Pattern Highlight: Mt. Tam
My love affair with mountains began when I witnessed Mt. Fuji for the first time. White-capped and gleaming against the golden streams of sunlight, I was at once awed and intimidated by its majestic presence. Since then, from Mont Blanc in Chamonix, the volcanic Guning Agung in Bali, to Half Dome in Yosemite all have left vivid images in my mind.
Mt. Tam (named for Mt. Tamalpais), one of our bestselling patterns this season, was the culmination of these travel memories. From numerous sketches, the final pattern was stripped down to what I felt was the essence of this mountain. Made up of gestural strokes, I wanted to capture the jagged edges of the mountain, but keeping the spontaneity and simplicity of the lines. Mt. Tam in particular is close to my heart as I’ve spent many a weekend running trails on this mountain.
I tend to start my sketches in pencil or ink, and void of color. Color is applied later on, once I have a sense of the patterns that emerge from my drawings.
Scale comes into play once the pattern is laid out in repeats since it will be applied on products ranging from a small pouch to a large carryall tote.
My process in testing for scale involves wrapping the pattern in the smallest item in the collection, and repeating that for the largest item. Once I'm satisfied with the overall look, color and scale, the sampling process begins.
More inspiration stories behind other patterns in our collection can be found here.
Leave a comment
Comments will be approved before showing up.