Amy’s process:
“The process. Sometimes it isn’t pretty. But no matter what it looks like, it’s necessary. The starting point is a collaboration between the client and myself. What problem are we trying to solve? I often begin my part of the process with mind maps and sketches. Research is involved. Day of the Dead? What DO real sugar skulls look like? What types of flowers are used in Mexican embroideries? What is the history of Day of the Dead? I start to sketch ideas and often make elaborate webs of connections. After the research comes more sketching which happens in many different forms from pencil to paint to cut paper or embroidery, and sometimes 3 dimensional.
Trial and error is a big part of my process. I collect inspiration when necessary and start to make swatches, slowly building up to the final product whether that is a thread painting of a skull for Day of the Dead or a detailed floral repeat pattern in Illustrator. The ritual of process is everything.”
