Playing With Florals

I firmly believe in always being a student—both in life and professionally. There’s always more to learn, and I find that, professionally, whenever I’m in a creative rut, the best way to get out of it is to become a student again. In the nearly 15 years I’ve been a professional designer & illustrator, I’ve taken numerous courses and classes and attended a handful of conferences. I have loved learning since the moment I got my first plastic school box filled with number 2 pencils and Elmer’s glue sticks.

When I found myself struggling recently to know what to make, I decided it was time to take another class to jumpstart my creativity again. I decided to join The Studio by Liz Kohler Brown. Liz is a surface pattern designer, and when I saw an ad for her course about learning about Historical Pattern styles, I knew I needed to sign up.

I’ve made a handful of patterns before this course, but Liz helped me unlock a brand-new way of thinking about creating patterns. Her course really helped me understand how to look at a historical pattern and dissect its layout and flow. Then, using that inspiration, I was able to create my own unique pattern.

For my first pattern, I decided to make something with flowers. I’ve been known to say that I hate drawing flowers. It’s not so much that I hate the actual drawing of the flowers, but I’ve never felt like I could make them my own. There are so many beautiful floral illustrators out there and I felt daunted at making them my own. So, I decided to challenge myself and see if I could get more comfortable making florals that felt uniquely my own. Plus, bonus mom points for drawing flowers because Liesel LOVES them. So, that might have been a motivating factor in finally tackling some florals.

Here’s the process from sketching to completing my first pattern from the Historical Patterns course at The Studio.

I wanted to include a variety of flowers in different shapes and sizes. During this phase, I didn’t spend too much time focusing on the details of the flowers; rather, I got a good feel for the layout and movement of the piece.

Once I was satisfied with my first block in the pattern, I wanted to make sure I liked how the pattern was repeated. I duplicated the block 4 times to see how they would tile. This is by far one of the most satisfying parts of creating a surface pattern—when you can see how your layout will repeat and tile.

I made some small modifications to the layout, but I mostly refined the drawing and added more details throughout the flowers. I wanted the line quality in the illustration to have some imperfections and thick and thin lines. I love how much visual interest this creates before even adding color.

Adding color is always my favorite part of the process. My 6-year-old daughter, Liesel, sat with me throughout the majority of the color process and watched me work. I promised to finish the pattern and print it on fabric to make her a dress. I can’t wait to see her twirling around in it.

Here are a few more color versions of the print. I’m so in love with how they turned out. The irises are especially a favorite of mine. After finishing this print, I think I’m officially in love with drawing florals, and I can’t wait to draw more.

As a thank you for being here on my substack, I wanted to give you a little gift! Download this free wallpaper to add some florals to your phone!

Download Free Wallpaper