Making the Pattern: Watercolor Waves

Here at Primary, prints and patterns are a staple. From holiday PJs to limited edition hearts for Valentine's Day, we love playing with shapes and colors, and creating novelty styles for your kids that celebrate the spirit of each season.

But, have you ever wondered how the colorful prints we're known for are made? To give you a peek behind the scenes, we chatted with our Print & Pattern Designer Rachel below about one of our new prints for summer, watercolor waves.

Can you walk us through the general process of how a pattern is created?

Rachel: Generally, Ally, our VP of Design, and I will kick off the season with a mood board. We'll source inspiration images to help us set the tone for the season before diving in. Once we land on that, I'll head to my studio (more on that below!) and get to work. I paint everything by hand. I'll then upload my work to Photoshop so I can play with elements like color and scale. Working digitally at this stage also allows me to easily make adjustments based on feedback from the larger team. In any season, I'd say there are at least two to three iterations before landing on the final version that customers see today.

Q: What was your inspiration for this summer's assortment?

A: We were very drawn to the concept of "making your own waves." What screams summer like water and waves, right?! We felt like this idea captured the playful, laidback energy of the season, too. We always strive to inspire kids to be creative and make our clothes their own, and we were excited to see that come to life in this watercolor waves print through the flowiness and hand-painted feel. You'll also see this wave concept threaded through other styles in our summer assortment, like this fun banner wave graphic.

Q: How many versions of this print did you have before you landed on the final?

A: Hmm, I don't remember exactly how many, but fun fact: I always paint prints in rainbow. Rainbows feel so core to Primary, and we're always looking for ways to reinvent them through the seasons. So, I started this wave print in rainbow, and ended up also trying a solid blueberry version in Photoshop. It feels so bold and bright!

I also played a lot with scale. The first hand-painted version of this print was pretty even, so once it was digital, I stretched it in some places, made some lines thicker than others, etc. I think that really helped convey that artful, DIY feel we were going for. Here's a video of me painting the waves, if you're curious!

Q: What's your creative process like? Is there anything that helps you get into a creative flow?

A: Ooh, fun question! I typically start with a swatch card so I can land on a set of colors before getting to the actual painting part. And while I love coming into our office two days a week, I always paint in my studio at home. I like that it's quiet and I have the space to try out new things. It also helps that I can blast Taylor Swift as loud as I want :)

Thanks so much, Rachel! We are so lucky to have you on our team. Shop watercolor waves and our entire summer collection here!