Artists in Pyjamas
We teamed up with four talented artists to collaborate on a range of fun, fresh and sustainable pyjamas made from recycled fabric. These super-soft PJs include polyester spun from recycled plastic bottles, and are digitally printed (which is the best printing method for limiting water usage!).
These prints designed by Kendra Dandy of Thee Bouffants, Alja Horvat, Logan Spector of Logandria, and Bodil Jane evoke a feeling of playfulness, one you'll feel every time you slip into these!
We spoke to the artists about their inspirations behind the designs, how to overcome creative block and their design process.
KENDRA DANDY
What was your inspiration behind this design?
Nothing in particular aside from my fondness for cheetahs and fashion
What do you do when you have a creative block?
I will usually just relax or do something non art related for a while
What is your creative process?
Mostly just creating whatever I want to create. There isn't a specific process. Sometimes I'll work on a previous idea, sometimes a new idea and sometimes it's just experimenting.
Are there any new mediums you want to try in future?
Not any in particular that I can think of but I'm always interested in trying new things and I'm sure I'll incorporate new mediums in my work in the future.
You’re a great advocate for artists getting the recognition and credit they deserve – what’s one thing you’d urge a reader to do today in order to support an artist?
Engaging with their posts online is helpful if you can't financially support. It's also important to respect their guidelines about their art. Some artists are more lax with their art and guidelines and some are not as lenient. Both should be respected as is. It's always frustrating to me when people feel entitled to my work because they found it online and choose to dismiss my guidelines. People need to remember that there is a person behind that "cool image" they found on the internet.
ALJA HORVAT
What was your inspiration behind this design?
I wanted to create a place that I wanted to go to when I was creating this design. It was winter when I started creating it and I was thinking about the summer nights and warm weather. This design always transports me back to warm days.
What do you do when you have a creative block?
I usually take time off and try not to force it when I have a creative block. I get bursts of ideas when I'm not stressing out about ideas. It's harder when I have a deadline to catch, but I will usually get over the block in a few days. Working on commissions helps a lot as well, because I will usually get a moodboard or something like that, and it's easier to create an illustration when you need to follow some guidelines.
What is your creative process?
My creative process starts in my head. I will try to visualize the illustration I want to create and if nothing comes to my mind, I will browse through my pinterest folders for inspiration and see if anything catches my eye. When I get an idea what I want to draw I will first create a rough sketch and then start adding colours and illustrating. I'm mostly inspired by music, poems and photos.
Are there any new mediums you want to try in future?
I always wanted to try tufting. I absolutely love how fluffy rugs look in the end and the whole process looks super relaxing to me. Maybe it's actually not, but I watched a few videos a few years back and I was totally mesmerized. I also tried oils for the first time a year and half back, because I was always afraid to try them because of the fast drying time, and fell in love instantly. I used acrylics before that and now I only use oils.
Many of your print designs feature on clothing – is there any other place you’d like your designs to feature?
I always wanted to have my prints on furniture and home decor items, like Josef Frank. I love his playful prints and they look so cool on chairs, lamps etc.
LOGAN SPECTOR
Lingerie features heavily in your illustrations – how has it influenced your work?
Oh how I love lingerie -- both as something that I enjoy obsessively collecting and wearing, and as a motif in my art. Much of my illustration work is erotically tinged (or explicitely erotic at times), and lingerie provides ample opportunity to communicate mood, narrative, or a particular fetish in illustration. But beyond surface-level sex appeal, another thing that I love about fine lingerie and loungewear is the associated fantasy of luxury, decadent abundance, and indulgence, a theme that frequently shows up in my work. In my fantasy world (both in my work and in my mind), all things are imbued with sensuality, intentionality, and above all, beauty. Plus, I just really enjoy drawing all the little details in lingerie. It's challenging and fun!
What was your inspiration behind this design?
This print concept had been bouncing around in my head for a few months prior to Playful Promises reaching out, and I was thrilled to have a reason to bring this modern Greek statue-themed idea to life! While I was conceptualizing and creating this print, I was thinking about how certain ideas and stories have a way of clinging to our collective imagination across generations. I think what I love most about Greek mythology (and just mythology and folklore in general) is that many of these stories and ideas from thousands of years ago are still being told in modern day media, art, and pop culture. Rather than being canon relics of the past, these stories are living things that change with each telling and interpretation. Thousands of years later, we are still enchanted by the same stories, archetypes, and motifs, which I absolutely love. Whether or not those ideas are evident in the final print, I had such a fun time illustrating this print, and I've really enjoyed seeing it come to life on these pajamas. I hope people enjoy wearing them!
What do you do when you have a creative block?
If I'm working on a tight deadline, I typically just put on a podcast and do my best to push through the block. However, if I have more time or if I'm working on a personal project, I do my best to allow myself time to focus on other things while the creative block subsides. Sometimes, I use that time to focus on creative hobbies like beadwork, painting in my sketchbook, or paper mache. Art projects unrelated to digital drawing give me the satisfaction of creating something beautiful, while still being separate from my work. If my art block won't even let me craft, I like to step away from creating for as long as I can and enjoy consuming art, rather than pushing myself to create it. Videogames, movies, and books are my favorite places to take refuge from creating for a little while. And if all else fails... I find that disappearing into the woods for a long walk or a few nights clears my head, gives me time to step away from my project, and allows me to come back with fresh ideas and renewed motivation. The forest is such a treasure trove of inspiration, full of lush color schemes, dark shadows that allow the imagination to run wild, and enough physical discomfort to clarify one's thoughts.
What is your creative process?
With personal work or illustrations for my scarf brand, I like to visualize and plan things out in my head for a few days (or sometimes even a few months) before putting pencil to paper. After the idea has taken form in my mind (and before the idea erodes), I like to sketch things out roughly in my sketchbook, and then slowly refine my concept and sketch important things out in further detail. Once I feel like there's nothing more I can gain from my sketchbook, I'll start my digital sketch, solidify my color scheme, and make any big compositional changes that need to happen. Once the plans are laid, all that is left is the long and laborious process of sitting down, putting on a podcast or old tv show, and actually drawing everything.
Are there any new mediums you want to try in future?
Certainly! During my time in art school, I really loved printmaking and oil painting. It's been years since I've been able to indulge in either medium, and I'd really like to get back into both. How I miss printmaking! I also really enjoy textile arts like beadwork and embroidery, and I'd like to improve my garment sewing so I can apply these skills to larger projects.
BODIL JANE
What was your inspiration behind this design?
There are two designs: Nudes & Flowers and Beauty Essentials. Both are super feminine and cute! Nudes & Flowers was inspired by the body positivity movement. I just really wanted to create something that made women feel good. I love the idea of being nude in a field of flowers! The other one, Beauty Essentials is just a celebration of objects that you might carry in your handbag. I have a whole list of essentials that I bring everywhere and I always love to find out what other women carry with them in their bags. For example I always bring lip balm, hand cream and a scrunchy everywhere I go.
What do you do when you have a creative block?
Not much to be honest. I used to get really stressed out if I didn’t know what to create. Especially after a long time of focusing on client jobs I used to have a really hard time getting back into creating something for myself. It became a bit of an obsession. Whenever I had one day off I felt like I had to spend it on some amazing personal project. There was just too much pressure to create personal work. But at some point I realized that creativity is just super fluid. My passion became my job and that changed my creativity too. I’m able to create on demand, but when there’s no assignment it’s harder for me to find the urge and passion to create something. And I think that’s ok. Now I’ve let it go I just do whatever I feel like. Maybe I’m not working on some amazing personal project, but maybe I’m being creative on other levels, like cooking. And the funny thing is, when the pressure is off, it’s much more natural for me to create something.
What is your creative process?
When I receive a client brief I already start to think of ideas right away. Especially when I don’t have to start right away, but say in two weeks, it’s really getting a place in my mind and I get all kinds of ideas when I’m on my bike or under the shower. Once in a while I have a very bad night of sleep: suddenly all kinds of ideas come to me and I just have to write them down. That can take a few hours of trying to go back to sleep and suddenly have another idea. Like an idea detox haha!
Back in my studio I read back my ideas. After that I usually start to find inspirational images that fit my ideas. I have a lot of art books and also love Pinterest. Usually I already know where to find an image that kind of represents what I have in mind. I collect all of the images and create a new folder with it. From there I start sketching the different ideas, supported the images that roughly help me understand what my idea was and how to visualize it. I sketch and illustrate in Procreate on the iPad.
When the client has approved of the sketches I start coloring. I love this part the best as the ideas and lines are already there. All I have to do now is decorating everything with colors, shading, textures and patterns. It’s meditative.
Are there any new mediums you want to try in future?
I’d love to do more screen printing. I’ve learned it in art school, but should really relearn this skill and start creating some beautiful screen prints.
Your designs are very colourful – how do you decide on your colour palettes?
I don’t! It’s completely intuitive to be honest. Sometimes I need to create a color palette for a client, but it’s really hard for me to decide on that beforehand. I just pick one color after the other while coloring. And I don’t really change them along the way. I guess some illustrators get stuck when they keep changing the colors. First you change one color, and then the next one and so on. It’s the downside of digital illustrating. The possibilities are just endless. I guess I just don’t want the possibilities to be endless so I just don’t go there! I pick a color and make the next one work with it.
Artists in Pyjamas is available now via Playful Promises
