Universal + Hygge & West: Meet Rose Jocham, the Artist Behind Life Finds a Way

London-based illustrator and designer, Rose Jocham, is the perfect artist to bring our Jurassic Park-inspired pattern to life. Rose hand paints everything often with watercolor, and then she uses fine line pen to add the extra detail. Her distinctive style allows for this pattern to feel lush and mysterious while capturing all the specific details from this most beloved movie. After our first meeting with Rose, we knew this project was in just the right hands. Not only is Rose immensely talented, but she's also a true pleasure to collaborate with. Keep reading to learn more about Rose and how this pattern came to be. 

Tell us a bit about your background?

I am currently an illustrator from London working across a multitude of product areas including gift, stationery, homeware & interiors. I love to paint landscapes, plants, flowers & foliage (and a recent love of painting fruit!) I hand paint everything and particularly enjoy using gouache and watercolour with a focus always on colour. Since leaving university I have worked in a few different companies across those product areas and am now working for myself! It’s definitely challenging but I really love the excitement of not knowing what project may be around the corner and I especially love to collaborate on a variety of projects.

Have you always been drawn to the arts and creative pursuits?

Definitely! From a very young age I have always loved painting and all the arts & crafts! My mum said I always used to have holes in my clothes from where I would go through the craft box and cut things out… including my clothes somehow! As I’ve gotten older I find myself doing less craft but I just love painting and drawing and the notion of telling a story through these mediums.

Do you have any special connection to the film Jurassic Park or memory of seeing it for the first time?

I saw this film when I was young but only had very vague memories of it. A few years ago I decided I wanted to watch it again and I absolutely loved it! On the edge of my seat. It really felt like I was watching a classic - whilst also spending half the film with my eyes behind my hands. It brought back that nostalgia of the 90s films and one that will never get old.

What was your design process like for this pattern?

Christiana and Aimee suggested creating vignettes of the film so I could pinpoint all those iconic scenes. I wanted to familiarize myself with the film so I rewatched it and took screenshots which depicted all the scenes and elements to illustrate. From that I wanted to continue the concept before putting pencil to paper. I wanted to give that real jungle, dreamy feeling so I thought of highlighting the leafy scenery and the amazing tropical leaves - this would then connect the vignettes and bring the whole story together. I then penciled them out and used a fine line pen for all the details and added gouache and watercolor to bring the illustrations to life and add those amazing colors of the film. I then put all the illustrated elements together to create the final pattern and a few colorway options so there would be an option for all. It was important for me to create this print where it would look like a jungle leaf print from afar and that it’s only when you look up close you and keep going back to it that you see more of the Jurassic elements.

How did you decide which scenes and moments to depict in this pattern design?

There are so many infamous scenes from the film so it was a little tricky to narrow them down! We decided to go with a few of the iconic scenes such as the gates, the T-Rex with the banner, and when they see the Brontosauruses, plus a few others. I then thought I could add a few Easter eggs that were smaller within the pattern such as the dinosaur eggs, footprints and the mosquito in amber.

How were you able to retain the characteristics of the film that the fans know and love but put your own unique spin on it?

So I knew I wanted to keep those infamous characteristics of the film but I wanted to combine these with the beautiful scenery where Jurassic Park is set and create a statement wallpaper using my own style. It was super important to keep those iconic scenes in the pattern and depict those classic scenes and the actual characters from the film. I hope by adding all the extra foliage it gives that exploration and adventurous feeling that the original film gives.

Where do you envision this wallpaper being used?

I feel this wallpaper would look great a powder room for that tropical, jungle style with the exciting hidden elements from the film. It would also look dreamy in a kid’s room especially those children who love a magical, adventurous story and of course dinosaurs!

What's your favorite way to enjoy a movie night at home?

I do really enjoy watching a film with limitless snacks (and a glass of wine) at home on the sofa on the projector, but my ultimate fav place is the cinema. There are no distractions so I feel I can get fully lost in the film… with sweet & salty popcorn of course!