Four for you Glenn Coco, you go Glenn Coco!

So I'm actually here to celebrate this time because I sold some designs! I sold 4, which isn't too bad to be honest, to a couple of pretty big boy companies such as Club Monaco in the US and only the bloody Arcadia Group! So a few months down the line expect me promoting either Topshop, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins etc. for free with great joy. I cannot wait to get on a hunt (yes I'm sad) on all of the Arcadia websites to see which store actually bought one of my designs, my favourite one at that too.

I've also got a few more things lined up in my freelance life right now, they're in the very early stages at the moment so hopefully they pan out how I'd like them to and I can share the love next time.

In other news, I have a new home! Me and my beau have just moved into a beautiful new apartment in Nottingham. We've barely left. Oh the life of a freelancing couple. Here's a sneak peak of my 'workspace' every day, thank god the view is good!

Find the pug...

I'm going to get on anyway, time to clean the new place in time for my family to arrive at the weekend. I'll be cooking my first home-made full on roast chicken dinner for them, and we'll be sippin' some bub' which I got from my parents at graduation... it's about time we popped it open, I mean it's Moët for god's sake!

Right, that's enough of sounding like a spoilt/rich bitch for the day.

Al Sethe latur

xoxo

The Good Life

Dear Diary,

Life is good. My "job" consists of only enjoyable things. Life is enjoyable. I've probably been in the same place for 1 week maximum for the past 4-5 weeks, and living out of a rucksack when not in Thailand is getting slightly tedious. The weather is changing and my rucksack full of bikinis has deemed useless. Note to self: this is England, and a spare jumper in your bag is useful all year round. Oh, and socks, remember socks, because my feet are bloody freezing.

So yeah, ramble ramble ramble, here's a sneak peak of my second series of print designs for this month. My next post will either be me crying because none of my designs sold, or celebrating because at least one of my designs sold. I'm hoping for the latter. Hopefully there will be some name-drop worthy names to drop, but I won't get too ahead of myself. Think positive. The Laws of Attraction. Zeitgeist. 

Bye. Bye. Bye. By. B. 

Self-titled.

So the Summer has begun and that's exactly what it actually is for once. The Great British Summer is actually the Great British Summer this year! I give it another day or two. Forever the pessimist! I kid.

I am forever an optimist these days as I'm currently working a full-time job and trying to juggle the start of my career as a Freelance Print Designer! 1 week in it's going OK, but I might have to get my arse into gear very soon to meet my first deadline. 

This first project is a follow on from my previous at uni, but working with botanical drawings too. You never know, you could be seeing my print designs on the catwalk or in stores near you very soon! Well let's bloody hope so...

Here's a sneak peak of one, but that's all you're getting so I won't get into trouble if this design sells...

So that's it. 

xoxo

PS. Quick spooky story! 

The very first day I moved to university, me and my parents stopped off at the motorway services close to Nottingham. My mum found a little acorn on the floor and handed it to me. Me, seeming to have led a sheltered life because I'd never seen a real-life acorn wearing a little hat before, loved the tiny gift from her! It was so adorable. 3 years on and I'm now a freelance print designer for a company of that name.

PREMONITION OR WHAT. 

Spooky stuff. 

I didn't even remember until my mum reminded me the day of my graduation. 

That's it now, I swear.

Graduation Day - 19/07/2013

The State of Freedom

So I've neglected my blog somewhat over the past few months, and I promised myself I would update it throughout my final project. This obviously didn't happen. Instead I concentrated on my website because I'm greedy and wanted a blog AND a website. But at least I completed it! 

Take a peep at:

 www.rachelrowson.co.uk

I stuck with the idea of pleating for my final collection and decided to hand pleat far too many samples. This is something that certainly paid off though, I'm extremely happy with the outcome (for once!) and now I have some really beautiful samples to star in my portfolio. 

Here are a few images that made up my look book, and thanks to the gorgeous Adam Galwas for being my photographer for the evening with a very embarrassed and inexperienced model! *cough* 

So my degree is now finished, and after being completely screwed over with my dissertation results, I now hunt for jobs and happiness.

Let the journey begin!..

How cheesy

xoxo

I Couldn't Think of a Title

I'm not one for words today so I'll just post a few images of what my new project entails. 

I came up with the concept of 'The State of Freedom', and this was basically just an excuse for me to draw bears (burs). I've moved on from that idea though (but I'm hoping to return, my love for bears is becoming somewhat of an unhealthy obsession...), and have since started working with photography.
Taken in The Lake District and Sherwood Forest on a Canon 550d with a variety of different lenses, I'm overlaying and collaging photographs to create 'an image within an image'.  

  

Go on, judge me, judge me from my icons in the taskbar.

This is probably the most formal post I've ever done so here's some more photos and another fact about my unhealthy obsessions; I'm onto the sixth series of Gossip Girl for the fifth (or fourth?) time now, it's taking over my life. I'll soon wake up screaming "tights aren't pants" (pants = trousers for anyone who isn't American or from Wigan) just like Nelly Yuki...

I think that'll do for now, and it seems I actually was one for words today. But here's a drawing of a slightly slanted bear. "Hello." He's saying "Hello."

xoxo

Gossip Girl

Groundhog Eve

Caring and sharing my latest (half) collection for my previous project. 

Just 10 or so more designs to go until I can finally wave A-BUH-BYE to it.

Meanwhile, I miss my dissertation!!

 Or should I say I miss being a pervert? I kid, looking at pictures of beautiful women was fun, and however daft I thought the tutors were at the beginning of the year saying "you will miss your dissertations", it pains me to say they were right.

I wish I had the hard copy right now to keep, but this photograph will have to do for now.   

Well that's all.

Safe Journey, Happy Travels, Bon Voyage!

xoxo

Merry Christmas, y'filthy animal.

Well it's currently 7 minutes until it's Christmas Day and I'm lying here watching The Inbetweeners and applying for jobs. I feel I made use of my Christmas Eve this year; spending the day heavily editing my CV, having my first Mince Pie, watching copious amounts of Christmas films, having my first Amaretto and Coke and eating a takeaway. Oh, and giving my Dad his birthday card was just great.
Happy Birthday Dad!

So I just came back from Milan! It snowed. It was dull. At least the architecture, ice-cream and the flight over the Swiss Alps were a delight.

So it's now Christmas Day, Merry Christmas! And this is probably the least exciting blog entry I've ever done. Certainly isn't worthy of posting on any social networking sites...

So my next entry will hopefully include designs from my most recent project, finalised so that I'm happy with them this time round! Third year is going too fast, I need to lasso and tie to a Delorean...

GOOD NIGHT.

xoxo

p.s. Speaking of xoxo, Gossip Girl has now finished. I don't know how I'm going to cope.

I'm Cheating.

So I'm posting today to trick my mind into thinking I'm being productive. I guess I am but I'm not sure stealing images of models from the American Apparel website and sticking my own prints on them would count as a 'real' visualisation, especially with me being a third year student now.

Well these will have to do until I get round to actually drawing one... Maybe.

Before third year began, and during what should have been a longer internship (no thanks to travel and costs but thanks to a close friend of a boyfriend!) I was told to just go down to the beach, not far from Southend, as I may be inspired by something down there. So after falling asleep on the beach front to be woken up by a Mother telling her daughter "don't go near the lady, she's away with the fairies", I realised I should probably wake up and do something with my time. Bitch.

Long(ish) story short, I saw some rocks and thought I would draw them. How fun does that sound?..

Big mistake! I found it hard and have now realised if I want to be a printer of some sort I should probably do a project that requires me drawing things that I can actually create a motif from. I will remember this for the final project.

Note to self; minerals are very pretty, but mainly if you do Geology.

So above, so far a couple of visualisations of two of my designs.

Final designs? Who knows yet.

I'm going to carry on with that now anyway, whilst avoiding ripping out my hair at all costs.

Oh one last thing, I might get around to changing 'Rowson's Rags' to a non-blurry logo too, don't judge me!

 BYE.

xoxo

pro·cras·ti·na·tion (noun)

Right now I should be doing loads of stuff. I did just write a list here but decided it looked boring and long-winded. So instead of doing the list, I'm writing this whilst balancing reading an article about Tony Blair enjoying himself in Marbella. 

I have four days left at work until I move back to Nottingham for a week, then back to early morning rises for daily 2 hour journeys into London for my placement at Felder Felder! As much as I'm not looking forward to the early rises again and the fact that I'm ABSOLUTELY PETRIFIED, I'm hoping it'll be totally worth it and I'll have a fantastic time.

(http://www.felderfelder.com/collections/

autumn_winter_2012.html)

 So after eating some tea (dinner if you're either posh, southern, or just plain educated) and looking at my blog, I decided to add another digital image that I did the same time as my previous post. I really wasn't happy with the previous piece so would like to attempt to redeem myself. 

I can't wait to just get back to uni and just start improving, I feel so... first year with my skills still! Hopefully the placement will do me some good though.

So as I enjoy my last few days of being "posh" up North 'ere, I look forward to once again being known as the common girl from Wigan, down South...

Toodle-oo

xoxo

Roses are red, violets are blue, fuck you, whore.

I feel the need to post my latest visualisation for this project, just to make it seem like I've gotten something out of the way. This is the first one I've done for the project but the starting theme of 'destruction' is nowhere to be seen. Think I need to rethink a lot of my designs.

Well anyhoo! Here it is. I chose to look at how pattern can accentuate the female body, so hopefully this design portrays that idea.

Just another million more of these at better quality to go! Oh and probably the same number of designs too.

xoxo