![Hibiscus Pattern, Digital Art, 2020](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/4db71384-c665-4f4b-ab4d-4b2095b8fa84/17bccc14-385b-4f5d-9133-2fd35607ef34_rw_3840.jpg?h=a532c2829f274a39cf3ff761a971bab6)
Hibiscus Pattern, Digital Art, 2020
Hibiscus Pattern, Digital Art, 2020
![Hibiscus Pattern, Handkerchief Design, Digital Art, 2020](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/4db71384-c665-4f4b-ab4d-4b2095b8fa84/1aced2b1-5991-4806-aa74-9e4726cdc862_rw_3840.jpg?h=c79fbf1006edb597fcbb24795c9ee7f8)
Hibiscus Pattern, Handkerchief Design, Digital Art, 2020
Hibiscus Pattern, Handkerchief Design, Digital Art, 2020
![Fallen Calyx](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/4db71384-c665-4f4b-ab4d-4b2095b8fa84/420e1f16-e5b6-47ba-b6d4-590791382c1a_rw_1920.png?h=b212b24ae9fab2dd43d69a281f729a66)
Fallen Calyx
![Fallen bloom, masked](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/4db71384-c665-4f4b-ab4d-4b2095b8fa84/b9e66204-b664-4d1c-bddd-50b2f78ec52f_rw_1920.jpg?h=14d2811b0f845d1471d77442c4c6f030)
Fallen bloom, masked
![Tracing of the Fallen Calyx](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/4db71384-c665-4f4b-ab4d-4b2095b8fa84/22741900-0837-4428-bc9e-533c6761335d_rw_1200.png?h=a265752d9136d2f41ef650ba4f433b03)
Tracing of the Fallen Calyx
![Tracing and coloring the bloom](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/4db71384-c665-4f4b-ab4d-4b2095b8fa84/e3776da5-2c45-4dee-943b-e89eef5cd629_rw_1920.jpg?h=c7757f4161bfbd4d8250508b60654d57)
Tracing and coloring the bloom
![Tracing of a Calyx still on the Hibiscus Bush](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/4db71384-c665-4f4b-ab4d-4b2095b8fa84/25d101c9-2fb6-485f-a673-6be3619ccb9b_rw_1920.jpg?h=21fe2d7c84d320de0e06525debc14b27)
Tracing of a Calyx still on the Hibiscus Bush
![Tracing of two of the Hibiscus Bush Leaves](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/4db71384-c665-4f4b-ab4d-4b2095b8fa84/6a16dc0d-a9c1-41c2-a2ba-0c615c39ab51_rw_1920.jpg?h=7faf303c0a703db986eb6416b059931e)
Tracing of two of the Hibiscus Bush Leaves
![Original Photo of Pink Hibiscus](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/4db71384-c665-4f4b-ab4d-4b2095b8fa84/1001c933-1e7d-4ab8-ab21-a060dab6ce68_rw_1920.png?h=a419c5a3586f6c5da72ad93986f1675e)
Original Photo of Pink Hibiscus
![Masked Pink Hibiscus](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/4db71384-c665-4f4b-ab4d-4b2095b8fa84/49c2b485-0b59-4d87-a545-2eac2d90d96b_rw_1920.png?h=48b32238b398ae6cc61f31f5e402183e)
Masked Pink Hibiscus
![Tracing and coloring a full hibiscus bloom](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/4db71384-c665-4f4b-ab4d-4b2095b8fa84/54580ff4-eeaa-4cea-90a1-7d3efb0fd887_rw_1920.jpg?h=2861d415cc4e15b93da13b0d3851f1d4)
Tracing and coloring a full hibiscus bloom
Hibiscus Pattern Design Process, 2020
From top left: iPhone photo of fallen bloom; Mask of bloom created with PhotoShop for iPad; Trace of masked bloom created with Adobe Fresco; Second trace with color added; Trace of calyx; Trace of Hibiscus bush leaves; iPhone photo of pink hibiscus bloom; Mask of pink bloom created with PhotoShop for iPad; Trace of masked pink bloom created with Fresco.
![Hibiscus Pattern, Green](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/4db71384-c665-4f4b-ab4d-4b2095b8fa84/abca34f9-02aa-4db5-acdb-c8fbf7b1c37b_rw_1920.jpg?h=4c2f8dd12af5aad922b82b50b9e68b36)
Hibiscus Pattern, Green
![Hibiscus Pattern, Plum](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/4db71384-c665-4f4b-ab4d-4b2095b8fa84/107bb8aa-8ec0-42e0-bd21-a5b5b00350ca_rw_1920.jpg?h=421676f51a5a3d879e1b47d5c84de733)
Hibiscus Pattern, Plum
![Hibiscus Pattern, Purple](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/4db71384-c665-4f4b-ab4d-4b2095b8fa84/33fd2885-18dd-4bc8-9756-f2d3b9b55a66_rw_1920.png?h=2f388663a267e2cd6a0bc96e9db822ec)
Hibiscus Pattern, Purple
Hibiscus Pattern with Color Variations, Digital Art, 2020
In the summer of 2020, I found an odd bloom on the ground in an area where we have a bird bath, hibiscus plants, and other flowers and shrubs. I had built a pathway of mulch through this area, and this pale bloom appeared to be attached to one of the decaying sticks. I thought perhaps it was a fungus, because it seemed to have roots wrapped around the stick. I went on a number of plant identification social media sites and posted the photo with the question. No one knew what it was. I searched through dozens of online gardening images and couldn't find anything like it. I finally realized that it came from our pink hibiscus bush nearby - that the calyx had fallen, and the bloom was attached to the calyx and did its best to form in spite of separation from the hibiscus bush. I took a number of photos of the bloom on the ground and also the hibiscus bush. I scanned them into PhotoShop for iPad and masked them, and then used Capture and Fresco to trace the flower and add color. For the background, I "placed" a photo I took of a pile of dead leaves in our garden into Illustrator and then applied "Image Trace," the recolor tool, and some filter effects. I then assembled all the pieces into the final hibiscus pattern. When I look at the pattern now, I remember the feeling that summer that a strange and wonderful flower fairy tale had visited our garden.