Using natural inspiration to make a repeat floral pattern

How to use your sketches to make a repeat floral pattern

Trina Dalziel is an illustrator who is now represented by Lilla Rogers Studio. She recently got in touch to share her process for creating surface design, and showed us how she used inspiration from a visit to a local nursery to make a repeat floral pattern.

Trina’s photos from Inshriach plant nursery in the Highlands in Scotland.

Trina wrote:  “I thought you might like to see how my collection of repeat patterns named Inshriach started.

Last May, I went home to Scotland to visit my parents. On my Mum’s birthday, we went to Inshriach plant nursery, which is in a wood at the foot of the Cairngorm Mountains in the Highlands. They have a little café that sells amazing cakes made by the owner’s Norwegian wife and where you can sit and watch squirrels and birds in the trees outside.

I wandered around and took loads of photos of the plants. Back in London I used my photos as reference for drawings which then became the repeats.”

Check out Trina’s process below.

Close up photographs of some of the flowers in the nursery – check out that gorgeous blue poppy!

Sketches from Trina’s study of various flowers.

Trina’s finished surface pattern desgin – isn’t it fascinating to see how to make a repeat floral pattern?

After all that hard work, Trina definitely earned her cake!

We hope you enjoyed seeing how to make a repeat floral pattern from inspiration while you’re out and about – always take a sketchbook and a camera with you!

See more of Trina’s surface pattern design on her website here.