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Illustrator & Surface Pattern Designer

Kristi Westberg, At the Dot Design

Surface pattern designer and online educator helping artists gain confidence through action and pitch their work for licensing. I send out monthly emails about creativity, surface pattern design, creative business, and share artist interviews.

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Featured Post

Flitting from thing to thing, 2 big projects, plus a podcast recommendation

Dear Reader, I’m a little sad to say that my art streak has ended. Lately, I’m finding myself flitting from thing to thing and not making much progress in the areas I want to improve. Am I approaching burnout? Am I bored? Am I doing that generator thing where I follow my excitement (absolutely)? BUT the thing I’m trying really hard NOT to do is get down on myself for all the flitting. Here are 5 things to consider if you are in a similar place: Acceptance It’s okay to have moments where your...

18 days ago • 3 min read

Dear Reader, I am so very excited to share this month's artist interview with you. I first "met" Colleen Underwood through an wondersul presentation she gave in The Tillage Village about the importance of taking the time to celebrate. Colleen is an incredible artist and coach for creatives. I love her slow and steady approach and can't wait for you to get to know her a little better. I started painting in a challenging season of transition. It started out as a space to really take care of me...

about 1 month ago • 2 min read

Dear Reader, Last month I showed a few sketchbook pages from 75 Art. Thank you so much for all of your kind replies. In case you are wondering I’m currently on day 69 of creating art every day! I've been reflecting on how far I've come in the last 5 years and found a sketchbook from 2016 (and beyond....some pages are not dated). I used to sketch in this tiny book while I was waiting for Catherine (my spouse) to get off work. Back in 2016 I had this idea to sketch out one page worth of pattern...

about 2 months ago • 4 min read

Dear Reader, I am so very excited to share this month's artist interview with you. I met Stacie Martinez of The Lucky Bandana in a peer group several years ago and we have kept in touch ever since. I've even had the pleasure of meeting her in real life (!). Her work is gorgeous and I have always found her dedication to creating and trying out new mediums truly inspiring. I’m primarily a surface designer, and I combine analog and digital painting to create vibrant illustrations of the things I...

about 2 months ago • 2 min read

Dear Reader, Things look a bit different around here, huh? All I can say is that productive procrastination got the best of me and here we are, in a redesigned version of my email newsletter. I’ve decided to change things up a bit so you can expect one whopping email from me each month plus the usual artist interview email. Am I nervous about sending out a long email? Absolutely….people don’t seem to read much these days, but I'm trying to be optimistic about it so here goes. What happened in...

2 months ago • 4 min read

Dear Reader, Happy New Year! I hope yours is going well so far and that you are taking things slowly and enjoying a relaxing January. I am so excited to share my first Artist Interview of 2024! Say hello to Kris Hackl. I've changed up the questions a bit this year, you won't want to miss Kris' answer to number 3, lots of great tips for overcoming creative block in there. I am a college interior design instructor, surface pattern designer, and block printer living happily in Door County,...

4 months ago • 6 min read

Dear Reader, I rarely email twice in a week, but I couldn't resist sharing my exciting news! I was a guest on The Tillage Podcast! I'm so grateful to Shirlee for inviting me to be on her podcast, she's a fantastic interviewer and I truly enjoyed our chat. Here's a few topics we discussed in the episode: Setting realistic goals to avoid overwhelm. A reminder to enjoy the journey and embrace the slow process. How to gain confidence through taking action. How accountability partners can help you...

5 months ago • 1 min read

Dear Reader, This month's artist interview is truly wonderful. I have followed Lana on Instagram for a while now and was so excited when I saw that she had a new collection released with Hawthorne Supply Co. (it's gorgeous!). Read on to hear about her art practice, her love of the surface pattern design community, and her process for creating beautiful patterns. I'm a surface pattern designer and quite new to the industry. I’ve always been a maker and creative person. As a child, I immersed...

5 months ago • 4 min read

Dear Reader, Can you believe it's December? I sure can't. I went to see the Nutcracker on Sunday and it really got me in the holiday mood. So much so that I had to include this woven wintery plaid as my header pattern. Isn't it fun?! Here's what's inside this week's newsletter: Desert Superbloom encore collection update A teaser about my new Pitch Like a Pro program My Kula Cloth Collaboration is live!!! Links to a few of my recent blog posts Collection Update Last month I shared my initial...

6 months ago • 2 min read

Dear Reader I'm so excited to share this month's interview with you. I met Katy through a coaching program we are both a part of and have been so inspired watching her share her sketchbook practice. Her work is lively and fun (look at that color pallet!) and she shares so much of her process including her struggles on Instagram. Be sure to give her a follow after you read her interview. I’m a surface pattern designer who creates colourful, playful, and graphic art. I create digital patterns...

6 months ago • 1 min read
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