Hey First name / friends!

 

Our next few weeks of drawing prompts are all inspired by wallpaper designs, so today I want to talk about the importance of seamless patterns! 

 

Wallpaper is one of those products that requires seamless repeating patterns. Why? Because in order for the pattern to tile seamlessly on such a large surface area, it needs to be set up as a repeat without any visible interruptions. 

 

Back in the day, I faked it with my patterns. I designed large enough illustrations that looked like a seamless pattern, but it wouldn't match up seamlessly if I tried to tile it together. This worked for smaller products like throw pillows, notecards, and journal covers, but not for larger products like fabric and wallpaper. 

 

Here's an example of one of my pieces that looked like a pattern on small products, but wasn't a true repeat pattern!

For years I didn't mess with learning how to make repeat patterns since I thought there was going to be too much calculation & precision involved. 😅

 

Eventually, I decided to take the leap and learn how to make a true seamless pattern, and it opened up countless licensing opportunities for me.

 

And guess what? It turned out to be wayyyyy simpler and way more fun than I expected. Now I can't stop making patterns!

 

 

I have a bunch of classes on this topic and blog posts to help you get started!

 

 

This week your challenge is to create a pattern featuring tropical florals! Tropical motifs are always on trend, and they're some of my top sellers across all product categories. Here's one of my tropical designs that's featured on wallpaper! 

 

Pick your favorite tropical flowers and foliage, and bring them together into a lush pattern filled with vacay vibes! 

Fun fact: This pattern started out as a standalone illustration, and I repurposed the elements into a pattern! It's all about working smarter, not harder!

I hope you all enjoyed this calming prompt! Here are a few of the submissions 

 

If you want to be featured in this newsletter and on my Instagram stories, make sure to use the hashtag #CreateWithCatCoq on Instagram and tag @catcoq in the actual photo you post so I can find your work! 

Have a fabulous week!