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How long is the journey from that first scribble in a notebook to a finished tote bag design? Perhaps shorter than you think. As part of the digital illustration course at Skvot, taught by illustrator Barbora Balgová, students got the chance to compete in a design contest for Vuch. One of the contestants was Sutnarka student Hana Kořánová. She entered with excitement—and ultimately won. Her design was transformed into a real product motif you can now find on our items.
The brief was simple: create a motif themed on a Czech meadow, in multiple color versions. Hanka opened her sketchbook and began drawing flowers we all recognize from meadows, from delicate ones to more striking. But she didn’t just aim for realism. She wanted the motif to be vibrant, playful, surprising. She even tried hiding tiny figures among the plants—little people who might tell their stories amid stems and blossoms.
While the version with figures was fun and original, Hanka heeded the advice of her instructor Barbora and also created a second version: more traditional, focused on the flowers alone. This one was a detailed pencil drawing, complemented by gentle colouring. And it was precisely this variation that ultimately captured everyone’s hearts.
You might assume the hardest part is the illustration itself. For Hanka, the bigger challenge was technical. Ensuring the motif could repeat endlessly yet align seamlessly. Creating a “seamless” print meant patience, adjustments, testing. “After a merciless battle with technology and my own impatience, I managed to get it done without major injuries,” she laughs. Only her tablet took a minor hit—a cracked glass screen.
Unlike many designers who seek inspiration from books or online, Hanka drew mostly from her own experiences. “I simply ran across meadows, trying to learn the plants. That enthusiasm then translated into my drawing,” she explains. She avoided other floral designs, preferring not to let external works block her flow.
The entire process didn’t last just a few straight hours. Hanka worked on the design in stages, in between her semester and exam projects. She estimates the total work took about ten hours—all versions included, plus additional tweaks and final file prep.
When her finished design made its way onto products, Hanka was overjoyed. “The printed motif looks fantastic on our products, and the embroidery added a whole new dimension,” she says. She adds that she hopes it delights customers too: “May the print carry a whisper of fragrant spring meadows to you.”
Hana Kořánová succeeded in capturing the charm of a Czech meadow in the design of handbags and wallets that you can carry every day. And from an ordinary student contest grew a story we now wear alongside you.
