September 2025
Hello, my dear friend,
September has been a blur of packing and moving for us. On the one hand, I am shocked at how much work it is to move our stuff (I thought we had little) and would like to get rid of it all, but on the other, I’m afraid that some of it will get lost during the moving process! This world (and my mind) is full of contrasts and paradoxes.
I’m looking forward to setting up my new studio, but until then, I want to show you the work I made this month.
Pattern
I call this pattern Meadow Gathering and worked with a layout that allowed me to include eight characters or scenes spaced evenly. My intention was to give each character something to do involving plants. I drew it in pencil, then thought I’d like the crisp lines of vector more, but gave up because I don’t like to redo things. I’m happy with the storybook feel it has.
You can find this pattern through Spoonflower, Redbubble and as a digital wallpaper for you, as a subscriber.
Sketchbook
My daily little sketchbook practice is a burden on some days, when I’m very busy or tired, but it has somehow evolved into bringing the comfort of a routine even on the busiest days. I mostly look forward to drawing something in my sketchbook at the end of the day, before I go to bed.
This month I also took part in Ezelsoor in Halle, an event where I drew on kids’ book covers. Most of the illustrations I made there were very far from the subjects I usually choose to draw, but it was a good stretch to use my observation skills to create something kids would recognize and enjoy. I didn’t have much time to take good pictures of what I drew, but here are some of them, in no particular order: a giraffe and her baby, a portrait of a quiet little girl, a bouquet of birth month flowers, a kid’s name in graffiti style, La Bubu (or La Fufu?), Taylor Swift, football players, some Korean pop stars, a mutant monstrosity generated by AI, three dragons (one of which I drew twice), several unicorns with rainbows, bubble tea, SpongeBob, and Patrick.
That’s it for now—see you next month!
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.
