Line Sheet
Tripp NYC x Catacombs Collection
The Ask
The objective of this project was to research, conceptualize, and design a cohesive textile collection inspired by plague-era imagery, symbolism, and historical art references. This included:
Building a mood board to define the visual direction
Creating custom textile repeat patterns
Developing a coherent color palette rooted in research
Preparing artwork suitable for professional line sheets and production
The central theme explored the intersection of death, religion, symbolism, and the macabre, translated into modern, bold textile motifs.
Key Skills
Historical visual research
Color theory & palette development
Digital illustration
Textile repeat pattern design
Photo compositing & image editing
Layout design for line sheets
Conceptual design thinking & theme translation
Professional file preparation for production
Process
Process
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I began by gathering historic plague-era references—woodcuts, manuscripts, religious paintings, plague doctors, ossuaries, skeleton motifs, and more.
The aim was to balance historical accuracy with graphic clarity suitable for textiles.This board established the emotional tone: decay, fear, divine judgment, martyrdom, medieval chaos
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I extracted colors directly from artworks, fabrics, and anatomical references from the era.
Your final palette:
Bubonic — #121212
Carnage — #321615
Blood of Christ — #70221F
Fire and Brimstone — #BC5533
Pus — #D6AB64
Decomposition — #D4C8B7
These shades connect symbolically to disease, mortality, and religious iconography.
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I drew simplified vector icons representing plague doctor masks, skulls, bones, tombstones, angel wings, fire
These icons became the foundation for pattern design.
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Using vector tools, each motif was integrated into a repeatable seamless pattern. Variations were built for range:
Geometric layouts
Scatter repeats
Opposing foreground/background colorways
Symbolically warm vs. cold themes
These designs maintain the theme while being functional for apparel or accessories.
The Outcome
This project strengthened multiple professional skills. You refined your technical abilities by transforming complex historical themes into clean textile repeats and improved your visual storytelling through a cohesive mood board and palette. The work provided market insight into rising trends such as macabre-inspired fashion, historical streetwear prints, and high-contrast vector patterns—especially relevant in alt-fashion and music merchandise. Overall, the project produced portfolio-ready work showcasing strong illustration, research, and textile design capabilities.
