I started teaching myself how to design patterns in Adobe Illustrator in 2007. I’d discovered and become obsessed with design blogs (this was back in the inspiration-filled early days of blogging!), and that’s where/how I first learned about surface pattern design. I saw artists on my favorite blogs who were creating these amazing patterns and collaborating with cool companies to get their designs onto products like bedding, wallpaper, stationery, and notebooks. It had never occurred to me that there were actual people designing the things I saw in stores – fabric, notebooks, etc – and it was like a massive lightbulb went on and I knew surface pattern design was the path for me. I remember feeling like “why didn’t anyone tell me this could be my job??!”
The trouble was that I didn’t know how to use a computer for much more than email and reading blogs. The good news is that I didn’t let that stop me. It took me over a year (and lots of frustration) to learn how to use Illustrator and to make my first successful pattern that repeated properly, but it was the best feeling in the world! I was hooked. That was 18 years ago (ummmmm, how has it been that long omg), and designing patterns is still my very favorite thing. I’ve worked with dozens of companies and have designed hundreds of patterns, and it still lights me up now like it did then. I think that’s how you know you’re doing something right. If you still love it.
Anyway. I made a FREE 39-page PDF guide all about surface pattern design and how to get started if it’s something you’d like to learn more about. (Plus, it’s very pretty, if I do say so myself!)
I also teach a class called Pattern Camp, where you learn how to use Illustrator and design your own patterns in a super-short amount of time. Like, 2 days. It might seem impossible, but I promise you it’s not.
The next live Pattern Camp class is coming up on April 12-13, 2025 – it’s a fast-paced, no fluff approach to learning how to use the program and to get you designing patterns quickly – without all the frustration that I went through when I taught myself all those years ago. You can learn more about it right here.
It’s fun looking back on my first patterns and seeing how far I’ve come! I wonder what it’ll be like looking back on all this 18 years from now….. what a weird thought. Will I still be designing patterns? What will my life look like another 18 years from now? Contemplations for another day, perhaps…
For now, I hope you like the guide and find it helpful if you download it! Let me know if you have any q’s! :)
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