Samantha Hall Design

Posted on 4th July 20194th July 2019 by Samantha Hall — Leave a comment

Gaining confidence with my new Labrador Collection

Since I was little, I have always had a lovable Labrador as a friend in the family. I love everything about Labradors, their amazing temperament, their loyalty and of course their adorable face is just the best. So I thought, why not create a collection devoted to my favourite animal? With this collection, I took the time to develop a new unique style to make sure I created repeats that were beautiful.

Watercolours and charcoal

With this design, came a whole new way of drawing for me. I was given some willow charcoal for Christmas, something that I had not used since college. I wasn’t too sure at first how I would approach this new tool as I have always created drawings with watercolour. At first I would do separate charcoal and watercolour drawings. I just wasn’t quite feeling it. How am I suppose to create artwork that wasn’t using watercolours? Then came the brain wave of, why not combine both? At first I could not get the balance right and I tried to over complicate things. Then I thought, why not simply things? YES!

This new way of working was revolutionary. I had found my STYLE.

Confidence

After creating simple drawings , I gained more and more confidence every time I used watercolour and charcoal together. I was always told that I couldn’t really draw, but now I felt like the world was my oyster! I proved everyone wrong!
As you can see above, I began drawing simple silhouettes. I was aiming to get the basics in there, the right proportions, the correct colours and not letting the charcoal dominating the drawings.

I continued to draw and draw, developing my technique each time and gaining more and more confidence. I was adding shadows, making the face more defined and even showing emotion.

This felt amazing.

Development

Normally, I don’t have too much patience and If a drawing takes more than an hour I will scrap it or move on to the next. However this time, I took a deep breath and gave myself the entire morning to create the drawings you see above. I am so glad I did as once I had drawn the portraits above, I could not believe that I had personally done these. This was a moment in my art career that I was not going to forget. To me, these were the best drawings I had done to date.

I now know that taking the time out to develop your work, try new avenues and explore techniques is so important in order to improve yourself and to feel motivated. Also, it is ok to take some time out if you are not feeling it. Perhaps a night off will give you that burst of inspiration you have been longing for!

Finals

After developing my technique and personal style, I began to turn my drawings into repeat patterns. I kept a very natural colour palette, reflecting the nature I see around me and keeping simple backgrounds so that my new charcoal and watercolour drawings really pop!

I am so happy with this new collection, as it has shown me what I am capable as a designer and that anything is possible! If you would like to see my new collection, it is now available on all sorts of products for wholesale and I also have a range of fabrics in my shop. Just click the button below.

Wholesale

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Posted on 18th February 201918th February 2019 by Samantha Hall — Leave a comment

What Is FSC Certified And What Does It Mean For The Environment?

We often see all these different logos on products that we are buying and wonder what does that mean and how does it affect me and the environment? Below you can find out about FSC Certified and find out what it means for the environment and how you can benefit from it.

What Is FSC Certified?

FSC is a global known system that allows consumers to identify which woods and papers have come from well-managed forests or have come from recycled materials. Whenever you see the FSC logo on products, you can be rest assured that the item you are buying is helping to ensure our forests will be alive and well for years to come.

Why Should You Choose FSC?

When you buy products with the FSC logo, you are playing a big part in helping protecting the planet we live in. Forests are managed responsibly, which means that trees are replaced after being harvested allowing areas to regenerate naturally.

Not only does FSC benefit trees, but it also benefits people too. With FSC in place, this protects the rights of indigenous people. If they have sites that they are living in or using, these areas are exempt from felling. As well as protecting the rights of indigenous people, FSC makes sure that the forest owner uses local workers to carry out the work. They are also required to provide health and safety, fair wages and training.

Photo by: Photo by Radek Grzybowski on Unsplash

How can you benefit from FSC?

FSC can benefit you and your company in so many ways. Not only are you benefiting by knowing that going FSC you are helping to preserve out planets forests but you are ensuring the rights of so many workers around the world. Promoting a more sustainable future is so important as it will allow generations to come to be able to enjoy our forests.

To find out more about FSC, follow the link below:

https://www.fsc-uk.org/en-uk/about-fsc/why-choose-fsc

All of my wallpapers are FSC Certified and use eco based inks. Head over to my wallpapers section to pick the perfect one for your next project! Follow the link below.

https://samanthahall.design/product-category/wallpaper/

Posted on 13th February 201918th February 2019 by Samantha Hall — Leave a comment

5 Tips for choosing the right wallpaper for your space

Wallpapers are a great way to add pattern, colour and interest to an existing space. They can be perfect for adding to walls, furniture or using as art, however, choosing the right wallpaper that will sit perfectly into your space can be difficult. Here is a list of 5 tips that can help you consider what pattern or type of paper is great for your project.

Collect Samples

Collecting wallpaper samples is so important when choosing the right one for your project. Some wallpapers you see online can differ in colours to how they appear on the paper so it is important to check with a sample first.

When you have your samples, temporarily add them to the wall you wish for the paper to go onto. Keep it there for a few days to see how it looks at different points in the day and how well it goes with the furniture and other decor you have.

You can order samples through my website, just go to the wallpaper that you like and click ‘sample’.

Have a Theme

When you’re working with a space that already has a theme, try to stick to it with the wallpaper. Try and pick out similar patterns or colours that will compliment the scheme. This will ensure that the space flows and connects and will make the space inviting.

If you are designing a room from scratch, it’s a good idea to create a mood board. You can collect images from the internet, magazines or from samples you have gathered and place them all together on one sheet of paper. From this you can get an idea of how your space will look and you will be able to see if all the elements work together.

Where To Use Wallpaper

Wallpaper is great tool to enhance any space, but it doesn’t have to be just walls that you apply it to. There are many surfaces within a room that you can add texture or pattern to.

One of the more popular ways to use wallpaper is to upcycle pieces of furniture like chest of drawers or bookcases. This works well on furniture that have clean lines, simple shapes and silhouettes that would be easy to add paper to.

Other ways could be adding wallpaper to a lampshade, hanging wallpaper as art or even adding wallpaper to the ceiling. There are just so many ways you can be inventive and add interest to a space.

Textured or Plain Paper?

Wallpaper comes on a variety of different papers and its really up to you and your personal preference on which one you choose.

With wallpaper you can get a standard plain paper which is great for any room and can come as woven or non woven. You can also get papers that are textured. This can be great for hiding imperfections or just adding even more interest to the room. Some patterns are great with texture, especially plain patterns as they can really come to life.

Samantha Hall Designs Wallpaper — Photo by Samantha Hall Designs from the Wallpaper Collection

Using Removable Wallpaper

Removable wallpaper, a great way to add wallpaper if you are renting or if you like to change your mind quite regularly. It is easily removed and can also be recycled if you wish to use it again.

This wallpaper uses adhesives that stick to the wall permanently. The normal adhesive used for regular wallpaper is not used for removable, making this a much less messy job. Removable wallpaper acts as a sticker so there are no liquid glues involved.

Using removable wallpaper is also handy if you have or are expecting children. For example if you have a children’s bedroom that you wish to turn into a nursery for a new arrival, then later on you might want to turn that room into a study, removable wallpaper is great as it allows you to keep up with any age or renovations you’re planning.

I hope these tips have helped with your decision on what wallpaper to buy for your next project. If you are exploring wallpaper, please check out my wallpaper collections that are perfect to addition to any space here.

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Posted on 13th February 201918th February 2019 by Samantha Hall — Leave a comment

Why should you use eco paint? The benefits of going natural with your decorating

Why should you make the switch?

Being environmentally friendly is now becoming the new norm in everything we do. Food, clothing and now interiors. Being conscious when buying for interiors is becoming increasingly easier as more and more products are available to buy on our high street and online.

Paint is now becoming available as an eco product now that companies are having to comply with new EU limits on VOC levels. With this being the case, more and more companies are now labelling their paint as ‘environmentally friendly’. What you should look out for are plant based paints that are stocked in most green/vegetarian stores. These paints are low in carbon or are carbon-neutral which makes them friendly to the the environment and the workers that are producing them. Unfortunately ‘green’ paint is quite expensive compared to normal paint that we are all used to but it does have its plus points.

Where Can You Use Eco Paint?

Eco paint can be used anywhere that normal conventional paint is used in the home. The paint comes in a variety of finishes which is perfect if you have a particular project in mind. These may include emulsions, paint that can be used outdoors, primers and many more. Pretty much wherever you were thinking of using regular paint, you can use green paint also!

Isn’t it just easier to use conventional paint though?

While conventional paint is familiar to us as we know already where to find it, the drying process is quicker and they are just generally what we are all used to, green paint is the way to go when thinking about our futures. Using eco paints are low in carbon, use natural oils and are produced ethically.

Where can I buy natural paints?

I have put together a list of great places where you can buy eco friendly paint online:

Farrow & Ball

All of Farrow & Ball’s paints are eco friendly, being low in VOC and are all water based.

www.farrow-ball.com

Earthborn

Earthborn is a paint brand that does not sacrifice quality or style while also protecting your health and the environment.

www.earthbornpaints.co.uk

Little Greene

Little Greene is a UK based company that is 100% committed to protecting the planet we live in by achieving the EU environmental standard.

www.littlegreene.com

If you have had experiences of using environmentally paint, then please do let me know of your experiences in the comments below. I would love to hear them!

Posted on 5th February 20195th March 2019 by Samantha Hall — Leave a comment

5 Eco-friendly Materials That Are A Must Have For Your Home

We are all told what we should and what we shouldn’t do when it comes down to the environment. Especially now when we live in a day and age where saving the planet is becoming more important than ever. Luckily there are some easy changes we can make when it comes to the home. By making small changes to the way we use materials, we are one step closer to making the planet a better place. Below is a list of some great fabrics that look fabulous in your home but also save the planet. Sound good?

Organic Cotton

Organic cotton, if it is responsibly sourced, is a great fabric that can be used in the home. Not only is it 100% natural, it is breathable, durable and also is hard wearing if you choose a type perfect for upholstery. Cottons that come as ‘un dyed’ or have a slight shade of green to them are best as they haven’t been bleached. Cotton can be used for items such as bedding, cushions, curtains and many upholstery projects.

Soy

The soy bean is used in many things now: food, drink, oil and it can also be used to make fabric. The ‘hull’ of the soy bean is used when producing the fabric and is farmed in such a way that it is not harmful to the environment. When sourcing soy fabric, make sure the fabric has ‘organic certification’. This means that it has been produced in a way that isn’t harmful to the environment or the workers.

While soy isn’t as strong as cotton and hemp, its antibacterial, biodegradable and light and soft. Soy is perfect for drapery as it doesn’t need to be ironed, is moisture absorbent and has an elegant feel to it.

Hemp

Hemp has many fabulous qualities making it one of the best eco fabrics you can use in your home. Hemp has a high yield, improves the soil quality and is also grown without pesticides. As well as Hemp being great for the environment, it can be used for many things as it is very durable and strong. It can be used for making strong bags, durable fabric projects and clothing. It can be used for just about anything!

Bamboo

Bamboo is a great natural plant that can be made into fabric that is sustainable, eco friendly and Biodegradable. Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants which can be harvested after 2-3 years of growth and doesn’t need to be re planted. Also Bamboo doesn’t use pesticides or pesticides, making it a material that doesn’t pollute the environment.

Bamboo is perfect for fabric and has many great qualities. Bamboo is very soft, highly durable and is thermo regulating which means your bed sheets will keep you warm in the winter and nice and cool in the summer. The fabric is also well fitting, as it won’t shrink as easily and is also kind to sensitive skin. What’s not to love?

Eco fabrics are the way forward to protecting the environment and making your home a more comfortable place. You can shop cotton fabrics on my website that have been sustainably sourced and printed in the UK.

Please follow the link below for my full collection.

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