
Figure 1: Final repeated pattern which was semi-successful. The scanner did not scan the pattern evenly, but the repeated elements worked out.
I saw a tutorial on repeated pattern Instagram reel by @artfulideasclassroom. Her complete tutorial can also be found here.
While I can do this pattern digitally, I like the manual painting process. Hence, I was happy to stumble tutorial that I could do this pattern manually.
The rationale for this pattern
Since it was near Chinese New Year 2025, I decided to paint a snake with flowers as part of a repeated pattern. I did not have any fancy ideas; I just wanted to experiment with repeated patterns.
I took references from a few stock images for this painting. As for the flowers, I chose hibiscus instead of standard Chinese New Year flowers such as peonies and cherry blossoms. The reason why I chose hibiscus is because hibiscus is Malaysia’s national flower. As a Malaysian Chinese, I wanted something to represent my nationality.
There are three reasons why I decided to paint on this navy blue card stock. First, I wanted to use the navy blue card stock I bought from my friend’s letterpress business. Second, the acryla gouache colours will contrast beautifully on navy blue card stock. Third, it is from my little rebellion about Chinese New Year traditions. Instead of using spring colours as the background, I wanted something dark to highlight the contrast between the flowers and the snake.
Background
I grew up in a family that was not particular about colours during Chinese New Year. Buying new clothes, attending reunions and respecting our elders suffice. However, I was exposed to the more traditional sense of Chinese New Year after I got married. My in-laws insist that red needs to be worn during Chinese New Year. Besides that, I had to kneel before my mother-in-law to receive an angpow (red packet) during my first year of marriage.
Now, I am not saying that wearing red for Chinese New Year is bad, nor is kneeling in front of elders a negative experience. The colour red is rooted in the story of Nian, where a monster called Nian would attack the villagers at the beginning of the year. The villagers use loud noises, red items and bright lights to chase the monster away. Hence, the firecrackers and red items are symbols of good luck as they overcame the Nian.
As for kneeling down in front of elders, it is linked to the Confucianism thought of respecting and honouring the elders.
As I struggle to navigate the meanings between modernity and tradition, I leverage my training in visual culture to observe Chinese New Year traditions in China and realise that many traditions in China have evolved. It has evolved that when China Chinese people come to Malaysia, they are still amazed that Malaysia still follows such old traditions.
Despite the good meanings behind tradition, tradition can be abused for one’s selfishness, such as:
- Tradition is misinterpreted and causes harm and trauma to others.
- Tradition is used to judge others who do not follow the tradition 100%. There are many reasons why people do not follow tradition 100%. It can be due to migration, work, urbanity, or even trauma. Remember to listen and not judge.
- Tradition is not used to cultivate curiosity. We often grew up following a tradition because the elders told us to follow it, but we did not understand why. If our family is unable to tell us, then go ahead and be curious about your tradition, as there are many resources online now.
Process

Figure 2: Started with drawing the elements with a white pencil.

Figure 3: Painted the floral and snake elements with Holbein Acryla Gouache.

Figure 4: The paper is cut in half.

Figure 5: It was cut into quarters after cutting it into half.

Figure 6: Adding extra elements in the gap.
After painting the elements, I scanned the pattern and repeated them on Affinity Photo 2. I selected the scanned image and chose Layer > New Pattern Layer from Selection. The process is documented in the video below.
While the repeated pattern worked on Affinity Photo 2, I realised that the card stock was too thick. As a result of that, it could not scan properly. Hence the snake had uneven colours in the final image (Figure 1).
If I have to redo this, I would use a thinner paper that will scan better, leading to repeat itself better.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, it is not up to my standard to put it into my portfolio. Still, I am documenting this so I can learn from my mistakes.
Have a meaningful CNY/LNY for those who are celebrating.