The Studio.

Who is behind the studio?

Géraldine, a woman from Nantes with Breton origins!

What is your background?

I've had patterns in my sketchbooks for years, but I started my professional life as an exhibition designer. I first went to a design school in Nantes and in China. Then I worked for several years as a freelancer and as an integrated designer on the layout and the follow-up of temporary exhibitions in wonderful museums (The Louvre Paris and Abu Dhabi, the Cité du Vin, the Guimet museum...). In parallel, I explored and trained myself in illustration and pattern design.

With these experiences, in 2020 I was ready to set up my own business and bring my love of colour and composition to a different medium than space.

Describe your style.

My style is colourful, textured, a bit naive and joyful!

What are your main inspirations / influences ?

I am inspired and amazed by everything around me. I pay a particular attention to variations of colours and light and to points of view. Pictorial art also inspires me a lot. With my first job, I was immersed in it on a daily basis, it was so inspiring. My favourites are Henri Manguin and Sonia Delaunay.

Which place inspires you the most?

Nature, my ultimate preference being the Breton landscapes. In the cities I love gardens and museums.

What sets off your passion for prints?

My mother has a deep love for clothes and fabrics. I grew up surrounded by patterns. I wore very colourful and varied prints from a very young age. It clearly influenced my eye and my tastes!

Your first print memories.

A set of very colourful and graphic beach towels. My favourite had a huge goldfish on it. The colours are very faded now but my parents still have them.

Describe your creation process.

My sketchbooks are very important in my creative process. I always carry one with me, to scribble ideas in or to draw on site when I see landscapes or scenes that inspire me. I often extract elements or colour palettes from it to create pattern designs, sometimes months later.

Sometimes I have quite precise images of what I want to do in my head and sometimes I let my hand and my mind guide things along. A piece of music in my ears, a shape calls for another one, a colour matches with another and tada : a new pattern is born.

The work of shape and colours are inextricably linked for me, so I work with them from the first research. Then I refine the composition and I go back and forth between paper and computer. Lately I've also started working directly in digital via Procreate and the iPad. It's very pleasant and more compact when I'm on the move but nothing can replace the pleasure of pencils on paper.

What is your favorite medium to work with and why?

I really like all textured mediums with a particular love for coloured pencils and neocolor pastels. I love the marks they make and the intensity of their pigments.

While working, what do you listen?

I am quite sensitive to sound so I like to work in silence. I also like to listen to podcasts of all kinds and soft music, my current favourite artist is November Ultra.

What is your job's favorite part ?

Researching the concept of the pattern design, the first draft with the colours that come to me intuitively. Then when the design is ready, I love looking for colour variations. I always find it fascinating to see how a different colour scheme tells a new story.

On which fairs do you exhibit?

Print Days for now. In 2022 I would love to participate in Premiere Vision and Playtime.

What do you want to accomplish in the future?

Collaborate with inclusive, sustainable and committed brands. Illustrate a children's book!

What advice would you like to give to new designers who are just starting out?

Draw, experiment and keep going!