Have you dreamed of creating an illustrated calendar, but felt overwhelmed by the idea of designing all twelve months? In this beginner-friendly class, you’ll start with just one finished calendar page to test your calendar theme, giving you a practical way to test your idea before committing to an entire collection.

Together, we’ll move from market research and theme selection to sketching, illustrating, and presenting your artwork as a calendar mockup. You’ll learn how to balance what you genuinely enjoy drawing with what customers may be searching for, while creating a style that is simple and repeatable enough to expand into a complete calendar.

What You’ll Learn

In this class, you’ll learn how to:

Research calendar themes and identify promising ideas
Consider keywords and customer interests before drawing
Choose a theme that feels both enjoyable and commercially relevant
Plan a composition using individual elements
Sketch on separate Procreate layers for greater flexibility
Build your layout from large focal elements to small fillers
Test colors and illustration styles before committing
Create a finished illustrated calendar page
Present your artwork in a simple calendar mockup
Gather feedback before creating the remaining eleven pages

Why Take This Class?

Creating twelve detailed illustrations before knowing whether your concept works can require a major investment of time. This class gives you a smaller, more achievable starting point.

By completing one page first, you can explore your theme, test your workflow, estimate how long each illustration will take, and decide whether the idea is right for a complete product. You’ll also practice finishing and sharing your work instead of getting trapped in endless revisions.

The process can be applied beyond calendars to art prints, greeting cards, surface pattern collections, print-on-demand products, and other illustrated goods.

Who This Class Is For

This class is suitable for:

Beginner and intermediate Procreate artists
Illustrators interested in designing physical or digital products
Surface pattern designers looking for new product ideas
Artists interested in selling at markets, online shops, or print-on-demand platforms
Anyone who wants to explore calendar design without beginning with twelve finished pages

Basic familiarity with Procreate will be helpful, but you do not need previous calendar-design experience and can work with any medium you prefer.

You are welcome to use a different digital drawing program or traditional materials if you can adapt the demonstrated workflow.

Materials and Resources

To follow, you’ll need:

An iPad
Procreate
An Apple Pencil or compatible stylus
OR the medium of your choice like watercolor or ink.
**Grab the class bonus here to help you with your calendar selling journey.**

A companion class resource will help you research your theme, plan your page, and prepare your project for sharing.

By the end of the class, you’ll have one completed calendar illustration and a repeatable process you can use to develop the rest of your calendar when you’re ready.

Nadine Kelley

Nature + Paint, Pencils & Pastels

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