Everglades Alligators!

National Parks are the focus of this weeks challenge.

Everglades Alligators ©2015 Patty Rybolt Designs. All Rights Reserved.

Designers were asked to create a pattern to represent a national park close to them. I live in south Florida and am closest to the Everglades National Park. I chose to focus on my favorite Everglades creatures... alligators, and of course some birds including egrets and the great blue heron! I finished the pattern by adding some water snakes and tropical greenery like sea grape leaves, water lilies and palm fronds.

Voting for this design contest will open Thursday, July 23rd, 2015, and continue until Thursday July 30th! Vote Here!

While living in Florida over the past 15 years my family and I have encountered alligators from time to time in our own back yard. (I took these photos of alligators on the golf course behind our house from my patio!)

We see large alligators like this one fairly regularly.
I took this photo behind my house on the golf course.

Every once in a while an alligator has to be removed
if he's considered a 'nuisance alligator' and he's over 8' long!

The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation
Commission sent out Trapper Nick
to move this guy out to the everglades.

Out for a stroll...

The Island Life for Spoonflower!

Let's head to the islands!

'The Island Life' ©2015 Patty Rybolt Designs. All Rights Reserved.

This week's design challenge at Spoonflower celebrates islands. The best part of any island adventure for me is the unusual vegetation and birds. I don't live on an island but do live in the tropical zone of Florida where I have seen the Roseate Spoonbill, Sandhill Crane, Wood Stork, Great Blue Heron, Snowy Egret and White Ibis right in my own backyard. It still shocks me each time I see them. My husband and I moved here from snowy New Hampshire 15 years ago with our girls and each time I see these amazing birds I get so excited. Below are photo's I've taken, most are from the pond behind my house, with the exception of the flamingo which was taken at Lion Country Safari about 30 minutes from where I live.

Sandhill Cranes

Flamingo from the
Lion Country Safari
about 30 minutes away!

Snowy Egret

White Ibis

Great Egret with
Roseate Spoonbills
in the pond behind.

Voting opened on Thursday, April 9th and continues until Thursday, April 16th!  Vote Here!

'Wellies and Umbrellies' for Spoonflower!

April showers bring May flowers! This week's challenge was to design a fabric to celebrate the trusty rubber boot!

'Wellies and Umbrellies'   ©2014 Patty Rybolt Designs.

This concept came easy to me this week. I live in beautiful south Florida and am surrounded by amazing birds year round. I am constantly photographing, drawing and watching birds. (I took the photo's below).

Two sandhill cranes - backyard 

 

An egret with rosette
spoonbills - local pond

Flamingo - Palm Beach Zoo

Ibis - pond

rainy season rainbow - backyard

Egret - backyard photo

 The weather is gorgeous right now but in rainy season the only creatures happy to be in the rain are the birds. 

I decided to incorporate the boots and birds with rain and some fun umbrellas. I was excited to use some of my sketches from my iPad's Adobe Ideas App. I drew some wellies, umbrellas, rain, clouds, flowers and accessories for my characters like the bathing cap, glasses, and hats to give them personality. 

When the drawings were done I imported them Photoshop on my main computer and assembled them with color and pattern in layers, almost like a collage. When my characters were complete I made a repeat of the rain and clouds and added my characters!

Previews will be sized as a fat quarter (21" x 18"). Voting starts Thursday, March 27th, 2014 and continues until Thursday, April 4th, 2014. Please vote!