Stephanie O'Brien's Blog

Soothing Snowflake-Drawing Montage: Dark Jungle Gems

3/12/2019

For this art montage, I used four dendrites - the lowest number I've ever experimented with for a snowflake-like pattern - and music that I thought had a spacey/jungle feel to it.

You can watch the video here:

Speaking of music, here are the music credits:

Destination Unknown
By Ugonna Onyekwe (YouTube Audio Library)

Deep Floor
By Houses of Heaven (YouTube Audio Library)

Seductress
By Francis Preve (YouTube Audio Library)

To learn how to draw snowflakes like this, watch my art tutorial on SkillShare.

After drawing the snowflakes, I put them together to make this:

If you want to wear this artwork on your clothes or use it to add a touch of beauty and mystery your home, it's available on blankets, coffee mugs, dresses, iPhone cases and more in my Society6 store and my RedBubble store.

Here's what it looks like on some of the available items:

You can check out all the RedBubble items with "Dark Jungle Gems" on them here.

Society6 doesn't have a "view everything with this artwork on it" feature, but if you visit the page for this art print and scroll down, you'll see a selection of products with these snowflakes on them.

Here are the links to the items in the collage:

Tote Bags
Wall Clocks
Throw Pillows
Comforters
Skirts
Towels
iPhone Cases and Skins
Shower Curtains
Wall Tapestries
Coffee Mugs
Rectangular Pillows
Dresses

Here's what the individual snowflakes look like at full size:

Fire in the Night: 10 Minutes of Me Drawing Snowflakes While Dramatic Music Plays

21/11/2019

I decided to make another snowflake-drawing video. :) This time I used slightly more dramatic music; there were a few songs I wanted use that included some more energetic parts, and red seemed like the appropriate color to go with them.

Music credits:

Heaven and Hell (Part 2) By Jeremy Blake (YouTube Audio Library)

Bittersweet By SYBS (YouTube Audio Library)

Etherial Choir Ascends Doug Maxwell/Media Right Productions (YouTube Audio Library)

After drawing the snowflakes, I put them together to make this:

If you want to wear this artwork on your clothes or use it to decorate your home, it's available on blankets, coffee mugs, dresses, iPhone cases and more in my Society6 store and my RedBubble store.

Here's what it looks like on some of the available items:

You can see all the RedBubble items with this pattern here.

Society6 doesn't have a "view everything with this artwork on it" feature, but if you visit the page for this art print and scroll down, you'll see a selection of products with these snowflakes on them.

Here are the links to the items in the collage:

Tote Bags
Wall Clocks
Throw Pillows
Comforters
Skirts
Towels
iPhone Cases and Skins
Shower Curtains
Wall Tapestries
Coffee Mugs
Rectangular Pillows
Dresses

Here are the individual snowflakes from this montage:

If you want to learn how to draw symmetrical patterns like these, I've got an easy, step-by-step tutorial here.

New Videos: Watch Snowflake Patterns Take Shape While Peaceful Music Plays

8/11/2019

Over the last few months, I've shared a variety of symmetrical snowflake patterns like this one.

Today, I'm got something new for you: a 3-video series in which you can watch new snowflakes take shape, while soothing, peaceful music plays in the background.

Each of these videos is a little less than 10 minutes long, and they're a lovely way to wind down or learn more about how to draw snowflakes of your own.

Amethyst in the Ocean

Music credits:

Shoulder Closures
By Gunnar Olsen (YouTube Audio Library)

Darkest Child A
Darkest Child A by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100783
Artist: http://incompetech.com/

That Kid in Fourth Grade Who Really Liked the Denver Broncos
That Kid in Fourth Grade Who Really Liked the Denver Broncos by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/uvp/
Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

Frost in the Void

Music credits:

Retreat
By Jason Farnham (YouTube Audio Library)

Through The Crystal
By Jeremy Blake (YouTube Audio Library)

Absolutely Nothing
By Jeremy Blake (YouTube Audio Library)

Prelude No. 6
Prelude No. 6 by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/preludes/
Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

Iced Velvet

Music credits:

Gone Beyond
Gone Beyond by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100752
Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Getting There
By Silent Partner (YouTube Audio Library)

Ticker
By Silent Partner (YouTube Audio Library)

Meadow
By Density & Time (YouTube Audio Library)

Want to learn how to draw patterns like these?

I've got a handy art tutorial that walks you through every step of the process. You can watch the first video in the tutorial here:

In this art class, you'll discover how to draw symmetrical snowflake patterns in Krita, and sell them on sites like Society6 and RedBubble. This video provides the intro; you can see the full 41-minute tutorial on SkillShare here.

Want to decorate your clothing or home with these snowflakes?

I've got you covered.

Amethyst in the Ocean

To view all the RedBubble products with this set of snowflakes on them, check out this page.

Society6 doesn't have a "view everything with this artwork on it" feature, but if you visit the page for this art print and scroll down, you'll see a selection of products with this artwork on them.

(Note: in my stores and on Patreon, I called this one "Amethyst in the Sparkling Sea", because I added stars to the print-on-demand version.)

Frost in the Void

To view all the RedBubble products with these snowflakes on them, check out these two pages:
Frost in the Void, series 1
Frost in the Void, series 2

Society6 doesn't have a "view everything with this artwork on it" feature, but if you visit the pages for these art prints and scroll down, you'll see a selection of products with these pictures on them:
Frost in the Void, series 1
Frost in the Void, series 2

Iced Velvet

To view all the RedBubble products with this set of snowflakes on them, visit these pages:
Iced Velvet, series 1
Iced Velvet, series 2

Society6 doesn't have a "view everything with this artwork on it" feature, but if you visit the pages for these art prints and scroll down, you'll see a selection of products with these patterns on them:
Iced Velvet, series 1
Iced Velvet, series 2

Want to see these snowflakes at full size?

I drew A LOT of snowflakes during these recording sessions, so getting them uploaded and shared on all my public channels will take time. For now, my supporters on Patreon can get early access to the full set of snowflakes here:

Amethyst in the Ocean
Frost in the Void
Iced Velvet

Art Dump: Rainbow Storm and Two Snowflake Patterns

30/10/2019

I visited my grandparents again yesterday, and I brought my laptop to see if I could get my Grandma into doing digital art. She seemed to enjoy drawing symmetrical patterns last time I brought my computer, though she struggled to use the touchpad, so this time I brought the mouse and it went a little better.

We ended up spending most of the visit drawing together, and by the end of it, I'd drawn a pumpkin, a basic pine tree, and the picture below upon their request, as well as two new symmetrical patterns.

Grandma also drew a couple patterns. I don't have permission to share them on the internet as a whole, so for now they're only available to my inner circle on Patreon. But here are the pictures I can share:

Rainbow Storm

Picture of a rainbow with clouds and lightning

Grandpa asked me to try to replicate a photo he keeps in his bedroom. The sky in that picture had a strange split effect; outside the rainbow, it was dark, but inside it was several shades lighter.

The photo didn't have the lightning or snowfall; those were added afterward upon my grandparents' request.

This picture was drawn freehand with a mouse, and I didn't really touch it up afterward, so there are a couple messy patches, but I like the way it turned out overall.

Amethyst Blades

Purple snowflake

I made this snowflake to show my grandparents how to use smaller, more restrained movements to make a tidier, more coherent pattern.

Woven Ruby

Here's another snowflake I drew as a demonstration for Grandma and Grandpa. I think it looks kind of like someone shredded a ruby into fine threads and then wove it back together.

If you want to learn how to draw symmetrical patterns like this, I've got a handy tutorial for you here.

Symmetrical Pattern: Web of Leaves and Light

19/10/2019

I was starting to miss doing symmetrical snowflake-type patterns, so I decided it was time to do another one.

I forgot that I'd set the multibrush tool to 8 brushes instead of 6, but once I noticed, I decided I liked it the way it was, so I kept it.

Once the central leaf pattern was done, I had to figure out how I wanted to decorate the background. I decided to go with dark blue threads and some smaller copies of the plant in the corners.

After that, it still didn't look complete, so I added some green vines, and then brightened it up with some fireflies.

At that point, it seemed almost done, but still a little too flat; there wasn't enough contrast between the plant and the colors behind it. So I added a dappling of darker blue, crashing my computer in the process (whoops!), then made a tiled version to see how it looks.

I'm happy with the way this one evolved - from a single plant floating like a lily pad, to a twinkling forest drifting in the depths.

If you want to learn how to draw symmetrical patterns like this, I've got a handy tutorial for you here.

And if you want to wear this pattern or use it to decorate your home, it's available on blankets, coffee mugs, dresses, iPhone cases and more in my Society6 store and my RedBubble store.

Here's what it looks like on some of the available items:

You can see all the RedBubble items with this pattern here.

Society6 doesn't have a "view everything in this pattern" feature, so here are the links to the items in the picture above:

Tote Bags
Wall Clocks
Throw Pillows
Comforters
Skirts
Towels
iPhone Cases and Skins
Shower Curtains
Wall Tapestries
Coffee Mugs
Rectangular Pillows
Dresses

New Pattern: Glitches in the Void

16/10/2019

Me: "Now that Fly With Pride is complete, I can focus entirely on Just Cause."

Also me: "I bet a bunch of L shapes on a black background would look cool on clothes and pillows. I should do it in several different colors for good measure!"

I'd originally planned to have fewer L shapes, and to have a gradient on each one, but then I went and zoomed in to make some of the shapes and ended up packing them way tighter than I'd originally intended, and making a lot more of them. Whoops!

And now I don't want to take the time to put a gradient in every single one of them.

Oh, well - I think it still looks cool.

This artwork is available on dresses, blankets, furniture, coffee mugs and more in Society6 and RedBubble.

Society6 doesn't have a "view all items with this art on them" option, but you can see my latest products from newest to oldest here, and you can see all the RedBubble items with each version of this pattern at the links below:

Red
Gold
Green
Light blue
Dark blue
Purple
Pink
Silver

Here's what Glitches in the Void looks like on a few of the available items:

Here are the links to the items in the collage:

Tote Bags
Wall Clocks
Throw Pillows
Comforters
Tank tops
Towels
iPhone Cases and Skins
Shower Curtains
Wall Tapestries
Coffee Mugs
Rectangular Pillows
Dresses

Fly With Pride Finale: Butterfly Bonanza

12/10/2019

After a couple weeks of working on my "Fly With Pride" series, I wanted it to go out with a bang.

I thought it would be great to have a version of the pattern with a richer, fuller look, so I used a night sky background with all 17 versions of the butterfly soaring together in a densely packed kaleidoscope of almost 100 individual flyers. (Also, this week I learned that a group of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope.)

I'd originally planned to have the butterflies layered on top of each other and overlapping, but that got visually confusing, so I went with the starry sky instead.

This artwork is available on T-shirts, blankets, art prints, coffee mugs and more in Society6 and RedBubble.

Society6 doesn't have a "view all items with this art on them" option, but you can see my latest products from newest to oldest here, and you can see all the RedBubble items with this pattern on them here.

Here's what Butterfly Bonanza looks like on a few of the available items:

Here are the links to the items in the collage:

Tote Bags
Wall Clocks
Throw Pillows
Comforters
Tank tops
Towels
iPhone Cases
Shower Curtains
Wall Tapestries
Coffee Mugs
Rectangular Pillows
Dresses

3 New Versions of "Regal Scales"

23/9/2019

In a recent post, I commented that I wondered how Regal Scales would look in green. So I tried it, and it looked so good that I tried it in blue, then purple... and I liked all three of them so much that I decided to keep them.

Here's how they look when tiled:

If you want to wear this pattern or use it to give your home a beautiful, unique flare, it's available on coffee mugs, dresses, iPhone cases and more in my Society6 store and my RedBubble store.

Here's what it looks like on some of the available items:

You can use the links below to see all the items with each pattern in RedBubble:

Emerald Scales
Magenta Scales
Sapphire Scales

Society6 doesn't have a "view everything in this pattern" feature, so here are the links to the items in the picture above:

iPhone Cases and Covers
Wall Clocks
Throw Pillows
Comforters
Skirts
Towels
T-Shirts
Shower Curtains
Wall Tapestries
Coffee Mugs
Tote Bags
Dresses

That's probably it for me making different versions of this pattern, unless something unexpected comes to mind. On to new things!

New Symmetrical Pattern: Frozen Scales

19/9/2019

After creating my most recent symmetrical pattern, "Regal Scales", I had a lovely little thought: "What if I tried inverting the colors?"

This was the result:

Of course, I had to see what this frosty gem looks like on dresses, coffee mugs, blankets and such, and I'm glad I did. Check this out:

You can see all the RedBubble items with this pattern here.

Society6 doesn't have a "view everything in this pattern" feature, so here are the links to the items in the picture above:

iPhone Cases and Covers
Wall Clocks
Throw Pillows
Comforters
Skirts
Towels
T-Shirts
Shower Curtains
Wall Tapestries
Coffee Mugs
Tote Bags
Dresses

Hm... now I'm wondering what this pattern looks like in green.

New Symmetrical Pattern: Regal Scales

17/9/2019

I wanted to try another scaled pattern, like "Earthen Scales, Golden Streams" and "Golden Diamonds, Rainbow Void", but with curved shapes and a more intricate pattern on each scale this time. I started with the single-scale version above, then turned it into the overlapping pattern below.

If you want to wear this pattern or use it to decorate your home, it's available on coffee mugs, dresses, iPhone cases and more in my Society6 store and my RedBubble store.

Here's what it looks like on some of the available items:

You can see all the RedBubble items with this pattern here.

Society6 doesn't have a "view everything in this pattern" feature, so here are the links to the items in the picture above:

iPhone Cases and Covers
Wall Clocks
Throw Pillows
Comforters
Skirts
Towels
T-Shirts
Shower Curtains
Wall Tapestries
Coffee Mugs
Tote Bags
Dresses