pose with it and take your picture. Cuz it’s so cute.

*I am not an affiliate for this product. I just think it’s a cool thing worth a mention for those who sell at craft fairs and festivals. Or out the back of your van.

**Can you count how many of me are in the above photo? I counted 4 but I’m sure it’s infinity. In-fin-it-ee!