From sketch to finished pattern, this is how I create a repeating design
Nicola Mulryan
A pattern often looks simple when it's finished. The elements are in place, the colours work together, and the repetition flows without visible breaks. Behind the finished design however, there has been an intricate process to create the pattern design.
When I start a new pattern design, I usually follow a fairly set process. It can start on paper, with pencil lines which is formed into an illustration like the photo below or from a brief. Other times, I start directly on the drawing board in Adobe Illustrator with my Wacom tablet or iPad.
Regardless of the starting point, I move from the sketch to vector artwork. Each step has its own path. Some parts are free and playful. Others require patience, accuracy and the ability to see small mistakes before they become big mistakes.
A sketch gives the repeating pattern design a direction
The first sketch doesn't have to be perfect. It just needs to have something I can build on.
Often it's about capturing an idea, a shape or a small idea before it disappears. It could be a flower, a leaf, a bird, an abstract shape or a combination of several elements.
When I draw on paper, I use the sketch to trace on top of it, just like at art classes when we used tracing paper.
When I start drawing digitally, the process is the same as drawingon paper, the only difference is the posssibity to scale and delete parts more effectivily. I can move, rub out and adjust straight away. It makes it easier to try out multiple versions without starting from scratch.
At this stage I ask myself depending on the theme or brief:
What shapes do I want to repeat?
Should the pattern be dense or airy?
Does the subject need more small details?
Can the elements work alone, or do they have to support each other?
Is the expression graphic, abstact or organic?
The answers rarely come straight away. They emerge as I draw and think.
The illustration takes shape in Adobe Illustrator
Once the sketch has enough direction, I take it further into Adobe Illustrator. Here I work with vector graphics, high resolution, layers and lines. This is an important step because the illustration must be able to be used flexibly later.
Vector graphics make it possible to scale designs up and down without losing quality. This is useful when a pattern is to be used on different products, surfaces and textiles. A design that looks great on wallpaper in a large size may also need a smaller version for textiles. In that case, it is a great advantage that the shape remains sharp and scalable.
I can draw or trace as I mentioned earlier over an original sketch. Other times I just use the sketch as a reference and draw more freely. The choice depends on the idea or a brief.
The layers in Illustrator help me stay organised. I can have one layer for the sketch, one for main shapes, one for details, and one for test colours. As the design gets larger, keeping the elements organised saves a lot of time. It also makes it easier to go back and fix one part without ruining the rest.
One of the most practical things I make sure of is that the shapes are closed. It sounds technical, but it makes a big difference. Closed shapes make colouring easier and more precise. If a line is not closed, the colour when added can behave differently than expected. This often means I have to stop and clean up points, curves, and connections.
I work a lot with small adjustments in this phase. A leaf tip might need a little more curve. A stem might be too thick. A flower head might feel heavy in relation to the rest. Such changes are small individually, but they affect the whole design process.
This is also where the illustration or design begins to take on its character. The lines become clearer. The shapes gain more flow. I see which elements should be the main motif, and which can function as fill or background.
The colour palette determines the mood
Once the illustration is clear enough, I start working with colours. This is an important part of the process, but also one of the most demanding.
A colour palette can change the whole feel of the design. The design can become calm, fresh, warm, dark or playful, depending on the colours I choose. That's why I often create several combinations before I decide or to keep to the brief.
I like to start with a few main colours. Then I add supporting colours that can be used in small details or as a background. Too many colours can make the pattern feel too busy. Small shapes, thin lines, and colour transitions are easier to assess when the design is large on the screen. The finished design can always be scaled down later, but if I start too small, I can overlook details that should have been adjusted.
When I consider a palette, I look for:
Whether the main design stand out enough from the background
If small details disappear
If some colours dominate
Whether the whole thing feels empty or too busy
Whether the palette suits the material the pattern will be printed on
I also try to see the colours in the context of repetition. A colour that looks nice on one design can become too dominant when the design is repeated many times. I don't always notice this until I put the elements together to form a pattern.
Colours on screen and colours on finished products are also not always identical. The screen shows lighter colour and can look more colourful on a screen. That's why proofing is an important step later in the process. Still, I try to get as close as possible before the file is sent to production and a proof.
The repetition must feel seamless
Once the motifs have been drawn and the colours have begun to settle, work begins on the pattern itself. This is the point where the individual elements will become a whole.
A repeating pattern is built from a pattern tile. This tile is repeated side by side, both horizontally and vertically. If it is made correctly, the transition between the tiles should be invisible. The eye should not stop at the edge.
It sounds simple, but it can be a long process, especially when the pattern has a lot of detail.
I place the motifs, test the repetition, move them, test again and re-adjust. Sometimes it's quite a big change. Other times I move a small leaf a few millimetres because it creates an unwanted line in the repeat.
What I look for is rhythm and flow. The pattern needs to have movement without becoming chaotic. It needs to have variety without feeling random. If similar shapes end up too close together, they can create clumps. If the spacing between elements becomes too even, the pattern can seem chaotic.
Background elements are useful at this stage. Small leaves, dots, stems or simple shapes can fill in the gaps and tie the pattern together. At the same time, they should not become just filler for the sake of it. Every small part should contribute to the whole finished design.
I zoom in and out a great deal. Up close I may detect technical errors. From a distance I see the repetition. Both are necessary. A pattern can be technically perfect, but still feel unbalanced. It can also look nice from a distance, but have small flaws at the edges that become apparent when printed. Ooooppppps!
A seamless pattern is as much about what happens at the edges as what happens in the middle of the motif.
Once the repetition starts working, I do more tests. I look at the pattern in different sizes and copy the repeat over a larger area. This makes it easier to see if something is repeating normally.
The production file for the finished pattern must be neat and clear
Once I am happy with the repetition, I create the final pattern tile and move from sketch to finished pattern. This is the file that needs to be technically correct. There is very little room for error here!
Even a small mistake can lead to a visible break in the pattern and it does happen! Then it's back to the drawing board to put things right.
Once the tile is ready, I prepare the production file in Adobe Photoshop. Here I check the colours, resolution, details, and repetition again. I check that the file is in the correct format for further use and resolution, and that the pattern behaves as it should when repeated.
Photoshop is also useful for checking the overall impression. I can create a larger surface of the pattern and see how it works in practice. Sometimes I notice things that I didn't see in Adobe Illustrator. It could be a shape that creates too much weight, a colour that is too strong, or an area that seems empty, something I have overlooked!
Before uploading the file to Spoonflower, I go through a little mental checklist:
The repetition must be seamless
The colours must be how I want them.
No unwanted lines or open shapes should be visible
The design must work in the size I want to print it.
The test shows what the eye doesn't always see on the screen
The final step is to check a physical sample of the pattern. This is a crucial moment in the process. On screen, the design may look finished, but textiles or paper have their own way of showing colour, size, and detail.
When the sample arrives, I first look at the big picture. Does the pattern work as a flat surface? Is the size correct? Do the colours feel the way I had intended? Then I take a closer look at the details. I look for small breaks in the repetition, unexpected contrasts, and elements that either disappear or become too obvious.
Sometimes everything works straight away. Other times I notice something that needs to be changed. Then I go back to Adobe Illustrator and make the necessary corrections. It can be small adjustments, like moving an element or changing a colour. It can also be larger changes to the entire repeat.
This part may require a little patience, but it makes the design better. A pattern shouldn't just look nice as a digital file. It should work on different fabrics and surfaces. That's why the sample isn't just a formality. It's part of the design process.
Creating a repeating pattern is a creative process, but it is also detailed and technical. It starts with a an idea and ends with a design file that must repeat seamlessly at different scales. Every edge has to line up!
