hope&plum Artist Update: What’s New with Jill Labieniec?

Read more about the artist behind our new print Charm and our previous fan favorites Ginger and Savannah! We’re so excited about Charm, but we are also thrilled to hear more from Jill Labieniec and what she’s been up to since her other patterns launched.

The biggest life update is that we adopted a little pup named Pajamas a year ago! He’s the perfect little monster and has really kept us on our toes. I was very tempted to try and put him in a baby carrier haha.

Oh my gosh, so much FUN! hope&plum customers are wild, and I LOVE IT. I had the pleasure of meeting a few h&p fans at a holiday market, and it was such a joy to actually be able to gush about working with a company that not only makes awesome products, but is kind, fun, inclusive, and spicy! Y’all really care about what you do, and I’ve loved watching you grow, try new things, tackle really hard shit, and still find time and space to bring joy and laughter to your customers. As a creative, it makes me feel really good when I can use my skills in a way that supports people I admire.

Charm is interesting because the inspiration came from an existing painting I made earlier in the year. From what I understand, Skye and Mallory had unicorns on their radar for a while (they really take to heart customer suggestions), and this painting was a bit of a jumping off point for the visual direction. What I love about the aesthetic of hope&plum is that it embraces themes children love, but through the lens of an adult so that caregivers can feel confident and joyous wearing the prints. I like to think of it as a tiny magical shared visual language between caretakers and their little ones, and Charm really delivers!

Making a custom print is always special and something I love to do. Knowing this print would be experienced up close, I wanted to include as many hand drawn details as possible. You can really take your time wandering through the artwork and textures while baby naps.

The creative process for Charm was really smooth. After working with Skye and Mallory on a composition sketch, I started on the final design using traditional media like watercolor, cut paper, and colored pencil. Once all the pieces were completed, I assembled the artwork digitally into a design that can be manufactured in repeat on a bolt of fabric.

While I love everything about Charm, what really allows this print to shine is the final color selection Skye and Mallory chose. You can see a bunch of options below that I created to choose from, and each one really tells a different story. It can be hard to land colors when you have to balance what works best for the piece, the season/story, and what holes need filling in the final assortment. So glad we were all team cornflower!

Lately diving into messy blobs of clay has allowed me to escape from reality and dream up new ideas I can build with my own hands. There is something so rewarding about challenging yourself to learn something new and fall in love with all its quirks and imperfections. Ceramics have really saved me this past year. I can’t wait to explore new possibilities and share this purely “just for me” creative journey.