Unexpected Still Life for Spoonflower

Unexpected Still Life Wall Hanging. © 2022 Sheila Delgado.
Unexpected Still Life Wall Hanging. © 2022 Sheila Delgado.
The original. © 2022 Sheila Delgado.
The original. © 2022 Sheila Delgado.

I started with the original painting as inspiration. Problems with Photoshop used up several days of my design time. A revamp was quicker than creating from scratch. What you see here, is all that is left from the original. I noticed several mistakes in the yellow blooms, so I eliminated them. I added digital outlines using the pen tool, for nice crisp edges.

I cleaned up the white blooms. The blue background was visible and made them look a bit dirty. The grey is the template that Spoonflower provides. The darkest, inner rectangle is all that will be visible when the design is printed.

WIP. © 2022 Sheila Delgado.
WIP. © 2022 Sheila Delgado.

I added color blocks and considered using them for the final piece. But they were too flat, and I thought a pattern in the background would be too much. I placed the plaid to find the right scale.

Day 20, CG 9 22. 8 x 8 inch. Watercolor, digital collage. © 2022 Sheila Delgado.
Day 20, CG 9 22. 8 x 8 inch. Watercolor, digital collage. © 2022 Sheila Delgado.
Unexpected Still Life Wall Hanging. © 2022 Sheila Delgado.
Unexpected Still Life Wall Hanging. © 2022 Sheila Delgado.

I decided to paint paper with three colors. Yellow, blue, and green. I scanned them in to get the texture and uneven color tones. The variations are less obvious, than in the original painting. But I think it “warms” the design, by having a hand made, imperfect quality.

The design brief really called for wacky, or strange. They showed a tennis ball cut in half to reveal a lemon interior. This may not be wacky, but it will be unexpected to some.

I am really starting to feel comfortable using the pen tool in Photoshop. I never thought I would say that. There were only three connections I had to smooth out. Just slightly. I am so stoked about that. And so grateful. Whew! 🤓

Voting is now open, until October 18th. Voting is easier on a computer or larger screen like a tablet. If you are using your phone, you need to scroll slowly, it can only load so many images at a time and you may miss seeing images without knowing it. There are only 484 entries, roughly a third of the usual.

Your votes help give me the chance to win cash prizes. Money I can use towards printing samples of my designs, which is a requirement to making them available for sale in my shop.

  • 1st place winner will receive a $200 Spoonflower credit.
  • 2nd place winner will receive a $100 Spoonflower credit.
  • 3rd place winner will receive a $50 Spoonflower credit.
  • Remaining top 10 designs will receive a $20 Spoonflower credit.
  • The top 50 popularly-voted designs from each theme will be
    automatically made available for sale in the Spoonflower Marketplace,
    no $5 swatch required.
Tiger Bark Recipe Wall Hanging. © 2022 Sheila Delgado.
Tiger Bark Recipe Wall Hanging. © 2022 Sheila Delgado.

Tiger bark placed At 222 of 424 entries with 54 votes! Just shy of the top 50%. Woo Whoo! Thank you, thank you!😀

To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect.
Oscar Wilde

The artist has one function–to affirm and glorify life.
W. Edward Brown

The ability to simplify
means to eliminate the unnecessary
so that the necessary may speak.
Hans Hofmann.

6 thoughts on “Unexpected Still Life for Spoonflower

  1. Teresa

    I tried to vote for yours but could not find it in the multitude of entries. Is there a way to go straight to your entries to vote? I get massive visual overload seeking your designs. 🙂

    Reply
    1. Sheila Post author

      I know, it is such a chore. I wish they would make it possible to go straight to that design to vote.
      It is overload, for me too. And if you scroll too fast, you skip some, because the page can only load so many at a time.
      And to make it fair, the loading is random, so sometimes you are at the top, and some times you are at the end.
      It is easier on a pad or computer, than on the phone. Thanks for taking the time to try, Teresa. I appreciate it. 🙂

      Enjoy 🙂

      Reply
  2. Dorothy H Seiter

    Sheila, I so enjoy the narration of your behind-the-scenes creative journey. Thank you. In this Spoonflower entry I particularly like your infusing a hand made, imperfect quality.

    Reply
    1. Sheila Post author

      Haha, thank you Val. Basically, I just brightened it up. I had to rework the background for a large rectangle, instead of a square.
      Just little tweaks other than that. 🙂

      Reply

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