Please join us in celebrating this month’s spotlight surface designer, Anna Black. We know you’ll find her story inspiring!
Please introduce yourself.
Hi! I’m Anna, a Scottish designer now living with my family near Lisbon, Portugal.
When I was a kid I loved drawing and painting, and was set on becoming an art teacher ‘when I grow up’. But when it came time to make a choice about my future, I opted to go the scientific route instead. I studied geography at Edinburgh Uni (no regrets — there were some very cool field trips), then life took a few turns and I ended up working in business development for a global I.T. company in London.
That company brought me to Portugal in 2004, and although I expected to be there for only a few months, I was immediately captivated by its charms and decided to stay…Fast forward a couple of decades and I’m now happily settled in my adopted country with my husband and two kids.
But with a young family to raise my priorities changed, and I became frustrated with the demands of my job and the grinding daily commute. So when I was offered redundancy during the Covid pandemic, I grabbed the opportunity with both hands! Then I set about building a business that would let me finally follow my dream to be an artist.
Tell us a little bit about your design journey.
Since I’d never been to art college or even had a creative job before, it really took me some time to find my feet. It didn’t help that I was in my late forties with a family to support, and I felt a lot of pressure to start earning again (those darn bills never stop!). I started submitting to design challenges at Minted, and uploading drawings to microstock sites, but without much success in either. These were great for practicing different styles of art, but it was at least a year before I finally found real direction.
A design competition for wrapping paper came up, and I remember watching a video about how to make a repeating pattern — it seemed like magic!! The technical aspect really appealed to me, and I got such a rush when I created my first pattern — I felt like I had finally found my calling.
Since then I’ve worked on developing my skills and signature style for pattern design, pitching to clients, and branching out into standalone illustrations. I now have licensing deals for wallpaper and fabric, and several stationery designs licensed with Minted. I’m excited to finally get my artwork out into the world!
Do you have a favorite portfolio design or client collaboration?
I’m addicted to trailing florals — I just love the challenge of getting those entwining branches to repeat seamlessly! One of my favourites is the thistle design I created for my sister and had printed on a bag as a surprise for her birthday. Designing for someone special makes the process even more of a joy.
What or who are you inspired by?
I’m inspired by so many things — fairytale palaces, ancient maps, wild flowers, and all the beautiful tiles that adorn the buildings here in Portugal. I’m particularly drawn to traditional patterns such as Indian Florals and Arts & Crafts movement designs, and I love to visit historical houses where these patterns are on pretty much every surface!
Do you have resources you’d like to recommend?
Like many others who came late to the art world, I owe my learning journey to online classes. I learned how to make repeating patterns by following Bonnie Christine on Skillshare; those classes are now relatively old, but are still a great way of learning the basics on a budget.
I also really recommend Barbel Dressler’s classes for more advanced techniques — it was through her influence that I discovered my love historical patterns, and developed my signature style.
For business advice, Sketch Design Repeat is the best!
What advice would you give to surface designers who are struggling?
It can be a lonely time if you’re starting a new creative business without any artistic background, so try to find a group of like-minded creatives that you can bounce ideas off, and who can join you on your journey.
I still keep in touch with my study group from an online course, and it’s so reassuring to have that mutual support.
What do you like to do outside of surface design?
When I’m not at work in my home studio (or running after my kids), you can find me exploring ancient forests in the nearby natural park, at the cinema with friends, or catching up with some gardening.
When you look back at your design journey so far, what are you most proud of?
A short while ago I had no idea how to make a repeating pattern, and I’d never used Adobe Illustrator. But I dove right in, and I feel proud of how much I learned in just a year. I’m pushing 50, but I’ve never felt more excited about the future!
I’m also very grateful for the technological advancements that have made my journey possible. When I was younger the internet didn’t even exist! It has opened up so many opportunities, especially to older women: we can now learn and work completely from home (making it possible to juggle work with child care), and license designs to companies all over the world.
Where can we find you?
Website: www.annablackcreative.com
Instagram: @AnnaBlackCreative
