Hey First name / friends!

 

First of all, thank you SO much for all the love and support on the Hand to Paw campaign. The response from this community has blown me away & I'm honestly so touched. 💛 So far this community has raised $1,350, and with my match, that's already $2,700 headed to Hand to Paw!

 

And fun update: I'm extending the donation match through the end of May!

 

Here's why this matters right now: there's a mass spay event happening here in Thailand at the beginning of June, and my goal is to get it fully funded. $4,000 covers an entire event, which means up to 150 animals sterilized in a single day. We are SO close. 

 

Every dollar you donate, I'll match it dollar for dollar, so your impact is doubled from the moment you give. Let's get these animals covered!

 

This week's challenge is a little different than our normal motif-based challenges. But, I promise, it's just as strategic as ever!

 

If you've ever been confused by blender patterns, you're not alone. They tend to be the part of a collection that trips people up the most. But here's the thing. Blender patterns are a total design powerhouse. Way more products than you'd think need simple, versatile patterns like this. They're the unsung heroes of a collection!

 

If you want a little extra guidance, I wrote a helpful blog post all about them!

 

 

 

And checkers specifically, are suuuuuuuper trendy right now and incredibly versatile. 

 

One checkered pattern with a few color swaps can work across a ton of different collections. It's one of those motifs you'll reach for over and over again.

 

Hot tip: I've been hand-drawing my checkered patterns lately instead of using a perfect grid, and it gives them this really nice organic feel. I've used them in a bunch of my recent collections and they've been getting a great response! (I just signed two licensing deals this month with both of these checkered patterns! One for fabric and the other for stationery/gifting.) Highly recommend giving it a try. 🙌

 

So this week, challenge yourself to create a checkered blender pattern! Play with scale, try different color palettes, and if you're feeling adventurous, draw yours by hand!

 

I can't wait to see your checkered patterns! Make sure to share using the hashtag #CreateWithCatCoq and tag me @catcoq in the post (not just the caption) so I can see what you make! I can't wait to see your take on this prompt! ✨

Here are a few of the amazing submission from our last challenge! 

 

Make sure to click on the photos to see each artist on Instagram and give them some love! When we help each other grow, we all rise : )

 

Have a fabulous week!