June 2026
Hello, my dear friend,
I am working on a new collection inspired by the poem The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe. Let me show you some process pictures and talk you through what they are.
I start by capturing inspiration in my sketchbooks. These drawings will then be used later on when I start building the pattern in Affinity.
I make thumbnail sketches of the kind of patterns I envision and drawings of individual elements or small compositions.
I go back to these sketches over and over again when I start digitally building the patterns. This collection will also contain a pattern with hand lettering. I’m thinking of including words or parts of sentences that particularly spoke to me. If you haven’t read it yet, it’s a beautiful poem, look it up and read it! There is also a song by Omnia based on it, which is also beautifully performed.
I have more pages of sketches (never enough), but I’ll just show you this one more. There’s a pattern with clouds too. I haven’t included the dots between the clouds, maybe I should… It would look a lot like snow, maybe not a bad thing. The author mentions it’s a bleak December.
This is the digital sketch for one of the hero patterns. I draw directly in the pattern template in Affinity. This way I can verify the composition and flow of my pattern in real time.
I then proceed to color it layer by layer. Usually the fewer layers, the better. Not only is the complexity easier to manage, but usually the final pattern also looks better with fewer layers and colors.
The narrator in the poem speaks of a lost Lenore and it seemed fitting to me to have a pattern with roses for her.
I also thought it a clever idea to represent the absence of Lenore by negative space in the pattern. Maybe you’ll notice: if you look attentively at the shapes formed by the lighter vegetation, what do you see? I intended it to be the profile of a woman. I then filled it with leaves of a different color because I thought it fit better in the pattern.
This is my collection overview document. I chose the colors upfront, although they might change through the process. I fill in empty squares with my colors and then replace them with the patterns as soon as I complete them. Seeing my progress in this way is motivating and I can immediately see if a newly made pattern fits within the collection or not.
This is the most recent page from my daily sketchbook. Halfway through the month of June I decided to stop the daily practice in this sketchbook. I think the second reason is that the bigger pages don’t suit me, not for the daily practice and the first reason is that my drawing practice was attached to my evening routine. Lately it had become more of a burden than a pleasure. It’s often late when I can get to bed and I noticed myself dreading ‘having’ to draw. I don’t want to dread drawing, I actually love it! So I need to find a better time for it. Also I will go back to a smaller sketchbook.
On another note, the garden has been a dream! We seeded bee- and butterfly-friendly flowers and my heart feels lighter walking among them.
We also planted potatoes and harvested two of these baskets! It's the first time in my life that I have space for gardening and can try it out, so I have many moments of awe observing nature doing its work.
This is it for now. At the end of July I’ll show you the finished The Raven collection.
Till then, take care and enjoy the summer!
Ema
Find all my patterns and illustrations below:
As an illustrator and pattern designer, I believe in the power of imagery to bring joy.
My work centers on hand-painted repeating patterns, inspired by the fantasy and magical realism stories I love to read.
I work in both traditional and digital mediums.
Long walks with my little dog are one of my favorite pastimes.
If you're interested in collaborating on a project, feel free to reach out and ask about my availability.
