SIP by Stephanie Ip

Handmade Cards

stephanieip.comJanuary 17, 2018March 8, 2019#100PrintsByStephanieIp, 2018, Graphics, IllustrationsGraphics, Print PatternLeave a comment

Last December, when I was setting my goals for this year, one of the things I really wanted to explore more of is custom greeting cards. Ever since I started making my version of custom Moory Christmas cards, I knew I had enjoyed creating them so much that I wanted to continue to create more. Custom designed cards are always the best and most unique gift you can give to someone you appreciate. In return, (hopefully) they will reciprocate the appreciation of receiving a one-of-a-kind card made by you. Well, a nice beautiful card can make the first impression, but it’s the thought that really counts.

In order to create these custom card, I added the little personal touch by adding a picture frame on the back, which at the time I didn’t know exactly how I would make it more interesting. A simple plain picture may be boring, so I thought how about adding a custom printed prop, have the card recipient hold it and pose for a Polaroid image. The idea turned out to be a fun experience for everyone involved. When the recipients are happy during the process, you know you have done something right.

Creating custom cards can be a lot of work, especially when it’s for a special occasion like birthdays. As much as I love creating them, these cards take time to execute as they are all done from scratch! Well, not really 100% from scratch, thank god I don’t have to make the paper and create ink. Haha! Though, having the right tools are essential in making nice cards.

My recent Christmas gift from my lovely boyfriend!

As soon as January hit, there were a bunch of birthdays of people I know. Early in the month, I was illustrating hot air balloon for the #100PrintsByStephanieIp challenge I had set up for myself late last year. When I was scrambling to put together something unique, I thought, “What would be better than receiving a hot air balloon for birthdays?” Having the illustrations done already allowed me to get right into the execution process.

Recently, I have also picked up a new skill in calligraphy and embossing with embossing powder! A little glitter can really do wonders to a piece of artwork. Remember how glitter glue used to be your favorite art tools when you were a little kid? Glitter can get messy, but not if it actually melts into a form of embossing! This is why I fell in love with this crafting technique instantly.

A custom designed notebook with a custom embossing finishing touch.

Now, enjoy this last video of my third custom Hot Air Balloon birthday card making process!

// Stephanie Ip

Stephanie is a Creative Director and Consultant, providing creative strategy development support to small and large scale businesses in the industries of Fashion and Soft Goods. She specializes in Design and Development. Learn more about her here.

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Under the Water

stephanieip.comJanuary 3, 2018February 27, 2019#100PrintsByStephanieIp, 2018, Fashion + Soft Goods, Graphics, IllustrationsFashion, Print PatternLeave a comment

Happy 2017! I hope your year is off to a great start!
In 2016, it was getting harder for me to find time to explore and create while there was so much happening in my world of Creativepreneurship. I am hoping my first year as a Creative Consultant will help shape my perspective on my journey ahead.

My second batch of 5 prints has finally come together! In fact, they are up for sale on my – I call it “Made-To-Order Shop” – operated by Society6! I find this platform incredibly sustainable for small creative product business owners who have the desire to sell products, but do not wish to store unbearable amounts of inventory that may not even end up selling. Besides, we live in an abundant world, where we should consider how our creation will affect the rest of the world.

Enough of me talking – let’s look at what I’ve to share with you today! This group of prints is inspired by the creatures under the water.

#1 Jellyfish

Medium: Watercolor, ink
Products: Tote, zipper pouch

#2 Seastar

Medium: Ink
Graphic Manipulation: Watercolor

Products: Zipper pouch set, clock

#3 Octopus/Squid

Medium: Ink
Graphic Manipulation: Adobe Photoshop + Illustrator

Medium: Ink, watercolor

#4 Seaslug

Medium: Watercolor
Graphic Manipulation: Adobe Photoshop + Illustrator
Graphic Manipulation: Adobe Photoshop + Illustrator

Products: Framed art print

That’s it for this batch! Let me know what your thoughts are. If you are interested to see more behind the scenes stuff on these print creations, feel free to follow me on Instagram @sipbystephanieip!

Thank you for reading, until next time, have a creative start of your 2017!

// Stephanie Ip

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Oriental Breeze

stephanieip.comAugust 15, 2016February 27, 2019#100PrintsByStephanieIp, 2018, Fashion + Soft Goods, Graphics, IllustrationsPrint Pattern, TravelLeave a comment

Ever since I was a little girl, I have found the Japanese culture interesting and unique. It was not until my Mom told me that I hold 1/16 of Japanese blood in me, then I realized my appreciation of Japanese art and culture makes perfect sense.

My recent trip to Okinawa in Japan was a memorable trip I took with my Dad. It was especially exciting to explore the different types of food and snacks in the convenient stores. The beautiful and graphical package designs make everything look tempting.

Our first stop was at this local convenience store that sold all kinds of stuff you would normally find at a 7-Eleven in the U.S.

Of course, ice cream was our first pick!
(Left) Match green tea ice cream sandwich with pancake
(Right) Sweet purple yam, which is Okinawa’s specialty crop, in ice cream form.

There are endless options of soft drinks, cold and hot. My favorite was the Royal brand milk tea.

My travel buddy, Almond, with yet another milk tea drink by Ti-Ha.

This McDonald’s salt and pepper packaging was especially smart looking, I thought.

Through the sketching and design process, I have noticed how my appreciation of Japanese art and culture has somewhat of an influence on the outcome of the prints. The first batch of 5 prints was a total exploration of my Chinese heritage. What do you think?

Medium: Ink
Graphic Manipulation: Adobe Photoshop + Illustrator
Graphic Manipulation: Adobe Photoshop + Illustrator
Graphic Manipulation: Adobe Photoshop + Illustrator
Graphic Manipulation: Adobe Photoshop + Illustrator

Products: Clock, framed art print, leggings, cushion, tote
Graphic Manipulation: Adobe Photoshop + Illustrator
Products: iPhone case, leggings, rectangular pillow, zipper pouch set

This is just the beginning. Stay tuned for the continuing story of my exploration process! Feel free to let me know your thoughts, would love to hear all of them. ☺

You can now shop for these prints and printed products on my Society6 shop. Click here to get to my shop.

// Stephanie Ip

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A Design Challenge to Myself

stephanieip.comAugust 6, 2016February 27, 2019#100PrintsByStephanieIp, 2018Print PatternLeave a comment

After several months of exploring and experimenting, I have decided I need a challenge to help myself dig deeper into my artistic soul. Why? As a designer, I have been struggling to identify my style and aesthetic through my work. I guess in some ways, I can see my style in some of my work, but for some reason, I feel that it’s not strong enough and needs improvement. Ever since I had decided to turn my freelancing into a full time business, I started to read more about other successful creative designers’ blogs, biographies, books, and following their social media. It helped me to understand how important it is to have a style that I can call my signature.

So what is this challenge about? In the course of 4-6 months, I will be creating a series of print pattern designs that will showcase my artistic talent and skills. Below is a rough draft of how I plan to approach the challenge:

Total no. of prints: 100
Themes: 4 themes (Underground, on ground, in the sky, outer space!)
Number of prints per theme: 25
Types of print: Floral, tropical, ditsy floral, abstract, geometric, conversational, stripes, checks, paisleys, texture, skin, tribal, boarder, patchwork

I thought, while I am at it, maybe I should incorporate some elements that speak about my heritage as Chinese. Being raised in Hong Kong, I have so much to draw from – mostly food. Haha! I don’t have much memory about the details of architecture, so looking into it now is going to help me discover the history of Hong Kong.

This is the place where I grew up and had a lot of fond childhood memories – Hong Kong, The Peak.

These are typical celeberation banners people would put out to celebrate the new year, or some kind of major events or happenings in Hong Kong.

I am so excited to take on this journey of self exploration!
If you are interested to see the work I have been working on recently, visit my Instagram page @SIPbyStephanieIp!

// Stephanie Ip

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// Stephanie Ip

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Seeds

stephanieip.comJune 25, 2016February 27, 2019#100PrintsByStephanieIp, 2018, Design + Development, Fashion + Soft Goods, Graphics, IllustrationsFashion, Print PatternLeave a comment

Every artist draws inspirations from different places.
For us, we love nature and continuously find fascinating things we see that has potential to turn into an art piece.
This series of black and white print is inspired by seeds from the very beginning of…

My first pumpkin carving experience!

While I was washing up the pumpkin seeds for roasting, I noticed a very organic and beautiful pattern forming as I spun the cluster in water.

I thought, “I just got inspired!”
Next, I started to look into other types of seeds, their organic shapes and colorations.
While pumpkin seeds were nice, I found sunflower seeds to be more appealing.
Then, the inspiration became sunflower seeds focused because of its two tone colors.

Here’s our creative process in less than 20 seconds!

So, what inspires you?
We live by this quote by Albert Einstein every single day.

Hope our sharing of our exploration of the sunflower seed creation has given you some ideas in life.
Check out our Instagram page to see all the patterns and collage!

You can now shop for this collection on my shop at Society6! Click here to get to my shop.

// Stephanie Ip

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// Stephanie Ip

More Posts | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn