Ask Around: Celeste Rockwood-Jones

I know it's been a while since our last Ask Around, friends. It appears we've had lots to talk about in the Moxie Fab World. But I do love to pick the brains of my favorite designers and I've been chomping at the bit to feature not just one of my all-time favies, but also one of my dearest friends, Celeste Rockwood-Jones.

I met Celeste early in my career here at Paper Crafts magazine because she has designed and laid out our special issues since the day I walked in the door. You know that familiar, refreshing style that just jumps out at you every time you open a book like Card Creations? Yep. That's classic Celeste.

I became even more impressed when I learned that she also designs for BasicGrey. Yep. Did you know that in the time that she's been designing for BG she's created these awesome lines: Porcelain, Urban Prairie, Offbeat, Eva, LilyKate, Dasher, Perhaps, Periphery, Phoebe, and Two Scoops?

Get why I love her so much? Plus, she is a fun friend, a great mom of two darling little girls named, ironically, LilyKate and Eva, and she'll work up something super trendy for me at a moment's notice. Take this amazing Chandelier Tag that she designed for the first Moxie Fabs column in February of 2008:

She totally designed the chandelier which we offered as a digital download. Now if that isn't moxie fab, I don't know what is!

So settle in, grab a cuppa something yummy, and enjoy this Q&A from my friend, Celeste. And yep, before you know it, you'll feel like she's your friend, too.

Is trend-watching important to your creativity? Why or why not? If so, how does trend-watching manifest itself in your work?

Trend watching can provide a good foundation as to what crafters and scrapbookers are looking for, but when I am designing a new product I’m always trying to think of how I can put a unique twist or evolve the trend into something new. I hope to be ahead of the trends more often than following. For the Eva line I wanted to put a new spin on the longtime bird trend, and while working on a really ornate sketch my husband peeked over my shoulder and told me he liked “the peacock.” I hadn’t seen peacocks in product design yet, thought it was a great idea, and pushed my art in that direction because it was something fresh.

"The Peacock" from the Eva Collection

A card I created for the November/December 2008 Moxie Fabs column. When Cath asked me to create a project using a peacock, I had already started designing the line. I used a prototype so we could squeeze it in.

Where do you find trends?

I find trends everywhere I look, but I especially follow the trends in fashion. Fashion magazines and websites constantly inspire my color palettes, themes, and even pattern work.

What websites, blogs, magazines, ads, etc. are the most inspirational to you in terms of trend-watching? Why do they motivate you?

I’ve always been a fan of a wide range of magazines (missing Blueprint, really going to miss Domino), and still scour them for inspiration. But lately I’ve been following more and more blogs. Years ago I discovered Creature Comforts and have been a devoted follower ever since. I also love Design Sponge, Decor8, and Print & Pattern, just to name a few.

Name a designer (or two) in the scrapbooking industry that inspires you. What do you like about his/her work?

I adore Melissa Phillips. Her loving attention to the tiny details is astounding, and she is always on top of the hot new products and trends.

Oh Happy Day card by Melissa Phillips from the March/April 2009 issue of Paper Crafts magazine

Where do you think trends get started and what propels them once they do?

I think the art and fashion industries are probably the root of most trends. It’s an area where artists and designers can reach outside the mainstream and effect the social elite and celebrity that tend to inform the masses as to what is “cool.” I think most trends aren’t necessarily started by a single source, so much as different people getting informed by some of the same inspiration at the same time. Trends tend to be cyclical and evolve, so it’s just a matter of natural progression and natural selection. What makes something “trendy” is that people recognize it as “cool”, which means they’ve seen it places that they feel are hip (tv shows, Anthropologie, etc).

What advice can you give to paper crafters who are interested in incorporating more trends into their projects?

If you see a product that you love at a scrapbook store, buy it! By the time you see it in a magazine and realize that it’s a hot trend the product may already be unavailable. Lines come and go far too quickly. I also recommend buying products from the companies that consistently set the trends in the industry. ;)

What is your favorite medium in which to work and why does it appeal to you? Has that changed over time? Why or why not?

I never thought I would be a computer girl, but I have to admit that I love Adobe Illustrator. I’ve always been a perfectionist, so the ability to use the “undo” command is invaluable, and I find that I’m less inhibited knowing that if I make a mistake I don’t have to start over. But I still love to get my hands dirty. For the Porcelain line I was inspired by vintage lace, and hand-sketched quite a bit of the artwork.

My talented sister’s watercolors helped inspire me to incorporate watercolor washes into the artwork to add an organic texture and color variations that you just don’t get from digital techniques.

Some watercolors by my sister, Nica

A Rockwood-Jones Family Portrait, also by Nica

Working on the color washes for the Porcelain line

The result

With lace added

When I worked on the “Periphery” line I also did a lot of hand painting and drawing, which was really fun.

What is your favorite part about your job as an artist/designer, and why?

Working for myself.

What is your least favorite part about your job?

Working for myself. On the plus side I have great flexibility, creative freedom, great clients, and I get to work from home. On the other hand, I spend a lot of time managing the business and doing things other than being creative which isn’t much fun. Plus, freelance work can be sporadic, so I never know when the next paycheck will come. In a perfect world I’d be able to just concentrate on the artwork!

Name some doors that have opened to you as a result of being connected to the scrapbooking industry and what that has meant to you.

I come from a long line of quilters, so a dream of mine has always been to have my own fabric line. Luckily, through my work with BasicGrey, that dream will soon be a reality. The Eva line will be released as fabric, available through Moda, this spring! I can hardly wait.

Which retail stores tend to get your trendy juices flowing?

Anthropologie is always a treat. The artistic nature of the store itself, with their creative murals and displays, are as inspirational as the products they carry. The same can be said for Urban Outfitters. But another goldmine for me is actually salons and day spas with their endless shelves of lotions and haircare products in thoughtfully designed packages. Girly, gorgeous, love it!

I'd like to thank Celeste for taking the time to answer my questions on how trends affect her work, and for inspiring us with her vision! If you'd like to leave her a comment, I'm sure she'd appreciate it. To show you how much I'd appreciate it, I've got some Porcelain and Eva goodness to throw your way, so let's put our hands together for Celeste Rockwood-Jones and the captivating work she's done for Paper Crafts and BasicGrey!

(Oh yes, and don't forget to check out Celeste's work at pcLayers. She's just all over the place, isn't she?)

Three cheers for Celeste!

~Cath