Have you noticed there aren't a lot of mockups out there created in the Affinity suite, for the Affinity suite?

And, while mockups created in other apps, using Smart Objects, will work in the Affinity apps, sometimes, it takes some tweaking to get them to work the way they're intended?

So, let's change that, and make our own!

Hi! I'm Tracey, an artist, designer and lover of all things Affinity! Welcome to my class, where I'll show you how you can create three realistic mockups for your surface pattern designs, from scratch, using vector shapes and free textures, using Affinity Designer V2.

Mockups are an integral part of the surface pattern design process as they allow you to share single designs or collections on social media, sell sheets and online portfolios.

When you create your own mockups in Affinity Designer, not only do you get exactly what you want, no more, no less, but you know, with certainty, they'll work in all of the Affinity apps: Designer, Photo and Publisher.

This is the first in a series of classes called, "Mockup Workshop," where we will be creating three mockups:

A full canvas swatch with multiple, realistic gathers, great for sharing closeups of your motifs,
A swatch card with gathers and realistic warping and,
A three fabric stack, complete with realistic folds so you can easily share a small collection of designs.

By creating these mockups you will learn...

How to create multi-directional gathers in fabric using a combination of the Gradient tool and Appearance Panel.
How to work non-destructively, and set your layers up, so that you can use your mockup again and again, quickly adding new designs for maximum efficiency
How to add realistic texture to your mockups using no cost images from the stock studio and other free use image sites
How to create realistic folds in fabric, to create a stacked effect using the Gradient tool
How to save your mockups as reusable templates, allowing you to work quickly and efficiently

Beyond learning how to create mockups, the skills and tools you learn in this class can be used in any project in Affinity Designer, from illustrations to graphic design.

Affinity Designer V2
- I will be using the iPad version of the app, however, if you are on the desktop version, and know where all of the tools are located, you can easily follow along.
- Please note, I will be utilizing tools that can only be found in V2 of the app.

Surface Pattern Design tiles
- I will be pulling my own designs in to my mockups throughout the class, both to test the mockups and to make them easier to create. I recommend having some of your own pattern tiles on hand to pull in to your own mockups.

This class is intended for intermediate users, as it does assume some familiarity with the layout of Affinity Designer for iPad. If you are new to the app, I recommend taking beginner classes that will walk you through V2's user interface and give an overview of the tools.

Hi there! I'm Tracey. I'm an illustrator, designer, and photographer located in the Chicagoland area. You can find more information about me, and my work in my full profile. (find the link above) I've been a full time artist for over a decade, after leaving the corporate world behind in 2011. In addition to teaching, I am a full time creator who sells my work on my own site, as well as print on demand sites like Spoonflower, Society6, Etsy and more.

I've been using Affinity products for the last several years and love to learn as much as I can about the tools so I can not only use them the way they were intended to work but make them work for me; and I love sharing that knowledge with my students! I've had the privilege of being spotlighted by Serif, the company who created the app, twice as a go to teacher for their apps. You can find links to the spotlight articles on my profile page.

If you have any questions about the class, or would like feedback on your project, please feel free to let me know in the Discussion section of class, or by emailing me at hello@traceycapone.com.

I look forward to seeing you in class!

Music Credit: "Stay," by Louis Island on artlist.io (license on file)

Ricki Ellington

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