Cow Print Pattern

Make a cow print pattern from large wavy patches on a plain ground. Each patch is one smooth closed outline with rippled edges that never crosses itself, and no two patches touch, even across the edges of the tile. Set the largest patch size in inches or centimetres, how much the sizes vary, how long or round the patches are, how wavy the edges are, the smallest gap and how much of the tile is dark. The patches are placed from a seed number, so the same seed always gives the same pattern, and patches that run over an edge carry on from the other side, so the tile repeats without a seam. Choose 2 or 3 colours and download a seamless SVG tile at real size, a phone, desktop, tablet or square background PNG, a 300 DPI PNG or a PDF at full size with a patch key. Nothing is uploaded.

100% private — everything runs in your browser. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.

How to make a cow print pattern

1. Choose a preset, or set the largest patch size and unit.
2. Set the size variation, roundness, wavy edges and the dark share.
3. Set the smallest gap, the repeat size and a seed (change the seed for a new arrangement).
4. Pick 2 or 3 colours: the ground and one or two patch colours.
5. Download the SVG tile, a background PNG, or the PDF; print at 100% and check the 1 in test square.

What you can use it for

• Fabric, gift wrap and scrapbook paper (real-size tile)
• Phone, desktop and tablet backgrounds
• Website and slide backgrounds (SVG tile)
• Party invitations, cards and farm-theme packaging
• Costume, craft and nail-art reference at true size
• Painting and stencil layouts (full-size PDF)

The 14 presets

#	Preset	Patch sizes	Repeat	Patches	Dark share asked	Dark share drawn	Colours
1	Black on white	0.75 to 2.5 in	10 × 10 in	24	32%	32.09%	2
2	Brown on white	0.75 to 2.5 in	10 × 10 in	27	32%	33.03%	2
3	Black on cream	0.75 to 2.5 in	10 × 10 in	22	32%	32.39%	2
4	White on black	0.75 to 2.5 in	10 × 10 in	22	32%	32.32%	2
5	Grey on white	0.75 to 2.5 in	10 × 10 in	23	32%	32.12%	2
6	Brown and black on white	0.75 to 2.5 in	10 × 10 in	21	32%	32.96%	3
7	Pastel pink on white	0.75 to 2.5 in	10 × 10 in	23	32%	32.83%	2
8	Lilac on white	0.75 to 2.5 in	10 × 10 in	22	32%	32.34%	2
9	Mint on cream	0.75 to 2.5 in	10 × 10 in	20	32%	32.91%	2
10	Small patches	0.3 to 1 in	5 × 5 in	33	30%	31.19%	2
11	Large bold patches	1.8 to 4 in	12 × 12 in	13	34%	36.22%	2
12	Sparse patches	0.75 to 2.5 in	10 × 10 in	12	18%	18.45%	2
13	Very wavy edges	1 to 2.5 in	10 × 10 in	18	30%	30.21%	2
14	Fabric scale: 6 cm patches	1.8 to 6 cm	25 × 25 cm	23	32%	32.15%	2

Each preset only fills in the fields; change any setting afterwards. Dark share drawn = the part of the repeat covered by patches, worked out from the shapes.

Background sizes (first preset)

Background	Pixels	Area at 96 px per inch	Repeats across × down
Phone 1080 × 1920	1080 × 1920 px	11.25 × 20 in	1.13 × 2
Desktop 1920 × 1080	1920 × 1080 px	20 × 11.25 in	2 × 1.13
Large screen 2560 × 1440	2560 × 1440 px	26.67 × 15 in	2.67 × 1.5
Square post 1080 × 1080	1080 × 1080 px	11.25 × 11.25 in	1.13 × 1.13
Tablet 2048 × 2732	2048 × 2732 px	21.33 × 28.46 in	2.13 × 2.85

Patch settings

Setting	What it does
Patch size	The largest patch, edge to edge, in inches or cm
Size variation	0 = all about the same size; 0.7 = from 30% of the size up to full size
Roundness	1 = round; 0.4 = long patches (each patch gets a roundness between this and 1)
Wavy edges	How far the edge ripples in and out, 0 to 0.5
Dark share	How much of the tile is covered, 0.05 to 0.45
Smallest gap	The closest two outlines may come
Seed	Same seed, same arrangement

Which tool to use

You want	Use
Large wavy patches on a plain ground	Cow Print Pattern (this page)
Patches with an even light net	Giraffe Print Pattern
Camouflage blobs	Camo Pattern Generator
Soft single shapes	Blob Generator
Rosettes or solid spots	Leopard and Cheetah Print Patterns

Also handy: the Camo Pattern Generator, the Blob Generator and the Phone Wallpaper Maker.

Frequently asked questions

What does this cow print pattern draw?

Large patches with smooth, rippled edges in mixed sizes on a plain ground, in black and white, brown and white or any colours you pick. The shapes are our own drawings; each is worked out from five smooth ripples added round a centre.

Do the patches ever touch or cross themselves?

No. Each outline goes once round its centre and never crosses itself, and a new patch is only kept if its outline stays at least the gap you set from every other outline, across the tile edges too (0.12 in for the first preset). Our tests measure the exact distance between every two patches of every preset.

What does the dark share do?

Patches are placed until that part of the tile is dark (for example 32% for the first preset), so the last patch can take it a little over. The share shown under the preview is worked out from the shapes, and our tests check it against a pixel count.

Will the tile repeat without a seam?

Yes. A patch that runs over an edge of the tile is drawn again from the opposite edge, so copies placed edge to edge join with no seam. Our tests compare the pattern one and two repeats over, by pixels and by path.

Is the tile the exact size I set?

Yes. The SVG tile is written in inches or centimetres (for example 10 in square for the first preset), and the PDF prints the pattern at full size with a 1 in test square to check your printer.

What size are the background PNGs?

Phone 1080 × 1920, desktop 1920 × 1080, large screen 2560 × 1440, tablet 2048 × 2732 and square 1080 × 1080 pixels. The pattern is drawn at 96 pixels per inch of the size you set, so a 2.5 in patch is 240 pixels across.

Can I get the same pattern again?

Yes. The layout is worked out from the seed number: the same seed and settings give exactly the same pattern; a new seed gives a new arrangement.

How is this different from the camo and cheetah makers?

The camo generator layers noise blobs that run into each other, and the cheetah print page scatters small solid spots. This page draws large wavy patches of mixed sizes, packs them by their outlines so they sit close without touching, and lets you set the dark share.

Is it free?

Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit.

Is anything uploaded?

No. Everything is drawn by JavaScript in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.