I came across this lovely link on Twitter https://www.facebook.com/BuzzFeedDIY/videos/771743199619581/and wondered why I never came across this neat method of working out a repeat during all my many years as a textile designer. Thought I would give it a go in watercolour using garden tools for motifs

I started in the sketchbook to get my eye and hand in with some unfamiliar subject matter,  ‘drawing’ with the paintbrush, which is a large Chinese weasel hair.

I’m painting the next stage on cartridge paper, which rather dilutes the intensity of the colour; but as this was a first time exercise I wasn’t too fussed, though eventually did think it’s always worth using the right surface, even if its just a piece of cheap watercolour paper, in case it works out. The idea is to paint all your motifs within the confines of the paper, so that none of them fall off the edge, and to make an interesting pattern of them. Then you cut your sheet in half horizontally and vertically, as above

Then switch your four pieces left to right then top to bottom and cellotaped on the back

This leaves gaps which I’ve then filled in with more motifs, the hoe and the potted plant

This is then photographed and imported into the Procreate app on the iPad and turned into a larger repeat,  as with the Butterflies, this can be far more professionally accomplished with a good scan and photoshop, but in the spirit of play this is as far as I took it!