Category Archives: Patterns

Sea Sheath for Spoonflowers Weekly Design Challenge

Sea Sheath Curtains.© 2023 Sheila Delgado.
Sea Sheath Curtains.© 2023 Sheila Delgado.

Abstracted animal prints for curtains, our challenge this week. I decided to keep it minimal. I started with inspiration from the coral snake.

Their coloring is very eye catching. The US has only three species of coral snakes: the eastern coral snake, the Texas coral snake, and the Arizona coral snake. But there are dozens of different types. You can take a look at this chart, if you are not totally creeped out by snakes. As far as design goes, there are very pretty, brightly patterned styles.

Starting inspiration…

I have a cousin who is deathly afraid of snakes. I admit, I would not want to find myself in close proximity to a large snake. But I can look at them without the skin shivering disgust I get from looking at spiders. 😱🤣

I started with a stripe. Added filters to alter the stripe shape, for an organic feel. Essentially, I had two repeating patterns. The stripe, and the skin. Well, maybe it was just my brain on toast, but I could not get the two repeats to match up.

It’s math. And if you are a creative, you know what that means.
I just couldn’t get the equation figured out.
P(Y-X=m | Y > X) &= \sum_{k} P(Y-X=m, X=k | Y > X) \\ &= \sum_{k} P(Y-X=m | X=k, Y > X)
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Click image to see slideshow view.

Once I stepped away from that idea, and started working with colors, I really liked the pattern much better. It’s true. Sometimes less is better.

I know this design will most likely be passed by in the voting. It will be shown on a curtain. And as you can see in the first image, the design is barely visible. But I have a working repeat. It can be used for costumes, pajamas, or a cuddly blanket for nap time.

Sea Sheath Pillows.© 2023 Sheila Delgado.
Sea Sheath Pillows.© 2023 Sheila Delgado.
Sea Sheath Collection.© 2023 Sheila Delgado.
Sea Sheath Collection.© 2023 Sheila Delgado.
Sea Sheath Sample.© 2023 Sheila Delgado.
Sea Sheath Sample.© 2023 Sheila Delgado.

Voting is open until the 11th. I’d love to have your vote. 🙂

Tumblers & Treats sample. © 2023 Sheila Delgado.
Tumblers & Treats sample. © 2023 Sheila Delgado.

Tumblers & Treats placed at 1514 of 2151 entries with 24 votes. You can see the top 73, here. I would have needed 155 votes to make the top 73.

I am grateful to those who voted! Thank you, for taking the time! 🙂 🥰 🙂 🥰 🙂 🥰

Spoonflower is making changes in the next few weeks. Many of them to make it easier to vote in the challenges. You will be able to scroll through two rows, instead of one, on your phone. They will also be curating the entries, to verify that they meet the specific requirements, and that the designs are in fact, repeating patterns.

It’s warming up around here. And the trees are in bloom. Woo Who! Hope the weather is treating you well, in your neck of the woods.

Wishing you JOY!

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Italian Villa Wallpaper

Italian Sherbert Wallpaper. © 2023 Sheila Delgado.
Italian Sherbert Wallpaper. © 2023 Sheila Delgado.

Beauty of style & harmony & grace & good rhythm
depend on simplicity.
Plato

Click gallery image to see details.

Italian Wallpaper Collection. © 2023 Sheila Delgado.
Italian Wallpaper Collection. © 2023 Sheila Delgado.

For this week’s Spoonflower challenge, an updated take on medallions and insignias. I took my color cues from classic Italian designs I found in The Grammar Of Ornament by Owen Jones.

I added a textured stripe to the background. One that I had used in February’s paintings. Tiny tulips add a little fun.

Voting is now open, and wraps up on the 28th of the month. Thanks so much for taking a look!

Anyone else ready for the weekend?

Click gallery image to see details.

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
Leonardo da Vinci

Italian Sherbert Sample. © 2023 Sheila Delgado.
Italian Sherbert Sample. © 2023 Sheila Delgado.

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30 Days Of Art Collage

30 Day Collage, February 2023. Watercolor, acrylic & digital collage. © 2023 Sheila Delgado.

Once again, my plans were quickly left at the gate. The work led me down a path less traveled. I had decided to do collage for the gathering. I thought to make painted papers, and work on florals and landscapes.

I used the Photoshop pen tool on day one. To outline the bloom. By day three, I was hooked. There are only two pieces, that did not lean heavily on the pen tool. Day 2 and day 16.

Here is a video that will show you how to work with the Pen Tool. Of course, I am using it for a completely different outcome. (There I go using tools the wrong way again.)😄 I have started the video a few minutes in, and you only need to look at about a minute, to get a good idea. I wish I had found this particular video before. His explanations are so easy for me to understand. I learned by trial and error. Lots of errors.

This was my learning for the month. Each day I felt more and more comfortable with the tool. By the final week, my pieces were almost completely digitally rendered. 80-90%. I dared to take on more complex subjects.

I have avoided the pen tool for years. Trying to grasp it now and then, but soon giving in to frustration. It is slightly mathematical in nature. And you know, an artist’s brain does not work that way.

Favorites, February 2023. Watercolor, acrylic & digital collage. © 2023 Sheila Delgado.

I had fun playing with color, patterns and mood. I am happy with each piece. But, as always, I can see some that I would like to improve, having learned so much since then.

I managed to continue with my fabrics for the weekly Spoonflower challenge, for half of the month. I was behind for several days mid month, and I knew that working on a fabric design would sink me even further. I do plan on creating two designs, so that I can catch up on the weeks I missed. It is another challenge for my brain.

Thanks so much for following along with me this month. Your encouragement and support mean the world to me. I am so grateful for you, friends. My people. The ones who understand my art obsession. What it means to me, my soul, and my life.

Tomorrow I will post the Creative Gathering artists gallery. We have new members and I know you will love their work as much as I do. See you soon!

How do you make a round circle with a square knife?
That’s your challenge for the day.
Bob Ross

Happy are the painters, for they shall not be lonely.
Light and colour, peace and hope,
will keep them company to the end of the day.
Winston Churchill.

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