Another fun collaboration with Dear Stella
Dear Stella Fabrics just released a new fabric collection called ‘Get your ducks in a row,’ and yep, I painted loads and loads of ducks for this project (and I had a lot of fun doing so).
People who know me a little, know I'm quite fond of ducks. They're my most favorite waterbirds. Especially when it's Springtime, I tend to melt a little when the ducklings have hatched and swim in line next to their moms. Sadly, the number of ducks are declining rapidly where I live, and I'm really hoping things will turn around for them again soon. Let's hope for a good hatching year.
More than ducks
So I drew several different breeds of ducks, such as the mallard (or wild duck, as we call it in the Netherlands) that is quite common in my country. But I also illustrated ducks inspired by breeds like the Tufted duck and the Common shelduck (among others). I added a bit of my own twist to them by using my own chosen color palette, but I based them solely on breeds that you can find here in the Netherlands.
I also drew some other waterbirds like Mute Swans, the Eurasian coot, and the colorful Great Crested Grebe. (Which is, by the way, another really beautiful waterbird that I think I should paint again soon!)
Funny enough, I didn't think of painting any geese even though it would've fit the theme perfectly. Perhaps it’s because, during the summer, big groups of geese families took to trampling around our neighborhoods like they owned the place. So I guess I didn't find the need to paint them too, haha. (Gosh, they really were with MANY this year.)
Duck buts always crack me up
It was actually the very first concept I had for this collection: There just HAD to be a pattern with duck butts!
When I watch ducks in real time, I always laugh when they dive for food, and all you see is their butts and two paddling flippers above the water's surface.
It looks so out of context sometimes, which makes it funny to watch, and it inspired me to create this pattern.
I wasn't sure at first if the Dear Stella team would agree on it, but they embraced it, so the duck butts found their way into this collection.
I also really enjoyed working on the design below that gives us a 'bird's-eye view', showing us ducks ( including a trail of ducklings) seen from above, as if you're in flight.
Again, I kept this one a little bit 'simpler' with the details, mostly because it's printed a bit smaller, and you want the elements to stay recognizable.
This one was a bit of a puzzle, even though it may not look very complicated. Getting the amount of water lilies right was, for instance, a bit of a trial and error. Too many, and the print clogs up; too few, and it gets too boring.
Below, I've placed all the 'Ducks in a Row' designs next to each other, for better viewing. Click on them to take a closer look.
I'm super curious what you think of this collection. And in case you've picked up any of these fabrics, I'm even more eager to know what you'll create with them.
If you've created something and you'd like to share it with me, feel free to do so!
With love,
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