Angela McGinn – New Print Making Designer
Angela, one of our recent new designers at Surface Pattern Marketplace, is often inspired by nature, objects, and folk art, her creative process mostly includes doodling with art pens, experimentation with different forms of printmaking, and digital illustration. She loves working in Illustrator and finds much satisfaction in quickly playing with new arrangements and color palettes. Angela signed up for her first online pattern design class just a few days before her 45th birthday. She found a longing passion within her for Surface Pattern Design and decided to devote her time, after her children had grown up, to do what she wanted to do, bringing her own personal interests into surface design, she never looked back.
Growing up, she never had any formal art training but she’s always been a creative thinker and problem solver. After homeschooling her children, Angela hoped they would follow any fledgling interest to see where it would lead them, whether it lasted for an afternoon or it eventually turned into a lifelong passion. She soon discovered printmaking and gave herself the same permission to pursue her interest. After an extended time researching and collecting information about printmaking, she finally made time to sit down and experiment with all of her tools and supplies.
Angela then took a few printmaking classes where she learned about block printing, gelatin printmaking, and fabric printing. It was there she was introduced to the idea of surface pattern design, having never before heard of it as a career choice. The idea lingered for the next few years, but she never thought of it as a possibility for herself until she saw an advertisement for class enrollment. Simultaneously, it occurred to her that she needed to plan for her next phase in life once her children have left for college.
After the initial pattern design class was over, Angela challenged herself to create a pattern-a-day for the next three months. This daily printmaking exercise helped hone her technique and skill, as well as narrowed her style focus. In the beginning, learning Adobe Illustrator did not feel intuitive and proved to be quite a challenge. Artist Lisa Congdon’s book, “A Glorious Freedom: Older Women Leading Extraordinary Lives” was released and then provided much-needed encouragement. If the women written about in her book could start over and accomplish such wonderful things in their later years, then she could as well. She persisted and soon found more instruction in an online learning community to round out her knowledge later enrolling in a different training program which began with a solid introduction to Illustrator basics to strengthen her skill base. The Surface Pattern Marketplace is delighted to have Angela join us on our journey into the world of surface pattern design.
To view Angela McGinnis wonderful printmaking a collection at our Surface Pattern Marketplace.
Angela is on Instagram to follow her here.