Mexican Talavera-inspired Tile Patterns in Watercolor
While these patterns were inspired from the actual venue and typical Mexican tile motifs, I wanted to make them my own by continuing with my watercolor curiosity and just going at it.
I shared the Mexican-themed anniversary invitation these tile patterns were meant for here. A palette of yellows and golds and black were used for that invitation series.
I chose a palette of blues and neutrals for this series, and let myself play with how they flowed together. A hard thing for me to do initially.
In all honesty, finalizing these painted tile illustrations took me the better part of 6 months. Sometimes I get into my head too much and overthink how things are looking and how they’re supposed to look. These are really my second attempt at them.
But when I let go of exactly how they needed to turn out, they turned out better than I imagined.
I even let myself play a bit more with how the water and paint flowed together, and came up with these interesting, flow-y tiles. They seem nice for coasters!
Looking forward to painting more of these Mexican tiles and also exploring a few designs of my own.
Mexican Talavera Tile Wedding Invitation
The invitation that started it all.
This anniversary invitation is special. Not just because it started me on a path to designing invitations for many lovely couples, but because it was designed for my in-law’s milestone celebration: their 50th Anniversary.
When we started the design process for this invitation, I knew I wanted to reflect the rustic décor of the venue—a 1950’s ballroom/casino where they celebrated their 25th anniversary—but also showcase the deco feel with a modern twist. In this case, with the sans serif type treatment and logo.
Of course, Mexican Talavera-inspired patterns would make an appearance. I took four basic tile designs found around the venue and altered them slightly with color and shapes to personalize.
The elongated, accordion-fold format of the invitation stemmed from my desire to create something different, not the typical 5”x7” flat card invitation. This gave us enough space to include all the pertinent information without over-crowding the design.
A square, gold, metallic envelope gave that extra touch of glamour, lined with a complimenting patterned liner, created by combining various tile shapes to design a new pattern.
The envelope was finished-off with a wrap-around address label, also adorned with a few of the floral elements used through-out the invitation.
This has to be my favorite invitation I have designed. I created many versions for over 50 couples, all with different patterns and color palettes, making them each unique.