More Pattern Design brewing ...

I am almost finished with my mermaid design group, and it is too cute!  I am working on a tiny loopey texture and the other coordinate is umbrella tops!! (Cute and a bit retro too!) 

But now that I have a cutest GIRLY pattern set - think sheets and PJs, and a mermaid mobile - I feel the need to do a BOY companion, and I have just the right bit of inspiration...

Gondolas!  Yup Venice photos are working overtime in the inspiration category, black and white, fun patterns lots of stripes, gondoliers, the stripey posts in crazy colors..... This is what I mean about inspiration boards and references...you can do this with your morning walk photos, garden photos, rocks at the beach photos, carousell collections, anything!  As a textile designer, half the job is gathering reference and inspiration.  I don't want to look at other fabrics, I want to make that pattern grow from my feeling of how the motif works.  How will I repeat it out?  Gondolas are long and horizontal in shape, the gondola poles are long skinny and verticle, that will begin to create direction and layouts for my pattern design.  How do I select color?  That's easy, the FESTIVE way!  I want this design to be youthful colorful and it will definitely have B&W in it, it has to!!!   The birth of yet another fun design comes along...I will keep you posted.