From Illustration to Silk: How One Artist Turned Her Work Into a Product Range
Quick answer: In this artist silk case study, LS Silk worked with Maggie Lam, an illustrator based in Auckland, New Zealand, to translate her hand-drawn illustrations into a limited-edition silk slip called Woodland Escape. The work moved from paper originals through digital preparation, a physical sample and production on 19 momme mulberry silk. The same steps apply to an artist's silk scarf.
Maggie Lam draws the way some people walk, as though the act itself is what matters. Her illustrations are hand-made in the most literal sense: kowhai trees in fine ink, butterflies caught mid-flight, the Southern Cross above the gentle slopes of One Tree Hill. There is nothing hurried in them.
When Maggie came to LS Silk, she had a body of work and an instinct that silk might suit it. The work was made on paper, for looking at. Wearing it was new territory.
If you are an artist considering a silk edition, read our guide to how artists and illustrators can turn their work into custom silk scarves.
The work and where it came from
Maggie's design was rooted in a specific place: Cornwall Park and One Tree Hill in Auckland. Kowhai trees in flower. Lambs on the slopes. Butterflies moving between them. The Southern Cross, present the way it always is in the southern sky. The motifs were specific enough to carry meaning and loose enough to breathe as a composition.
The translation question
Every artist who brings original work to silk faces the same question: what is lost and what is gained when a drawing made for a wall becomes a print made for a body? Something is lost, and something different is found. Silk offers what paper cannot: lustre, drape, and the way it moves when worn.
The translation had two stages. The first was digital preparation. The originals were scanned at high resolution, colour-corrected and laid out at full scale. Our artwork preparation guide covers the file requirements. The second was composition: arranging the motifs so they read as a designed surface and not as a scan of a drawing. Our guide to designing for silk explains how artwork behaves at scale.
Fabric and format
Woodland Escape was made as a silk slip, not a scarf. It was a bespoke commission outside the Custom Studio, which makes scarves. The fabric was 19 momme 100% mulberry silk, heavier than the 14 and 16 momme silks used for scarves. Our guide to momme weight explains the difference. Maggie's loose, hand-drawn line and her palette of strong blues and earth tones suited a fluid, substantial cloth. The blues deepened on silk, as blue tends to: more present and more saturated than on paper.
The sampling moment
The sample arrived and Maggie saw her work on silk for the first time. A proof on screen is a stand-in. The silk is the thing itself. One of the deeper blues read slightly differently on silk than in the digital file. The decision was to leave it: the warmth suited the fabric and the palette sat better for it. That is a decision that can only be made in front of the physical piece. Read more in our colour accuracy guide.
What the finished piece is
Woodland Escape is not a reproduction. It is a considered object that needed skill at every stage: in the drawing, the preparation, the production and the finishing. It carries the landscape of Auckland around whoever wears it. That is what a good artist collaboration produces: not merchandise that happens to carry a design, but an object with its own reason to exist.
What artists ask us after seeing a project like this
The most common question is whether their artwork is suitable. For almost all two-dimensional work, the answer is yes, with some adaptation. For a scarf, you can start in the Custom Studio with a single finished sample, then order a small run of 2 to 20 pieces or a production run of 30 to 100 pieces per design. Our cost guide gives the price per piece so you can plan a retail price. Copyright stays with the artist. We use the artwork only to make your order.
Have artwork of your own? Choose a size, silk and finish for a scarf and see your price straight away. Start your scarf in the Custom Studio →
Thinking of something other than a scarf? Email support@lssilk.com.au.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of artwork translates well onto silk?
Almost any two-dimensional original work. Watercolour, gouache, ink, digital illustration and photography have all produced excellent results.
How many pieces does an artist need to order?
There is no fixed minimum. Start with one finished sample, then choose a small run of 2 to 20 pieces or a production run of 30 to 100 pieces per design.
Why does silk look different from a digital proof?
A screen emits light and silk reflects it. Colours often look richer on silk, which is why a physical sample is so useful.
Does a silk edition affect the copyright of the original artwork?
No. Copyright stays entirely with the artist.
Related reading: How artists and illustrators can turn their work into custom silk scarves · Summer Bloom: an artist's own silk scarf · The complete guide to ordering custom silk scarves in Australia · Our work