I’m taking Bonnie Christine’s Surface Design Immersion 2026 course to learn how to turn my library of nature-loving, story-driven illustrations into patterns and products to market to the world.
In Module one, our mission was to design a mood board to reflect the inspiration for a collection of patterns we are going to illustrate and design. I love to create whimsical, story-filled wildlife illustrations inspired by the wonder and diversity of the natural world. So my mood board is filled with my own photos I’ve taken on many trails, a trail map from a local forest I love to hike through, color swatches I painted with colors I use frequently in my artwork, trail treasures I’ve collected, and one of my own wreath illustrations. My husband said: “that looks like you!”
Inspired by wandering forest paths and collecting little wonders along the way, this collection will celebrate the textures and colors of the woodlands. Leaves, pinecones, mushrooms, feathers, and bark will become simple illustrated motifs, paired with warm earth tones and mossy greens. The patterns will capture the feeling of slow nature walks and the joy of bringing small forest treasures home.
A woodland-inspired collection based on forest walks and found natural treasures—leaves, pinecones, feathers, and mushrooms. Earthy greens and warm autumn tones translate these organic textures into playful, nature-inspired surface patterns.
Next up are some of the color swatches I painted. A nature-inspired palette that captures the gentle rhythm of woodland wandering, from sunlit clearings to shaded forest floors. Warm earth tones—soft sand, honeyed ochre, and rich bark browns—ground the collection, evoking tree trunks, fallen leaves, and sun-warmed soil.
A few pages of motif sketches. Inspired by forest trails, evergreen botanicals and the magic of slow forest wandering. Earthy textures, delicate natural elements, and whimsical details to create a serene cozy aesthetic roosted in quiet emotion, connection to nature and storytelling – some of my favorite things!
Stay tuned for more progress as I begin to develop a placement pattern and repeat patterns for this collection.
It was just the mental pick-me-up I needed for a Monday afternoon! Happy hiking!
I am always inspired to draw all sorts of things I find in nature – moss growing in the grass and ferns spreading across the forest floor on the trails. Sometimes I just start to doodle shapes to see where that leads. I do love to fill up a page with repeating pattern. So then I like to fill in the corners and empty spaces with a few of the swirls I love to draw.
Happy Friday to you! Hope you’re out enjoying Spring!
In order to fill up more sketchbooks this year, which is on my 
