I’ve always been inspired by nature, and the bold, tropical beauty of Canna Indica leaves provided the perfect muse for my latest design project. Just look at these incredible variegated leaves!

I started by painting a single Canna Indica leaf in watercolor, capturing its vibrant greens and rich textures.

I don’t recommend creating a pattern from one single leaf painting. Ideally, I will paint 3-5 good versions of a motif so I can be sure my pattern has some variety. The leaf texture was tricky for me to capture. I decided to see what I could do with this single leaf before I go back to attempt more and work it into my collection.

This plant doesn’t grow individual leaves but creates a bundle together. To capture that idea, I wanted a pattern that filled the frame with layered leaves. I used some tricks for layering motifs to arrive at the balance you see in the repeat below.

I’m including a video of the 13 different iterations I worked through in Photoshop as I refined the repeat to achieve balance and flow.

Whether you’re a fellow artist or simply love botanical motifs, I hope this inspires you to explore new ways to bring nature into your creative work.

Tell me in the comments: What other product mockups should I try this pattern on?

Are you struggling to develop repeat patterns or create mockups to use in social media and your shop?

Are you behind in getting your holiday shop up and running? Let’s talk about it. I offer freelance design help to artists who are struggling to get it ALL done. Fill out the form below to start the conversation.