Ella Doran for TATE

The overarching idea was to design a collection that would appeal to and create enthusiasm for the artistic process across the diverse community of the Tate visitors – the young and old, men and women, the professional creatives and the less artistically educated, who all have different tastes, but are united in their passion for art.

Colour, as we encounter it in its material form at the beginning of an artistic project, in paints, chalks, inks and pencils, was the starting point for 'Artist's Tools for the Tate'. To introduce a feeling of authenticity into the images, I explored my own creative process, photographing my personal artistic tools in my own studio (with my main creative tool, which is my camera, remaining backstage this time).

The material that carries an image and the printing technique that is used have a profound effect on the feel of an image. I wanted to highlight this aspect through the different production methods used across the product range of 'Artist's Tools for the Tate'. (The collection consists of notebooks, mugs, cushions, tea towels, a tray, a bag and a laptop case.) The tea towels, the bag (below) and the laptop cases, for instance, are screen printed, while the T Shirt like the one above uses a dye sublimation technique.  

Overall, my aim was to create a playful, yet sophisticated collection that will enthuse others to pursue their own artistic ideas, perhaps make them go out and start 'that painting' or 'that collage' they have been dreaming about doing, after their visit to the Tate. 
You can now buy the collection in the Tate Gallery Shops and in the TATE Online