Fashion and Textiles Exhibition at East Riding College

On Tuesday I went to the opening of the Level 3 BTEC Fashion and Clothing exhibition. I was very sad this year due to my work commitments I was unfortunate to get to CCAD's end of year show or New Designers. So, I was definitely going to try attend this one on my doorstep. I was very excited and thought I would share with you some of the students work. 

As I love drawing wildlife, the work of Jess Pickering caught my eye straight away as I entered the room. Her drawing is absolutely stunning. I love how she combines her graphic style with fabric manipulation. Her butterfly illustrations looked extremely life like I thought one might love if I touched it.

Along with some excellent drawing there was some amazing sewing skills at hand. I have previously tried to make a corset at college on my foundation year so can appreciate how hard and complex it is. This piece above, is by Elizabeth Shipley. The execution of the piece was extremely professional. I was very impressed. 

Another great piece was this corset by Charlotte Valerie Smith. I was very impressed with some of the standard of work of these students. It certainly made me want to go back to Uni. I would love to go back if I could. I think they might notice me though making a mess in the print room :)

Dylan's Play Date!

I was very excited when my sister said her friend has a female french bull dog who is also a brindle. Dylan loves other dogs, so much he starts crying in street if he can't go say hello. So, I was very eager to introduce him to Poppy who is 5. 

Yesterday we met at the beach, I wasn't sure how they would be, Dylan was clearly intrigued and eager to be off his lead to run around straight away. It turned out to be so funny. They were constantly running after each other, in the sea in the sand. Poppy, even though older and larger in size was alot faster than Dylan. Here are a few of my favourite photo's from last nights events. 

I also follow quite a lot of frenchie's on instagram and have been in regular contact with someone locally in Scarborough who have a french bull dog a day older than Dylan who is also a brindle. It is great to see his progress like Dylan's. You can find his instagram page here: http://instagram.com/carltonthefrenchie

If your new to Lauren Cherice Designs... Here is a little introduction and update!

About:

Lauren Cherice is a Surface Designer currently based in the East Riding of Yorkshire. After graduating from Cleveland College of Art and Design in 2011 with First Class Honors in a BA(Hons) Textiles and Surface Design, Lauren launched her tote bag range. Lauren specialises in producing furnishing fabrics and accessories by traditionally screen printing her designs from home. 

Inspired by natural flora and fauna, she uses her own photography to help her produce beautiful contemporary detailed drawings. The use of pen, ink and other mix media allow her to create several layers within her artwork to give her pieces subtle depth that develops through into her prints. 

Stockists of my work: 

1. Alex May Gallery, Bridlington
2. Behind the Times, Bridlington
3. The Old Grammar School Gallery, Otley
4. The Joe Cornish Gallery, Northallerton.
5. Laure Loves Boutique (Online) http://www.lauralovesboutique.com
6. The Folio, Hartlepool. Soon to be online.
7. My own Etsy Store. http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LaurenChericeDesigns

Events Coming up attending:

1. Sewerby Hall, 30th June
2. From Yorkshire with Love, York. 28th July
3. Hornsea Leisure Centre, 4th August.
4. Others to be confirmed.

I am hoping to book more events later in the year along with finding more stockists for my work :)

Current and Future News

My dream is to have my own screen printing studio in which I can print fabrics and have workshops. This is currently in development but I am hoping to seek some funding to help me with this dream. At present I screen print all my designs for my tote bags and cushions from my home in Bridlington. To fund my love for printing I currently have part time jobs in retail. 

At the beginning of the year my mouse drawing was used for the Priory Mouse competition. http://www.priory900.org/name-the-priory-mouse/ I was very excited to be involved with the Priory 900 celebration.

I currently have a collection of screen printed tote bags and cushions for sale. I also produce my illustrations on greetings cards, iphone cases and giclee prints.

Social Media:

Blog: www.laurenchericedesigns.blogspot.com

Facebook:www.facebook.com/laurenchericedesign

Twitter: @Laurencherice

Email:laurenchericedesigns@hotmail.com

I hope this info has been useful and you feel you know me and my business a little bit more.

Thank you,

Lauren. 

A New Commission... Two little dogs...

My lovely friend Jade asked me to draw her two dogs, Reg and Jeff. I was very excited/nervous as I know these dogs well and really wanted to do a good job. Especially when she said she wanted them to be a gift for her mums birthday. So as of Monday I had these finished. I do love drawing animals as you know but I do tend to stick to drawing birds. I was a bit uncertain how their hair would come along but I had a bit of practice earlier by drawing Dylan. So here we go....

I started with the face as I feel this is the most important part. I didn't want to leave this till last as I think the eyes are what makes it look like the animal/person. I was very happy once I had completed this stage as I definitely could see a likeness. 

Here is a little picture of me at work :) just so you can put a face behind all this chattering.

So here we are, the finished results. I used pen on tracing paper for these drawings backed on card and wrapped for presenting. I do love drawing and it was nice to get some time this summer to relax. I am now excited to start more development on my studio. My next stage is some designing and to build a larger light box to expose some bigger screens. Then its the water situation. I am still hoping to build my screen collection too.

Anyway thats enough rambling for one post. Please feel free to let me know what you think?

Thanks, Lauren :)

You can also follow me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/laurenchericedesign and twitter @LaurenCherice

A Lovely Feature: Becka Bonce's Blog!

I was very excited this week to hear Becka Bonce has featured me and my work on their lovely Blog. Becka Bonce had featured me earlier in the year in a blog post about pastel tones featuring my popular love bird tote bags in blue. The Becka Bonce blog is full of fantastic design inspiration and I am so excited to now be included in parts of it. Here is a quick preview of the blog post but to read the full feature follow this little link... http://beckabonce.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/wednesdays-spotlight-lauren-cherice.html

Above: My tote bag featured on Becka Bonce Pastel Blog Post. 

See the full post here: http://beckabonce.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/beckabonce-loves-pastels.html

You can also find Becka Bonce on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beckabonce

And Also on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Becka_Bonce

I would just like to say a Big Thank you to them for featuring me! 

Creative Expo Fair : Looka Teesside at Stockton.

The 1st June seemed to come and go really fast! I was very excited/ nervous for the first of this summers craft events. I was very surprised to have such a large table at this event and was worried I would't fill the space well but I was very pleased with the finished result. I always try to give my stall a vintage market stall theme with my wicker baskets and boxes. I love hunting the local charity shops and online for various props. So here it is my stall...

What do you think?

I also love meeting people at these events. I was excited to see one of my close friends Bev at this event from Uniko Studio. As a class mate from Cleveland College of Art and Design I have had the pleasure of following Bev along her journey. It is always exciting seeing her new creations. For more about Uniko Studio, check out their website here: http://www.uniko.co.uk

I also had the pleasure of having my stall next to the lovely Samantha Grig. Samantha creates beautifully hand knit and crochet accessories for you and your home, all made out of British wool! Her work is stunning and as a fan of bobble hats I would love some of her creations for myself! You can find Samantha's work on her Folksy page: http://folksy.com/shops/samanthagrig Go check it out!

Since the beginning of May I have been creating many little 'to do' lists leading up to this event. I think my planning worked well as I didn't have to worry about things not been done in time. The day was lovely although we had alot of rain in the morning. The drive was lovely too and I spotted two deers near Whitby. I absolutely love the drive from Bridlington to Middlesbrough and threw the Moors. 

I had some little sales which is nice but I do love the experience of showcasing my work and getting feedback. Many people say my work reminds them of Beatrix Potter which is a huge compliment. I never thought of my work in that way before but when I think about my imagery I can clearly see why. 

On my stall I had a selection of screen printed totes, cushions, cards and squirrel kits. Some Giclee prints, greetings cards and iPhone cases featuring my original drawings. I now think I am ready to start some new designs and get my studio ready :)

I have also sent more Squirrel tote bags and Squirrel Making kits to the Joe Cornish Gallery in Northallerton! So if your near by why not pop in and check out some lovely art work! 

You can also view and buy my work on my Etsy page:

http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LaurenChericeDesigns

Or visit me on my FB Page:

www.facebook.com/Laurenchericedesign