Transcripts
1. Welcome: Hey, welcome. What you're about to watch
is not an ordinary class. I turned my workspace into filming studio so I could
document the entire process of designing a full pattern
collection from start to finish in the age of perfection and
seemingly quick results. I'm inviting you
behind the scenes, where together we can
embrace our flaws and become more mindful
of the creation process. If we haven't met before, my name is Nina and
I'm also known as OT. I'm an illustrator
and pattern designer based in Belgrade, Serbia. I spend time creating
art that gets licensed for various
products like books, magazines, calendars,
greeting cards, cosmetic bags,
packaging, and fabrics. Beautiful. Final projects,
like the ones you're seeing, are just the tip
of the iceberg and what lies beneath
will be revealed. In this class, you'll see me
working on initial ideas, sketches and the
collection story. I'll walk you through my
process of selecting, planning, and structuring
a pattern collection. I'll be brave to share my
internal doubts, struggles, and abandon project
ideas and show you how I'm figuring
things out as I go. Finally, you'll see the
entire creation process of eight different
pattern designs. I guess this class
really has it all. Okay, let's get started.
2. How to Watch: This class is best suited
for intermediate levels or beginners who already know how to create
pattern repeats. The tools I'll be using are
procreate and Photoshop. But I will not go into the technical aspects
of how I'm using them. If you want to learn
more about my process with in depth step by
step explanations, you can watch my classes. Key principles for making
outstanding patterns and storytelling
and pattern design illustrate a narrative pattern. If you know how to
create patterns but haven't made pattern
collections before my class create and license your first fabric
collection will give you a clear understanding of what pattern collections are and how to start building one. This class, besides
being focused on the practical side of making
a pattern collection, is also a documentary
experiment. Just like you, I'm
a pattern designer tackling this new big
project by myself. The process is never perfect. It's a long road with
many crossroads, missing signposts
and rocky terrain. But finding your own
way can teach you a lot about yourself and how you approach
any creative work. I hope by sharing my experience, I can help you become more
mindful when navigating this project on your own to keep it factual when
the lessons start. In the upper right corner, you'll see the information about real time it took me to
complete that milestone. At the end of each lesson, I'll provide takeaways and recommendations on
which you can work on. Finally, the narration
you'll hear is based on the creative process diary I kept each day of the filming.
3. Project: The project for this class is to design a full
pattern collection. We will take it one
step at a time. We'll tackle this big project
together by planning. Being committed, showing up, embracing imperfections,
and trusting ourselves. No matter how messy it gets, it might take some time. But once you finish, go to the Project and
Resources section of the class and click the
Create Project button. You can share the
sketches, the story, and how it all evolved
into finished project. You can also share
what you've learned or struggled with and
ask for advice. I'll be here
patiently waiting for your beautiful
pattern collections, and I can't wait to cheer you
on towards licensing them. Now grab a sketchbook and
a pen and let's start.
4. Sketchbook Session: Hey, welcome to my work studio. The light is on and I'm currently
setting up the cameras. At this point in time, I'm not sure where this documentary pattern
collection project will lead me, and that's okay. I've done this before. I've made pattern collections
and licensed them, but I haven't shared the
entire process with you. I've talked about the importance of embracing imperfections, but I haven't invited you to see it all unfolding and hear
my internal thoughts. Just the day before,
I was sitting on my balcony looking at
a beautiful message I received last summer while on Skiathos, beautiful
Greek island. It captured perfectly
the feeling of letting myself become
one with nature. It reads, Hi Nina. Have you melted into the sea. Dissolved into 1
billion grains of sand, evolved into a beautiful
coral structure colonizing the shore, burst into cloud of gulls, energized into rays
of pure sunlight. I had to visualize this message, this ode to the summertime,
I started sketching. I never really thought
about sand before. It's not something one
tends to think about, a beach full of sand, warm sand slipping
through my fingers. All these grains of
sand look alike. But what if they're magnified? Then I could discover something
I'd never seen before. Beautiful rocks, coral particles,
and undeveloped shells. I explored coral structures and there are other
worldly shapes. It's as if going underwater
is visiting another planet. Next was capturing water,
mesmerizing movement, only visible because of the
light and sand beneath, or maybe a foam that creates
these cell like structures. I was letting myself
sketch freely and explore any concept
that came to mind. I sketched birds without
looking at any reference. I played with their ever changing shapes
while in movement. I wondered about air
currents and the sun. I researched corals and
learned more about polyps. I loved this idea. A colony of polyps is formed
by a process called budding, where the original polyp
grows copies of itself. Very similar to making
pattern elements. Finally, I explore the movement and flow of a growing coral. At that point, I decided
to stop what I was doing, so I could set up a
filming studio and invite you in on this whole
process. And here we are. This is all I have so far. Inspiration, a good concept, initial sketches, and a lot of enthusiasm to start
working on this project. I'll continue this
sketch book session by doing more research to
gather inspiration, find reference images, and
dive deeper into the subject. I often feel like a
scientist doing this. My mind is curious and I can't wait to see
what I can discover. The most beautiful part of
creating is discovering, knowing more about the living
world that surrounds you, Being astonished
by its diversity, being moved by its ability to evolve in many
different forms. Then becoming a sponge that takes in all this
visual information, stores it in memory, and creates something new. I enjoy this part of the work. It can go on for hours on end. It simply draws me in. It's as if I'm a child seeing all of
this for the first time. I always thought of it as a privilege to be able
to do this for my work. To stare at natural specimens, observe their
details and shapes, and wonder about the
creation of life. I take visual notes
in my sketchbook. I never merely copy what I see. I observe the structure, the construction of shapes, the movement, and the flow. In other words, I take in
all this visual information and I process it through the lens of my own
creative preferences. I reimagine it and recreate it in my own
language and style, but sometimes the
boundary between what you see and what you
want to create becomes. Or you get overwhelmed
by all this information. There are so many
possibilities and your own language and style can get influenced and carried away. But what you're seeing, you
can get lost in the process. It's good to be mindful of it and recognize it
when it happens. Maybe it's time to turn
off the inspiration, turn off the stream
of influence, and tell yourself
that what you've seen so far is already
a part of you. And you can now be quiet in your own thoughts
and surroundings. Instead of creating
from the outside, you can focus on creating from within just you and
your sketchbook. Maybe something related to the subject to keep you company. I almost forgot about
the fossil I found. It's a sea star on top of a crop from an ancient Pennonian
sea that no longer exists. It's up to 10 million years old. Can you imagine that I'm drawing a life form that existed even
before the first hominence. That perspective makes you wonder about what
truly matters in life. Now back to the
subject at this point, I'm not thinking about how the final collection
will look like. I know from experience
that it would put a lot of pressure on me to
create something perfect. It would lead me to
state of overthinking. All I know is that
I'm working on a collection about the sea now. I just want to
explore, have fun, and see what I can create
when I'm not under pressure. I want to be mindful
of the process without thinking about time
and ultimate goals. I want to forget about the outside world and spend
this time with myself. I want to quiet my thoughts about what others would think, how good I am, or where
I stand in comparison, because none of that matters. I'm on my own path
being a child, again, being an explorer, and this sketch book is
becoming my treasure trove. The best way to start
any big project, in this case a
pattern collection, is to get inspired and
create a collection concept. The concept will always stay present in your mind and it will create a base for this micro universe you're
about to make. You have that grab
a sketch book, research, take visual
notes of your inspiration, and then take a deep
breath and try turning off the outside so you can focus on your own
thoughts and ideas. Sometimes our own language and style might not be that strong. Sometimes we can't rationally explain what we want
to create and how. But if we keep on sketching and being mindful
of this process, all of that will reveal itself. This practice will help you better understand where
your interest is, what is important to you, and how you want to
express that visually.
6. Style Exploration: In the beginning, there's
always uncertainty. I wonder how these
linear sketches will develop into final
pattern illustrations. But as long as I'm curious, there's nothing to fear. I'm embrace all the
possibilities and outcomes. I start by exploring the
style and color palettes. I want to experiment
and see what brings me joy to work with colors, have the ability to
unite the prints, tell stories, and most
importantly, evoke feelings. This collection is about
the sea and summertime. It's also about seeing the
world through the eyes of a child as if you're seeing
it for the first time. I want to find a
way of capturing those precious moments of
curiosity and happiness. It seems like as adults we lose the ability of
that pure excitement. We learned what everything is, we classified it, and stop questioning the
world surrounding us. Grains of sand all look alike. They're nothing more than a uniform surface
covering the beach. Tiny fragments amongst billions
of other tiny fragments. I guess we could
say the same about our lives if we zoom
out and look at it as one tiny occurrence next to numerous sater occurrences
that happen in the span of 4.5 billion years. But here we are, living this precious life
at this exact moment. Just like that, I'll magnify
these grains of sand and discover the value that's
been hidden and disguised. I'll see the overlooked
natural beauty and richness. And I'll visualize that in
this pattern illustration. When I make it simple, using just a few colors and
textured lines for details, the outcome is too subtle. Grains of sand lose
their importance. My message is not clear. This design is no
longer a hero print. When I use various
vibrant colors to enhance the idea of creating
sparkling precious gems, I'm closer to what
I'm looking for, but it's somehow too much. It's not really my style. I want to tone it down and let the natural
beauty shine through. I start again trying to find a balance between
these two ideas. Then after a few long days, it all begins falling
into place and I, the one creating it, start falling in love with
my own creation. Now I know for sure
that's the one. But what happened before? And in between, you just
saw a linear process, one sketch becoming a
finished illustration. Well, in reality, it was
all utterly chaotic. I switched from one
sketch to another, then another one, then
back to the first one, and so on and so on. A pretty messy process
to watch and follow, but that's how I work. Nothing bad about it. It's just not gentle
at times to get lost and found over
and over again. But it feels like while
reinventing this collection, I'm also reinventing myself. When it gets hard, I tend to
see it as a game to play. I set out the traps and
then I resolve them. Some sketches make my life easy, Like these tiny coral polyps created as genetic
replicas of each other. Simple friendly concepts that reveal themselves
without much effort. I color the shapes to
gentle movement of water, only visible when the
light touches the surface. Sand, water and light
become one entity. I think about a warm rays of early morning sun
appearing on the horizon. You can't really look
at it for a long time, You just get a glimpse. But I can close my eyes,
breathe in and out. I can feel the colors flicker
and change within me. Other sketches are
expected to be something they're not
and never could be, but they are an important
part of the process. Sketching these sea
stars and imagining them dancing at the bottom of the sea while looking
at my fossil, brought me so much joy and excitement to work
on this collection. Once they developed into
this beautiful illustration, it was hard to let go. But in the back of my mind, I knew they could never be the leading hero print
of this collection, not even a secondary print. They need their own time
and place to shine. I move it aside and start
working on another idea. Seashells are the
treasure of the sea. I place one in the
center of the assemblem. I adorn it with a lush
crown of algae spreading around two sea stars as a little homage to
my previous artwork. It's not yet a hero print, but it will most
certainly lead me there. Some sketches look like
they have nothing to offer, just a gathering of messy lines. An ugly sketch many of
us might be ashamed of, but the beauty is in the
eye of the beholder. We often forget how
imaginative we are. Even when we observe
the clouds in the sky. We have the ability to transform them and create new
images and meanings. Instead of shaky contours, I see gulls in flight circling
the sky above the sea. With each flap of the wing, their silhouette changes and their forms morph into
different shapes, creating a playful composition. Other sketches trigger me
episodes of existential crisis. Lines turn into lakes
of quicksand from afar. They look solid,
nothing to worry about. Just a little desolate
looking place. I must cross to get
to the other side. I'm confidently walking and all of a sudden I
lose my ground. Gravity is pulling me down
and I'm starting to sink. My body is trapped and the overpowering thoughts
are squeezing me in. The more I resist and push
against it, the more I sink, the more I fail and
get frustrated, the more I lock myself in. But did you know that you can never actually drown
in a quick sand, you might only get
stuck halfway in. The only question
is how to get out. Do you raise its existence? Do you fight it back? Do you accept it for what? It is just a mixture
of fine sand and water trapped inside
the same water that can lift you up once you calm
your thoughts and fill your lungs with air and then you can gently wiggle yourself out. Quicksand is nothing more
than a self made trap. I start on you just to ease my mind and find more
solid ground to walk on. I'm back at the
beginning looking through the sketchbook
treasure trove of ideas. It fills me with the
joy of creating again, but something is still
missing from this collection. The leading hero print is
constantly on my mind, will this be the one? I don't believe it
but I want to try. I'm also reproaching myself for not listening to my own advice. The easiest way to create a
collection is to start from the most complex
print and develop Otters accordingly.
But it's okay. The process is never uniform and it can take its
course from time to time. I feel the pressure of
cameras being on filming, what seems to be a
disaster unfolding. So I write in my diary a little
note, it goes like this. I'll give myself time to
fail as long as I need. I'm just testing, experimenting, and observing a skill that comes with time
and experience. The most precious one, you know the ins and outs of
the process in your soul. You are curious,
devoted, patient. You show up and continue
where you left off. In that way, every so called
failure is your success. Another road sign
that leads you in the right direction the next day brings that long
awaited resolution. It's been quietly hiding
for all this time now. I'm incredibly happy to see it evolving in
front of my eyes. I'm the one creating it, but I'm also presently observing everything
that is happening. Seaweeds upwards and pulsate
in different colors. Fish move horizontally following the current and get intertwined. When hiding out amongst
them appear sea stars, shells, corals, and
tiny pot flowers. Together they complete
this illustration and unite all the prints. As incredible as it sounds, all these elements were present in some shape or form
from the beginning. I just couldn't see
them until now. It all makes sense.
I figured it out. I'm observing the pattern
illustrations next to one another and I'm
so proud of myself. Setting up the base of
the collection with initial pattern illustrations is the most challenging
part of the work. Take as long as you
need to experiment, test out, and explore
all the possibilities. You don't have to be precise and detailed at the
beginning in that way. You can always easily
change, adjust, and refine until everything
falls into place. This process might
get hard at times, but it's also
incredibly rewarding. Being present and mindful of the process can help you
better understand yourself. It teaches you one
important life lesson. The biggest superpower you
have is belief in yourself. No matter how ugly
and messy it gets, no matter the doubts you have, you just need to keep on showing up and doing the
best you can until everything you've been
patiently working on starts unfolding in
front of your eyes.
7. Pattern Elements: I'm sailing in calm waters. Now, the most challenging
part of the work is done, The collection style is
established and the base is set. Yet there's still a
lot more to come. I'm in the middle of
this big project, but before povering
through the next steps, I'll allow myself to take a moment and appreciate
how far I've come after two weeks of
sketching, discovering, thinking, expressing, searching,
observing, ordering, coloring, illustrating, rethinking, siding,
remaking and selecting. Here I am looking at these eight collection
illustrations and thinking the magic that transforms nothing into
something does exist. I'm the one creating it. The only thing is real
life magic takes time. These eight illustrations
are about to become eight repeating patterns. The first step is
creating more elements in procreate that all later
assemble in Photoshop, I start by working on the
most complex pattern, the leading hero print, by looking at the
reference image already. Imagine the repeat
and plan ahead. The colorful seaweeds will
function as the main elements, some pillars that hold
the repeat together. This means I only need to create three different
algae illustrations. On the other hand,
sea creatures will intertwined with the algae and fill the rest
of the pattern. This means the more
element variations I make, the better. The abundance of life comes in many different sizes and shapes. I want to mimic that.
With each stroke, I create a lively ecosystem. Nothing is a mere
copy of another. Even the smallest change I make now will create a
big difference. Later I vary the angle, size, shape, the rotation. All of this is the key
step towards creating a natural flow of
this dense design. I do this for every
pattern illustration, I observe the reference image. Imagine the repeat and
illustrate additional elements. Sand under microscope
already looks like the start of a playful
tossed repeat. I'm now refining the
illustrations I already made. I'm making sure
there are no errors. Nevertheless, to
build a rich design where the repeat is not obvious, I need to create more elements. I'm now creating a new set of sand illustrations by following the stylistic rules
established in the first one. It's a pretty easy thing to do. There's nothing new
I need to invent. I'm illustrating lots of playful shapes with
textured line details. I'm creating
diversity by varying their size, Colors complexity. Unlike hero patterns,
secondary and blender prints have simple arrangements
and require fewer elements. The central crown of lush
seaweed is already complete. Now I'm illustrating a set
of different sea shells. When this symmetric
design repeats, the central algae will interconnect and
spread like a web, while different sea shells
will fill the central parts. By the way, if you
want to see how I'm making symmetric patterns
entirely in procreate, you can later wash my class
patterns are forever. I'll leave the link in
the class resources. It's one of my most
popular classes so far. You don't always have to create additional elements
from scratch. Here I'm illustrating
new Sea goals on top of the existing ones. Something I would do if I
were animating, for example. I don't want them to be
completely different. All I need is a set of similar sea goals but in
different flying positions. This method allows me to save some time and be more precise. I use the same technique for
sun changes illustrations. Sun dots need to be
slightly different in the same scale I draw on top of the existing ones
to create new ones. Then I can play with
different color combinations and color positions
when possible, I also re, use elements
I made for other prints. For the polyps pattern, I'll use the initial set
of illustrations I made, as well as the polyp elements I drew for the leading hero print. Lastly, it's okay
to make changes. Nothing is set in stone. New ideas can come
spontaneously as you work. I decided I'll
make one exchange. This coral print idea be replaced by fish I made
for the hero print. It's a better fit
for the collection. It's more playful and fun. The sea's melting print will become something
entirely different. I like the initial idea, but the style
doesn't really fit. It's too dense,
soft, and undefined. It just doesn't
connect with anything. I need something
more solid and open. Here's my new idea in making
simple waves will twist. As you can notice, the
endings of the C waves are in the same style as the
seaweed illustrated for hero print and for
the symmetric print, they have these
sharp zigzag lines using the same
stylistic approach on different
elements throughout. The collection is also one of the very subtle
and effective ways in which you can connect
the prints together, this new design perfectly with the rest of the collection. And that's it, all the additional
illustrations are done. I will open each
illustration canvas, export it as a PSD file, and send it to my computer. Now I can start preparing
these files in Photoshop. Once you have the
collection base, it's time to create
more pattern elements. At this point,
there's not a lot of uncertainty and the process
is pretty straightforward. Lush and dance patterns require
an abundance of elements. Make sure to create as
much as you need or more illustrate elements in
different sizes and shapes. Remember, even a small
variation you create now will make a big difference once the pattern is repeated. Other patterns might
not require that much. Try to imagine how your
design will repeat, so you can roughly plan ahead. You can save some
time by drawing on top of the
existing elements to create new ones or reusing elements you already
made for other prints. Lastly, don't be afraid to make changes at any
stage of the process. Sometimes the best ideas will come spontaneously
as you're working.
8. Photoshop Tips: This part of the work is something I always
struggle with. I know the ins and
outs of Photoshop, and I've done this so
many times before. That's not the issue.
The issue is that I find it incredibly
boring and repetitive. Nevertheless, this is
still part of the process. There's nothing deep or
adventurous about it. It simply needs to be done. I better accept it for what it is and just get on with it. I described the previous chapter as sailing in calm waters. To keep up with the analogy, this one feels like mindless floating and I can't wait to
reach the next milestone. I'll now take you through
the most important steps of this purely technical
part of the work. And show you a few
tricks I use to complete these necessary tasks a bit
faster and more efficiently. If you want to
follow this process with in depth explanations, you can do that by watching
these two classes. The first one, key principles for making outstanding patterns, and the second one illustrate
a narrative pattern. In the next lesson,
I'll talk about the creative aspects of
pattern design arrangement. Okay, let's start clicking. The first thing
I'm going to do is change the view of
the layers panel. The layers are too small, it's hard to see
what's going on. I'll click on this burger menu, go to Panel Options, and change the thumbnail size to large and thumbnail
contents to layer bounds. Now the elements
in the layers are easier to see and I can
start organizing them. Next on my to do list is fixing the annoying selection
issue that happens when you open appropriate PSD
file in a Photoshop. If I select a layer, the selection does not
surround the element itself, but instead it selects
the entire canvas area. I haven't got a clue this
is happening, but it does, and I can't leave it
like that because later the pattern file would become
a mess option number one. This is the method
I used before. I press L for the lasso tool
lasso around the element. Press command X to cut it and shift command V
to paste it in place. Now when I press V to select it, the selection is around the element and I got
rid of that empty space. Anyways, recently after
filming this class, by accident, I discovered an easier method which can solve the problem in one click. Here is option number two. I'll select the next layer. Again, the issue is here, the canvas area is selected. Not the element,
but if I press E on the keyboard for the Erasor tool and click anywhere
outside the element, the selection problem
is fixed in an instant. Now I just have to do
this for each layer and for each PSD file for
eight patterns in total, Which means it's time to switch
myself to autopilot mode. I can't help but think about artificial intelligence
at this point. Isn't this where we as
creatives need help? I don't need AI to do the
creative work for me. I need an AI assistant that will do mindless tasks like these. I can do something
more valuable. All right, the next step is to make the files tidy
and organized. Most of my elements are made
out of multiple layers. I group those layers
and name the groups. This also takes time, but it's a necessary step
forward If you start arranging a complex pattern
repeat like this one without making the file
organized, you'll get lost. There are simply too many
elements and too many layers. I'm talking about
this in my class. Key Principles for making
Outstanding Patterns, where I'm also showing
you how I prepare my final files before
sending them to clients. After hours of clicking,
fixing, grouping, and naming, it's time to get ready for the pattern
repeat tests. I create most of my
patterns in the size of 5,400 by 5,400
pixels and 300 DPI. I like working in a slightly bigger hardboard than necessary, because when working
with pixels, you can always scale down
without losing the quality, which is not the case
when scaling up. Before making the final repeat, I create what I call
a test pattern. For this, I use smart objects
and an indispensable, magnificent pattern
preview tool that lets me see the entire repeat while arranging the elements. But to use the tool, all the pattern layers and groups now need to
become smart objects, which means more
autopilot clicking. Here's an little
trick I used to make this part of the
work a bit faster. A copy paste the elements, usually just a few at a time, especially if I'm working
on a complex design. Now to turn this group into smart object in the usual way, I write, click on the Group and then click Convert
to Smart Object. But to make this more efficient, I have set up one shortcut that replaces these additional
steps I showed you. I select the group and just
press shift command la. This group of layers
is now a smart object. If you want to do the same, go to Edit in the upper menu. Then keyboard shortcuts,
then Layer category, and then find smart objects. There you'll see convert
to smart object. This is the shortcut I made
for myself. Shift Commando. You can do whatever
combination you'll easily remember or
associate with this. To save it, just click Accept. If I now turn on the
pattern preview, I have the line view of
the pattern arrangement. Pretty useful tool, but if I need to copy
paste more elements, I'd have to turn it off. Copypaste the elements, convert
them into smart objects. Then I can once again turn on the pattern preview tool and continue building
the pattern repeat. Now I'm taking you
a few steps in the future, as you
will see later, Once I build a pattern
test out of smart objects, I use it as some placeholder. And on top of it, I arrange regular layers to make
the final pattern swatch. I'm showing this pattern
making method with step by step explanations in my class illustrate
a narrative pattern. You'll find the link to it
in the class resources. It's a very useful and
easy to follow class, even for Photoshop beginners. Anyways, I'm mentioning
all of this to give you a quick technical
insight into how I'm creating seamless
patterns in Photoshop. And why smart objects and pattern preview tools work best for creating
the arrangement. If you want to make
additional color changes to those smart objects, it will be incredibly time consuming because to make a
change to a smart object, you need to open
it in a new tab. When making patterns, you have many elements that will require lots of
changes and tweaks. That's why for the final
repeat I use regular layers. In that way I can make all the necessary changes
inside one layer panel. All right, this is where the technical work stops and
the creative work begins. Let's finally create
the pattern repeats. I don't think I have a good
takeaway for this one. I usually tell myself this, as boring as it might get, it's also good to
do something that doesn't require a
lot of brain power. But whenever you
can use shortcuts to finish these repetitive
tasks a bit faster, if you're new to
making patterns, this might look and sound very complicated and that's okay. Take your time to
learn and practice. If you want to follow my
detailed step by step process, watch the two classes
I mentioned before. I also listed them in
the class resources. And remember, not all parts of the creative process are
fun and interesting. Even when it's boring and hard, we still learn and grow.
9. Seamless Repeats: I'm tired, I'm not going to lie. Creating a pattern collection takes a lot of time and effort. I think the most mentally
challenging part of any big project is finishing what you've
started in the beginning. There is always uncertainty, but at the same time, there is that
initial excitement, a boost of energy. I'm about to discover something new and I can't wait
to see what it is. Now. As the project
is coming to an end, it's all pretty clear. I'm on a well known terrain. There are no new
adventures ahead. I just need to
reach finish line. Instead of being excited, I just feel tired. In these moments,
I struggle to find that last resort of strength and willpower just to show up again and again
until it's all done, At least the technical part of the work is out of the way. I can now focus on the
arrangement of elements. I can dive into another world where I'll look for balance, composition and flow
with complex patterns. I do that gradually. I don't want to overwhelm myself with all the
elements at once. I position the main ones first. As I mentioned before, the weights are the
pillars of this pattern. They hold the repeat together. I take my time to position
them correctly and create a solid and balanced
composition for this pattern. Now I can start
introducing new elements. Fish will intertwine
around the algae. My goal is to make
a dynamic repeat. I'm searching for
movement and rhythm while colorful seaweeds spread
and pulsate upwards. Fish contrast that by making a horizontal flow
of the pattern. So far, I love what I'm seeing. It's time to add
secondary elements. I start with bigger ones. I'm filling the blank space
with shells and stars. I try placing corals, but it doesn't feel right. The same happens with
small sea weed elements. It's not a good fit. I quickly abandon that idea as well and move on to the
next set of elements. Now this feels
different polyp flowers work nicely in this arrangement. Shells, stars, and polyps
are all rounded elements. They complement the fish
and seaweeds very well. It's a lot easier to build complex patterns
gradually and in phases. The main elements go first, then you create
internal compositions, in this case, the
seaweed and fish. Then you can fill the empty, starting with bigger elements and working your way
towards the smaller ones. I'm not thinking about
colors at this moment, just the element placement. I make small adjustments. I move one element
rotate the other, then I zoom out and observe. I squint my eyes to
blur out details. I want to focus my attention only on composition and repeat. It looks good now, which means it's time to build
the final pattern. I'm turning off
the preview tool. It's no longer needed. I move smart objects on the edge to complete
this pattern swatch. Then I merge everything
together in one single layer. This will be my placeholder. And now I can start
introducing regular layers. I place new elements on top
of the transparent ones. This process is similar to
match the shape game for kids. I scale them and rotate them
until they all fit nicely. Now I can make some final tweaks and start
coloring the elements. I'm keeping fish and
seaweed as they are. I'm adding colors to
stars, shells, and polyps. As you can already see, colors open up a whole new
aspect of pattern arrangement. The first step towards making a balanced repeat is the
positioning of elements. The next step is the
color placement. My goal is to create
a repeat that has an uninterrupted color flow. I'm doing this by distributing
colors equally while avoiding color
clusters that might look like errors
once this is done. I can make a final patterns watch and then test it
out in a new art board. All right, let's
see how it looks. I zoom in and observe to see if I can spot
any repeat errors. Then I zoom out and observe to see if I can spot any
arrangement problems. If something is amiss, I go back to the patterns, watch and make changes. I do this again and again until I'm completely
happy with the results, until it all finally
clicks together. Now I can take a moment to
appreciate this beauty. The repeat is just mesmerizing and the
excitement is coming back. The main here print is done and I can't wait to start
working on the next one. Unlike the sea life print, sand under microscope has an
easier pattern arrangement. This time I don't have to build this repeat gradually because all the elements are similar. They belong to the same group. In that group, they vary
in scale and complexity. From biggest, smallest, from fairly simple to
colorful and detailed. I just need to find a
way to fit them together like a puzzle and make
a balanced composition. Next to every complex element, I place less complex
and simple elements. Next to every large element, I place medium and
small elements. I zoom out and observe. I move the elements rotate, rearrange, and zoom out again. This is becoming a
lively tossed repeat. It has a non linear
element placement. It feels organic elements are rotated in
different directions, which means this pattern can
be looked at from any side. This makes it a perfect
type of repeat for fabric, because when sewing, you can cut this design
however you like. You can later
assemble it without matching the direction
of the print. Once the test is done, I start making the final repeat. I replace smart objects, regular layers, then I
begin making color changes. I take the same approach as I did for the previous pattern. I'm distributing colors equally and I'm avoiding color clusters. It's almost done. There are just a few tweaks
I need to make. Believe it or not, this is still my absolutely favorite
pattern in this collection. It keeps on surprising me. It's not too simple
and boring yet. It's not too complex
and overwhelming. It's just about right. When the patterns
watch is finished, I test out the repeat
and once again make additional changes
until it all looks perfect. Here it is, the final sand under microscope print
in all its glory. It's so playful and fun. And most importantly, the
arrangement looks effortless, which is the hardest thing to achieve each time I make a new pattern
for the collection, I take a moment to
look at it next to the other finished
patterns just to see how the collection
is coming together. And if something is amiss, all in all, everything
looks good. These two prints work
perfectly together. Symmetric or diamond
repeats are one of my favorite pattern
arrangements to make. They're very simple to create. The results are
always captivating. The easiest way to
do it is by filling the entire canvas with one central element and the
surrounding decoration. It can be done in Photoshop or it can be done
entirely in procreate. I'm showing this
method in my class. Patterns are forever. Anyways, this time I'm
doing something different, a bit more complicated, because I want to create a
diverse symmetric repeat. Instead of having just one
sea shell that repeats, I can place eight
different sea shells in the center of these emblems. What you're seeing is
a rough arrangement, which is not something
I can get away with. When it comes to
diamond patterns, the placement needs
to be on point. I turn on the guides
with a transform tool, I position everything correctly. As you can see,
it's not yet done. One row is completed while
the second one is not. This means going
back to procreate and illustrating
additional weed elements. I'm saving this as a transparent PNG and I'm
placing it in procreate. This was something
I was expecting, but I couldn't complete
it beforehand. I needed to work out a precise
pattern arrangement in Photoshop to be able to fill
in the gaps in procreate. It's just a bit of back and
forth between the programs. I personally don't mind it because it doesn't make
it any less efficient. All right, once that is done, I can place the elements back in Photoshop to finish
the arrangement. Again, smart objects are
substitute with regular layers. The last weeks are made and
the final repeat is done. It looks pretty good. I love the intricacy
of the seaweed, and using various sea shells
did make a difference. The collection now has
three finished patterns. Each one is different
in their complexity, density, color, use,
and arrangement. It's time for number four. As I make my way towards
less complex patterns, you'll notice how
the arrangements become more simple
and easier to create. There are not a lot of
different elements or colors. There are also fewer
details and differences, something you can clearly
see in this print. Seagulls are pretty
much the same. They're in the same
size and color. They have the same details, but what's strikingly
different is their shapes which create
various flight motions. The trick with the sea
gull print is finding a way to fit them together
and create movement. I want to capture the
moment when they're gathering and soaring in
the sky above the sea. These illustrations are very
graphic and bold in style, almost geometric, which
can be challenging. I need to avoid big gaps of empty space or
clustered elements. Also, I'm focusing on
the most prominent parts of seagull illustrations.
Their wings. They're like arrows that will guide your eyes
across the pattern repeat to create
composition and flow. I rotate each element slightly differently so that the wings are pointing in
different directions. I'm talking more about this
useful technique in my class. Key Principles for making
Outstanding Patterns. And I'm showing some examples
on a complex floral print. All right, this
pattern is simple, but it requires a lot
of fiddling around. I spend quite some time just moving things
a bit, zooming out, observing, and doing
the same process again and again until
it all looks good. The repeat is done. Let's see how it looks when placed together
with other prints. The collection is coming together and it
looks really nice. Now I'm moving on
to the next one. Believe it or not, this
print was a challenge. It turned out to be one of those patterns that
play tricks on you. I approached it as
a simple repeat that I'd finish fairly quickly. Elements are ready.
Arrangement is obvious, I just need to do the work. Once it's done, the finished
pattern looks good. But instead of
leaving it as it is, my mind wanders off looking
for something else. Looking for some
novelty and excitement. I start thinking, maybe it's too simple and
not that interesting. Maybe I can do better. I
try adding more colors. Now it looks worse than it was. I go one step further and start creating color
details on each fish. At this point, I'm
completely carried away. It's a very playful thing to do. But once the finished pattern
repeat is in front of me, I can see how wrong this is when I place it next
to the existing print. I'm slightly horrified. I don't even know what
I was thinking about. I go back to the first idea. I'm keeping it as it was before. It shouldn't be anything
grandiose and special. It's a nice simple print. I don't particularly like it, but it's objectively good. I'm rationalizing all of
this and I'm moving on. Sun changes is one of
those mesmerizing, colorful geometric patterns that I never want to stop working on. Simple yet so powerful
and effective. This is a twist on an evergreen
polka dot pattern style. The arrangement is
pretty easy to make. I'm keeping the dots in a uniform line, but
slightly imperfect. Just as I made the
illustrations, all I need to work out is the
space in between the dots. Then I can spend hours playing with the
color arrangement. When this one repeats,
it's just captivating. This pattern is another
favorite of mine. I love the boldness and
playfulness of this print. When it place it next to the other designs,
it looks perfect. All right, it's time to make
the polyp colony print. The arrangement of this pattern is another twist on
the polka dot style, but with the elements
scattered around randomly. The polyp flowers are similar, but they do come in slightly
different sizes and have a variation of these
imperfect hand drawn shapes, which creates a lively
flow of this pattern. Repeat, rotating and moving the elements until it
all looks balanced. When I play this print next to the rest
of the collection, I can see that it needs to be in a different color palette. I'm going for an
opposite color style. Instead of dark blue
and light blue, I'm using cream and orange as the main colors
for this print. As you can see this time I'm not distributing
colors equally. I'm actually intentionally
making color clusters. Most of the poly
flowers will be orange. Then to break that
chain, I will use blue. And I mostly use this
type of color arrangement for blender patterns that have small elements or ditzy
prints, for example. Once again, this is how the final print looks next
to the other patterns. It's very fresh,
bright, and playful. Now it fits perfectly. This is the last print
of the collection. It wasn't even on my mind
when I started sketching, but I'm so glad I
made that change. This design is more
open and defined. The style matches the
other prints perfectly. This arrangement is
very easy to make. It's also a twist on
another evergreen pattern. Style stripes, simple,
bold, effective stripes. Something every
collection might need. Once the pattern swatch is made, I can test how to repeat. It works wonderfully well. It looks like it's
finally time to see the entire collection
of eight prints. This point seems so far
away when I started, but here I am. My ideas came to
life and by the sea, the pattern collection is completed and it looks
beautiful right now, I'm both tired and proud of
myself to celebrate this, I'll make a cup of tea and
take the time to appreciate the entire creative
process that led me here to this exact moment. It's been quite a
journey and I'm so glad I was able to
share it with you. There is so much excitement and having an idea and
starting a new project. But with time, the
initial enthusiasm fades, especially when you're
working on a long project. In this case, creating a
full pattern collection. What was once fun
turns into a chore. You might feel tired or start doubting the
entire endeavor. You might find yourself
daydreaming and procrastinating
and thinking about new shiny projects
you want to start. It's good to know you're
not the only one. It's a struggle to wrap
up a long project, and it takes mental strength
to quiet a noisy mind. Be persistent in following the goal you set up
at the beginning. This is where mindfulness
comes into play. Ultimately, all you
have to do is show up again and again
until it's finished. Seeing your patterns
come to life one by one until the collection is complete will give you a new
boost of energy. Just imagine the excitement you'll feel when you
license the collection and see the artwork come to life on fabrics or other products. Just keep it going.
You've got this.
10. Final Takeaway: Well guys, we're at the very end of this
documentary class. And I just wanted to say, thank you for spending
time with me and following my entire process of designing a full pattern collection
from start to finish. It was not an easy class
to film and put together, but I'm so glad I did it. I was a subject of my own
documentary experiment. At times very exposed,
vulnerable, and uncertain. Now, looking at it
from a distance, I can see how the entire
process unfolded. I can see my strength,
fears, and joy. I can see myself
getting entangled and detangled until it
all fell into place. This all leads me to
my final takeaway. Creating in itself is
a micro life journey. The more mindful
you become of it, the more gentle
your approach gets, the more you learn about
yourself. Now, come on. Don't let anything stop you from finishing that
project you started. I'll be here waiting to see
your new pattern collections. Hear about your
creative process and cheer you on towards achieving
your dreams and goals. By the way, I would love to hear what you think
about this class, so don't forget to
rate and review it. To get notified about
my next classes, follow me on Instagram at DD or subscribe to my newsletter
through my website. I'm sending you lots of
love and good wives. And I'll see you
in the next one.
Di Ujdi, Illustrator & Art Explorer
