Yeah, the "weird patterns my windshield wipers make" is such a good point. Those streaks have a totally different shape than just drops. They're like long, smeared arcs that overlap. You could take that wiper streak idea and make a print that feels more structured and graphic, maybe with those lines crossing over each other. It would have a cool, kinetic feel, almost like motion blur on a jacket.
Interesting! When you picture those overlapping arcs as a print, do you see it as a tight, repeating pattern or more like one big, bold graphic? I'm trying to imagine how you'd stop it from looking too messy. Maybe playing with the thickness of the lines or using a really limited color palette, just black and grey like the actual rain, could keep it clean. That motion blur idea is really promising.