Hey First name / friends!

 

Last week, we talked a lot about seamless patterns and why it's important to have them in your portfolio. 

 

Today, I want to share the type of pattern that surface designers always forget to make. 

 

Simple patterns!

 

Here's why they're often forgotten. We're artists! We want to create fun, intricate illustrations that will make people happy. I personally looooove the challenge of designing a complex pattern filled with lots of different motifs and colors. 

 

But you want to know a secret? My simple patterns get licensed way more often than you might expect! And I don't want you to miss out on any opportunities like this!

 

So it's time to take a look at your portfolio and make sure you have some simple patterns in there too. 

 

If you're not sure what a simple pattern is, it's basically just a pattern with less complicated motifs that's a little more neutral. Often, it complements more complex hero illustrations or patterns in a collection. Think polka dots, stripes, small florals, etc. If you want to learn more about simple patterns, check out this blog post I wrote about how to design them!

 

Here's an example of some of the simple patterns in my African Safari collection!

One thing that can make a simple pattern stand out and feel a little more interesting is to create it by hand. My watercolor herringbone pattern has been licensed on wallpaper for years, and continues to sell well because it's neutral enough to appeal to a wide audience, but has the extra level of interest from the charming hand-painted imperfections throughout the design.

 

Your challenge this week is to create a simple geometric pattern, but draw it by hand for that extra level of interest. 

 

Here are some example to give you an idea of what kind of pattern you might want to make: polka dots, stripes, herringbone, checkers/gingham, diamonds, scallops, etc.

I hope you all enjoyed this fun floral 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!