Steals – I Made This Up

Quick Note on Stealing

JesSimon Design Tips, Steals December 1, 2023December 1, 2023design ideas, designing, inspiration, patterns 0 Comment

I mentioned in a previous post how you can ‘steal’ inspiration from anywhere. Here’s a great example I came across yesterday.

I was doing a clean out under the kitchen sink and pulled out a tray I use for dangerous chemicals. It needed a washing up, so I took it outside, scrubbed it down, and left it in the sun to dry. But, it didn’t dry. I guess it was too humid. So I brought it inside and set it on a towel to dry. When I picked it up, it had left a pattern imprinted on the towel.

How cool is this??

I will definitely use this pattern in the future! It will look nothing like the towel, but I’ll know where it came from – and so will you!

Look around. There’s inspiration everywhere!

How I Steal

JesSimon Design Tips, Steals November 10, 2023November 18, 2023design, designing, getting started in design, howto, make it yours, steals 0 Comment

I read a book a few years ago called ‘Steal like an Artist’ [Austin Kleon]. My main take-away was ‘be inspired’. I was already designing, and I know if I see a design I love, it’s better to buy it from the artist, because anything I try to make like it will not be half as good. It’s their style. I can’t do their style! But I also realized I can see a design and work off of what I like about it.

One of my first ‘steals’ was from a picture of David Cassidy. Honestly don’t know how I came across it. But… that shirt!

I wanted to create a design that was similar. It, of course, wouldn’t be the same. It was me, drawing with my magic pen on my screen, but it could give me the same feel of that design. I drew a bunch of tiny blocks with things in them [technical term – take note].

I put them all together and made this on Zazzle:

Primitive Pattern Messenger Bag

This was my first ‘steal’.

Get inspired. Find designs from the past, present, in nature, everywhere, and make them your own. Something that sparks for only you – or so you think – can become something new. You’ll have a unique-to-you design that others will love.