Designing a Summer Print Pattern

Goggles print pattern
I challenged myself to design one fabric print a month this year. Since June is winding down, it was time to get to it. When I first started designing patterns I would sit with a blank page and start drawing. Since then I’ve changed my approach. Now when I’m designing, I go to my sketchbook and paintings and look for artwork I’ve already created that would work well as a repeating pattern.

I’m in a summer frame of mind, so I selected this painting of goggles. Click here to read the details of the steps I take to create a pattern in Photoshop.
Watercolor goggles

I tried designing a pattern with the goggles before, but didn’t have success. This time, I had a new vision. I isolated the goggles, leaving only a little of the blue background and adjusted the colors to create the goggles in every color of the rainbow. I struggled a bit with how to get the design to repeat perfectly when the goggles were in a diagonal line. Sometimes I make things harder than they need to be. So, I revised the design to be a more organic placement and in doing so made it easier to create the repeat. I added a blue background color. I’m excited for the fabric swatch of this design to arrive!

So far my “Swimming Laps” design is my most popular one.
Swimming Laps fabric print. Swim team, swimmers https://www.spoonflower.com/fabric/6301733-swiming-laps-by-eileenmckenna

I recently reworked my Valentine squares to become a new “Pool Tile” design. The swatch of this design should be arriving any day.
Watercolor pool tiles fabric print design.
Valentine’s Day Squares:

See all of my fabric print designs in my Spoonflower shop.

7 thoughts on “Designing a Summer Print Pattern

  1. Your patterns are so cute Eileen! 🙂 I know it’s fun to create patterns for fabrics, from time l had in my mind to give a try to Spoonflower, I like their idea and could be fun to do it on the side of my main art paintings! How do you like Spoonflower? Are you having a good experience with them? Keep creating your beautiful art! ❤

    1. Thank you! I don’t know what it is but I love designing them. My only complaint about Spoonflower is there are so many designs on it. Although I guess that makes it sweeter when someone purchases one of mine 😀 My Swimming Laps pattern is my most popular one so far. Do you sell originals of your paintings or prints? I’ve been so torn with this.

      1. Thank you Eileen for us artists it is always so sweet when someone decide to own a painting that you made I feel that is very special! I sell Limited Edition Fine Art Prints, often Hand embellished, the original paintings if is a commission. 😉

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