Have you ever wanted to pick the brain of an uber-talented artist, decorative painter, world traveler, instructor or author? Melanie Royals is all of these things and more! I had the opportunity to meet Melanie earlier this year at the Design Bloggers Conference in Los Angeles and was immediately drawn to her down to earth personality and very apparent sense of style and artistry. Join me for an engaging conversation as I sit down with Melanie to talk decorative painting, her amazing line of stencils, and most recent trip to Barcelona where she led a group of students during an educational project.
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE:
Melanie Royals has been exercising her passion for paint and pattern since 1983, when she began designing and cutting her own stencils from oiled cardstock at the dining room table. Since that time, her creative interest and aptitude for all things related to applied pattern has grown exponentially. A self-taught artist whose is also an addicted entrepreneur, she has initiated, explored, and expanded a wide variety of successful business pursuits related to the art of decorative pattern, including:
Royal Design Studio™-a premier precut stencil pattern company established in 1994 that continues to introduce fresh new stencil designs, concepts and applications to both the professional and DIY markets.
Modello Designs®-the original Decorative Masking Pattern™ company established in 2003 that has revolutionized pattern application for architectural surface decoration with one-time-use vinyl stencils. Modello patterns have now been used in hundreds of high end residential and commercial projects worldwide, and are THE choice for professional decorative artisans seeking high quality in both design AND service.
Melanie and her pattern companies have been chosen as the exclusive licensee for stencils and decorative patterns for the Hearst Castle Collection. The full collection, which is inspired by the decorative patterns, artwork, furniture and architectural details from this national historic site in San Simeon, CA will be available by the end of 2011.
Melanie has authored several books on decorative finishing including Trompe L’oeil Murals Using Stencils, Painted Illusions, The Art of Living; Finishes Inspired by the South of France, and Modello by Design-Inspiring Images from Artists Portfolios, Vols. 1&2.
Melanie is a nationally recognized instructor in advanced decorative finishing techniques. Melanie has consistently been on the cutting edge of custom surface decoration and has been educating decorative finishing professionals since 1995. This training has been through instructional videos, television appearances, manuals, and hands on workshops. Online training in specific new techniques is now available through her latest teaching concept: Virtual Workshops™. Virtual Workshops provide online training through prerecorded video lessons that are further supported by detailed printed manuals and webinar “review” meetings.
Melanie also regularly leads art and design enthusiasts on international decorative painting adventures. Melanie regularly plans, participates, and leads painting trips abroad to locations in France, Italy, Spain, and Morocco where students can experience culture and new decorative painting concepts through classes and hands-on applications. Melanie has just returned from a June trip to Barcelona, where students had the opportunity to live and paint in a former monastery. This October, Melanie will be leading a 4th trip to Marrakesh, Morocco to paint at Peacock Pavilions, a boutique hotel built by Maryam Montague of My Marrakesh. Melanie’s work from there will be featured in an upcoming book by Maryam on Moroccan design, as well as an Elle Décor magazine spread.