Hello everyone!

It’s finally fall (yay) and the leaves here in the Chicago area are starting to change. I am looking forward to consistently cooler weather and curling up on the couch for some creative time.

What’s going on where you are?

I'm excited to announce my latest class is live and there is a new giveaway attached to this one (more details below)

In this class, "Textured Vector Florals in Affinity Designer V2," I'm going to dispel the myths that texture and vectors don't mix well, or aren't easy to use, and show you how to create beautiful, organic, textural floral shapes.

This 3.5 hour class is jam packed with info that I've purposely organized it in to three sections, with bite size lessons in each one. That way you can easily navigate through the class, step away when you need to, and quickly refer back to key tools, should you need to, in the future.

Here's a peek at what the class is all about...

Want to know more? Find the class here on my Skillshare profile.

I can't wait to see what you create, so please share your project to the class Project and Resources section!

With a new class, comes a new giveaway...

This one is a little different than those I've held in the past, starting with there will be two winners!

A Universal License for the Affinity Suite

The folks at Serif have graciously given me two Universal V2 licenses to give away. That means you would get all of the apps, on both the iPad and desktop (both Windows and Mac), a $165 value.

Gift Certificates to Retro Supply Company & True Grit Texture Supply

I am personally providing $25 gift cards to both Retro Supply Company and True Grit Texture Supply, two of my favorite brush makers for Affinity Designer, as well as other digital apps. I use several of their brushes throughout the class. Both winners will receive two gift cards (one to each brush maker) so you can stock up on more, fun digital assets.

1. Take my new class, share a review and a project.

**Please note, reviews must be shared to the Review section of the class, and the projects shared in the Projects & Resources section. I have included step by step instructions on how to do both in the PDF I provided with the class.**

2. Receive a bonus entry by sharing your project on Instagram and tagging me at @tracey.capone, and the folks at Serif at @affinitybyserif, using the hashtag, #madeinaffinity.

Serif LOVES to see, and share, what's created with their Affinity apps so share away!

The giveaway will run between now and October 15th at 11:59 CST. Once it's closed, I'll randomly choose two winners and share the results here on Skillshare!

I can't wait to see what you create!

Sooooo, while I'm not going to share specific dates (because if you've followed me for a while, you know how that goes), I will share what's coming up next here on my Skillshare channel...

I've been selling my photographic, and illustration, work online for over a decade and to scale mockups have been an integral part in not only setting my listings apart, but helping to sell larger pieces. They are also a great way to mock up gallery walls for potential buyers, to show them how several pieces would look together on their wall.

I've also used the mockup process when setting up art fair tents and my booth for the One of a Kind Show, one of the largest shows here in Chicago, so I could quickly get set up, with no time wasted. Being able to create your own mockups is not only a money saver, but a time saver as well!

In this class:

I'll show you how to use Affinity Designer's Measure tool to assign a drawing scale to a space in an image and create your own, to scale, realistic frame mockup using tools that are all found within Designer.

We'll review...

Best practices for sourcing free use images which will work well as mockups
How to use Affinity Designer's Measure tool to measure the space and assign a drawing scale to it, allowing you to create to scale frames in a variety of sizes.
How to create a realistic looking frame(s) for either a single image or a gallery wall
Best practices when creating custom mockups of potential buyers' walls, or your own!

The class will be taught on the iPad version of the app, however the process is exactly the same in the desktop version so you can easily follow along.

Next up, after this class...

Sensing a mockup theme going on?

Have you ever noticed there aren’t a ton of mockups created specifically for Affinity products? And, even though you can open Smart Objects created in Photoshop, they don’t always work as planned? Well, let’s create our own then! From scratch.

In class, we will create four mockups:

A textured label that can be used for your logo, or any design details you'd like to share
A mockup for three different designs complete with fabric folds
A realistic, textured swatch card with spots for your logo and collection info
A mockup of a stack of six patterns, complete with shadows and highlights

In the process of making these mockups, you will learn:

How to use the Shape and Pen tools to create the flat vector building blocks for your mockups.
How to work efficiently by creating a variety of different types of layers from a single shape
How to mimic real lighting situations and considerations you need to take in to account based on perspective
How to use the Fill Tool to create shadow gradients that mimic shadows on folds, giving the flat vectors dimension.
How to create multiple, multi directional gradients in a single layer, perfect for fabric folds
How to quickly add, and swap out, patterns from the Asset Studio using the Vector Flood Fill tool, so that you can re-use your mockups again and again
How to add texture to your objects using Place Image, the Stock Studio and more
How to add live, editable, text for branding purposes and blend it in to the text using Blend Ranges
Tips and tricks on taking your mockups a step further in making them look realistic, including bringing them in to Canva to add additional elements for atmosphere.

Have an idea for a class? I would love to hear it. These are two, of a list, of classes I'm working on, but I want to build my Skillshare channel around what my students want to see most. If you have a suggestion for a class, please feel free to note it below in the discussions, or email me at hello@traceycapone.com.

My husband, fellow Skillshare teacher Joe Smigielski, and I started The Creator Collage at the beginning of this year as a complement to our Skillshare lineup.

This is a free community for digital creatives of all skill levels, with experience in a range of different apps. It's a friendly, judgement free zone, where you can share your work, ask questions, share tips and tricks or learn a few new ones of your own! We would love to see you there!

Come join us in the Creator Collage!

On my YouTube channel, you'll find tons of shorter form tutorials (and a few longer ones as well) that complement my classes here on Skillshare. Want some quick tips on tools?

Head on over to my YouTube channel!

Here's one of my most recent tutorials, on Affinity Designer

As always, thank you for trusting me with your time and creativity! It means so much to me to be a part of your learning and creative journey. I'll see you in the next class!

Tracey Capone

Illustrator, Photographer & Designer

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