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Surface Pattern Design by Hand

Repeat Patterns on Paper

Skillshare

With me, Di Ujdi, as your instructor, we’ll start by sketching the repeat tile directly on the paper. I’ll show you how to plan ahead and prepare the design to be traced in a way that you can preserve the repeat elements without cutting them off. I’ll use acrylic inks to paint the design and achieve those lovely textures. And finally, I’ll show you how to assemble everything in Photoshop without a lot of editing and create the final pattern repeat.

If you’re bored with what you can do on your iPad, you’re eager to use physical mediums, work with your hands and be more involved with the process of pattern making; then this class is definitely for you.

Let’s get started!

Instructor bio:

Di Ujdi (Nina) is an illustrator and surface pattern designer best known for her bold floral motifs and playful, stylized illustrations. Inspired by nature and color, her work celebrates the beauty of the world in a bright, joyful way.

As a Skillshare Top Teacher, Nina is passionate about sharing her creative process and helping others discover their own artistic voice. Through teaching, she hopes to inspire and support learners on their creative journey while continuing to learn and grow herself.

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What's inside

Syllabus

Getting Started with Repeat Patterns

In this foundational module, you’ll be introduced to the core principles of surface pattern design and the repeat pattern process. You’ll begin your own design project by identifying your personal style and gathering inspiration. You'll also review the essential tools and materials needed for creating patterns by hand. By the end of this module, you’ll have a solid understanding of how repeat patterns work and be ready to begin sketching your first design.

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Career center

Learners who complete Surface Pattern Design by Hand: Repeat Patterns on Paper will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Surface Pattern Designer

A Surface Pattern Designer creates original, repeatable designs for various products, from textiles to stationery. This course is a direct pathway to becoming a successful Surface Pattern Designer. It immerses you in the core principles of surface pattern design, guiding you through identifying your personal style and gathering inspiration. You will master the process of creating paper-based repeat patterns using analog methods, including sketching, tracing, and painting motifs with acrylic inks. The course then transitions your hand-drawn art to a digital format using simple tools for cleaning up, aligning, and exporting, equipping you with a complete workflow for professional pattern creation.

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Textile Designer

A Textile Designer creates patterns and designs specifically for fabrics used in fashion, interiors, and industrial applications. This course offers an exceptional foundation for aspiring Textile Designers, emphasizing the crucial skill of developing repeat patterns. Learners will engage with traditional techniques for pattern creation on paper, including sketching, tracing, and painting motifs, which helps build a deep understanding of composition and repetition critical for textiles. The instruction on digitizing hand-drawn patterns using simple tools for aligning and exporting ensures designs are ready for fabric production, blending artistic craft with practical application for this demanding field.

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Wallpaper Designer

A Wallpaper Designer specializes in creating continuous, aesthetic patterns specifically tailored for wall coverings, blending artistic vision with spatial design. This course is highly relevant for a Wallpaper Designer, offering a comprehensive understanding and hands-on experience in repeat pattern creation. You will delve into the foundational principles, from sketching repeat tiles directly on paper to painting with acrylic inks to achieve rich textures. The detailed instruction on preserving repeat elements and assembling everything digitally using simple tools ensures designs are seamless and professional, which is crucial for manufacturing visually impactful wallpaper collections.

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Textile Artist

A Textile Artist explores artistic expression through various fabric-based mediums, often developing unique patterns and textures. This course provides an excellent foundation for a Textile Artist, deeply engaging with the artistic process of pattern making by hand. You will develop a strong understanding of repeat patterns, experimenting with motif creation, composition, and color using physical mediums like acrylic inks on paper. The focus on discovering your artistic voice and the hands-on approach helps cultivate a distinctive style. While primarily analog, the basic digitization module assists in documenting and preparing unique patterns for further textile art applications.

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Print Designer

A Print Designer develops visual designs and patterns for a wide array of printed materials, spanning stationery, packaging, apparel, and home decor. This course provides highly relevant skills for a Print Designer by focusing on the creation of original surface patterns. You will learn to conceive and execute repeat patterns by hand using analog methods, such as sketching and painting with acrylic inks, leading to distinctive textures. The final module, which covers digitizing, cleaning up, and exporting your hand-drawn patterns using simple digital tools, directly prepares you for preparing designs for production across diverse printing applications.

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Fashion Designer

A Fashion Designer creates original clothing, accessories, and overall apparel collections, often incorporating unique textile prints and patterns. This course provides invaluable skills for a Fashion Designer looking to develop their own signature fabric designs. It teaches the complete process of creating repeat patterns by hand, from initial sketches on paper to painting with vibrant acrylic inks, helping to build unique textures. The focus on personal style and the principles of repetition are directly applicable. Learning to digitize and prepare these patterns using simple digital tools ensures your custom designs are production-ready for integration into fashion lines.

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Licensing Artist

A Licensing Artist creates artwork, often patterns and illustrations, to be licensed for use on a vast range of products, generating intellectual property income. This course is exceptionally well-suited for an aspiring Licensing Artist, as it directly teaches the creation of marketable surface patterns. You will learn to develop repeat patterns from conception—sketching and planning—through to execution using analog painting with acrylic inks. The emphasis on identifying personal style helps cultivate a unique artistic voice, which is paramount for licensing. The module on digitizing and exporting your patterns ensures your creations are ready for professional presentation and submission to potential licensees.

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Illustrator

An Illustrator creates images and visual narratives for various media, including books, magazines, and digital platforms. For an Illustrator wanting to expand their artistic repertoire, this course provides a unique approach to visual creation. It helps build skills in developing original motifs and refining artistic composition, which are vital for creating engaging illustrations. By exploring personal style and gathering inspiration, learners can infuse their illustrations with a distinctive voice. The hands-on process of sketching, tracing, and painting with physical mediums like acrylic inks helps develop a tangible, expressive style that can differentiate any Illustrator's work.

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Homeware Designer

A Homeware Designer creates a range of decorative and functional items for the home, such as bedding, tableware, and soft furnishings. This course is highly beneficial for a Homeware Designer, as it directly addresses the creation of appealing surface patterns. You will gain expertise in developing cohesive visual themes and repeat patterns using analog methods, including sketching and painting with acrylic inks. The instruction on preparing designs to preserve repeat elements and the final module on digitizing and exporting with simple tools ensure patterns are ready for various homeware applications, allowing for unique aesthetic contributions to product lines.

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Greeting Card Designer

A Greeting Card Designer creates compelling visual designs and illustrations for cards that convey messages and emotions. This course is particularly helpful for a Greeting Card Designer seeking to infuse their work with a distinct, hand-crafted charm. It focuses on developing playful, stylized motifs and compositions, often inspired by nature and color, which resonate well in this market. The analog process of sketching, tracing, and painting with acrylic inks helps cultivate a unique artistic voice. Learning to digitize and export these unique patterns, even with simple tools, prepares you to create original, print-ready designs for various greeting card occasions.

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Product Designer

A Product Designer conceptualizes and develops products, often considering both functionality and aesthetic appeal. For those focusing on decorative or visually driven products, this course may be useful. It helps build skills in creating unique surface patterns by hand, employing techniques like sketching and painting with acrylic inks on paper. This ability to generate original artwork can significantly enhance product differentiation in areas such as ceramics, consumer goods, or homeware. Learning to digitize and align these patterns, even with simple tools, prepares a Product Designer to integrate custom designs into product specifications for manufacturing.

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Art Educator

An Art Educator teaches artistic principles and techniques to students across various age groups and skill levels. This course may be useful for an Art Educator, particularly one focusing on traditional and hands-on creative processes. It explicitly details an easy and beginner-friendly method for analogue pattern-making, involving sketching, tracing, and painting with acrylic inks. The structured approach to identifying personal style, gathering inspiration, and developing repeat patterns by hand provides a clear framework that can be adapted for teaching, helping others discover their artistic voice and master foundational design concepts.

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Retail Display Designer

A Retail Display Designer creates engaging visual arrangements and presentations for stores to attract customers and showcase products effectively. This course may be useful for a Retail Display Designer seeking to incorporate custom visual elements into their installations. The ability to create distinctive surface patterns by hand, blending personal style with cohesive visual themes, can help enhance brand messaging and product appeal. Understanding even simple digital export of these patterns ensures they can be adapted for various display materials, from custom backdrops to unique packaging elements within the retail environment.

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Set Designer

A Set Designer creates the visual environment for theatrical productions, film, or events, often crafting backdrops and props. This course may be useful for a Set Designer when considering decorative elements and surface treatments within their designs. Understanding how repeat patterns are created by hand, from initial sketching to painting with acrylic inks, can inform the creation of unique textures and visual rhythms for stage or screen. The principles of composition and preserving repeat elements, even in a basic digital format, may help in conceptualizing and communicating patterned design components for set construction.

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User Interface Designer

A User Interface Designer focuses on creating intuitive and aesthetically pleasing interfaces for software, websites, and applications. This course may be useful for a User Interface Designer who aims to integrate unique, custom-designed patterns into backgrounds, textures, or decorative elements within user interfaces. While the course emphasizes analog creation, the final module on digitizing and exporting hand-drawn patterns using simple tools prepares one to bring distinctive artistic textures and repeat patterns into a digital environment, enhancing the visual appeal and brand consistency of digital products.

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Reading list

We've selected 50 books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Surface Pattern Design by Hand: Repeat Patterns on Paper.

The Story of Art - 16th Edition

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Provides a comprehensive and accessible overview of the history of art, with a significant focus on painting. It is an excellent starting point for gaining a broad understanding of the evolution of painting styles, movements, and key artists across different periods and cultures. It is widely considered a foundational text for anyone interested in art history.

Surface Pattern Design by Hand

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What's inside

Syllabus

Save this course

Career center

Reading list

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