How to Become a Fabric Designer
Fabric designers are artists who contribute directly to the beauty of everyday life. They create fabric for one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture and clothing and also fabric that is manufactured for mass reproduction. If you have an interest in fabric and a creative streak, you may have a promising future in fabric design. A career as a fabric designer promises constant challenges and opportunities to explore possibilities in color, line and style.
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Things You'll Need
- Self-confidence
- An adventurous spirit
- Artistic ability
- Fabric paints
- Fabric brush sets
- Dyes
- Dye fixer
- Batik wax
- Fabric painting pens
- Fabric
Instructions
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Develop Your Design Sense
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1
Go to museums and art galleries to learn the elements of good design. Copy the designs you like and see if you can improve upon them.
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Read design books. Buy or borrow books on color, shape, line and style. Read them to learn as much as you can about the elements of design.
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Draw and paint nonstop. You must practice your skills to have a successful career in fabric design.
Learn the Business
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Go to school. Take classes or earn a degree in art and design. Classes on weaving, knitting and printing will help you learn what is possible with fabric.
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Join an internship or apprenticeship program. These will give you real-world, hands-on experience in fabric design. This is excellent preparation for your career.
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Learn business skills. Many fabric designers end up owning their own businesses, which requires skills in accounting, finance and money management.
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Practice public speaking. You will need to be able to talk, often with only a moment's notice, to other designers, manufacturers and clients.
Polish Your Skills
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Buy fabric. You will need to practice your designs on real fabric. Try painting your ideas on cotton, velvet or linen.
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Use your fabric. Make a shirt, dress or pillow using fabric you have designed. Then let others see your work.
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Build a portfolio. Collect photographs and samples of your work to show to prospective employers or buyers. Don't leave home without it.
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Take risks. Talk to strangers about your designs, try new designs and new techniques. For a successful career in fabric design, you must trust your judgment and take chances when necessary.
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Resources
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Comments
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You can also try out design ideas through spoonflower and get swatches to show off samples of your work. Plus, you can then sell your designs to others.
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garna
Sep 25, 2009
Urbantrendsgirl, I know some schools offer courses in fabric design, like RISD and Parsons. -
urbantrendsgirl
Aug 28, 2009
Good tips, but way too general. Who is offering the internships and what schools are good? I live in the Kansas City area and would like more detailed help. Can anyone make any recommendations on these things? What about digital fabric printing companies, does anyone have knowledge on this?
