From Drawing to Pattern in Adobe Illustrator – a Masterclass

From Drawing to Pattern in Adobe Illustrator – a Masterclass

Do you draw and are you looking to do more with your drawings? Do you want to create marketable digital assets? Are you ready to increase your Illustrator knowledge? Do you want to combine your drawings and your Illustrator skills in new ways?

Great!   

Welcome! 

This course is for you. It’s a fun and a practical way to learn Illustrator by taking your drawings and turning them into surface pattern designs. 

Here you’ll “learn by doing” as you make a range of seamless repeating patterns from your sketches. You can use these patterns for scrapbook papers, stock imagery, backgrounds and for your own projects. You could upload them to Spoonflower to make fabric and wallpaper, you can print them on book covers and mugs. There are literally hundreds of ways to make use of the patterns you’ll make in this course and you’ll be so proud when you say “I made that from my own art”.

Who is your trainer?

Helen Bradley has taught thousands of students to use Illustrator and Photoshop. She doesn’t fluff about and is focused on helping you learn to use Illustrator in a practical and smart way. Her workflows are carefully structured for maximum success and she explains everything so you know the ‘why’ as well as the ‘how’ of any process.

Helen has a huge commitment to her students’ learning – she answers all student questions and often adds extra videos to a course to help students with questions that others might also benefit from learning from.

What will you learn?

When you complete this course, you’ll:   

–       be able to digitize and vectorize your drawings and create surface pattern designs from them

–       create multiple color ways for your designs

–       save your designs in formats appropriate for various uses  

–       have learned new Illustrator tips and techniques that you can use every day 

–       be able to confidently create pattern filled objects from your art for a range of design and commercial uses

Do I hear you say “…but I don’t know how to use Illustrator (and frankly, I’m scared of it)”?

I understand!    

I’ve been there.

Illustrator can be really scary to use when you first start out.   

… but I’ve created a better way to learn Illustrator. One that makes it a lot less scary and a lot more fun.   

You see, you’ll learn to make patterns you can sell, give away on your blog, and use yourself. So you’ll be making designs that you can do something with at the same time that you are learning Illustrator. There’s no waiting! There’s no hours of learning before you can get started doing something. In fact you can start today. Simply draw a few simple designs (think leaves or flowers to start), then complete the first few lessons and you’ll have your first pattern made!    

Do I hear you say “… but I hate the Pen tool!”?

I understand! Most people hate the pen tool. You are not alone!

… I believe that Illustrator is so much more than its (dreaded) Pen tool – so we’ll use the pen tool only when we have to (which is practically never) and you’ll see just how much you can achieve without it.    

Are you ready to extend your Illustrator skills?

If you already know the basics of using Illustrator, taking this class will elevate your skills to a new level. You’ll learn to vectorize your drawings and use tools and techniques in a practical situation. You’ll reinforce your existing knowledge as you apply it to real world designs. And if we use tools you’ve never used before – great! You’ll learn to use them fast and easily so you understand how you can put them to work in your daily workflow.    

Do I hear you say “Please don’t waste my time”?

If there is one thing I hate it’s wasting time and you probably do too. 

So, I don’t say “um”, I don’t fluff about, I don’t make mistakes, I know my stuff and I show you how to do things efficiently and effectively. I speed up the videos where appropriate so you don’t get bored or distracted. 

I’m 100% focused on helping you learn.   

In short, I’ll get straight to the point and I’ll maximize what you learn in every class.   

So, what version of Illustrator do I need?

For this course, because we are using the Pattern Make tool which was introduced first in Illustrator CS6 you will need to have access to any version of Illustrator CC or Illustrator CS6. Unfortunately earlier versions of Illustrator won’t be suitable for this course.

Will I just learn to make patterns?

Well Yes, and No! 

Yes, you’ll learn to make patterns – lots of wonderful seamless repeating patterns incorporating your own art.

But you’ll also learn to use tools, like the Blob brush and the Smooth tool.

And you’ll learn techniques and tips for working everyday in Illustrator.

And you’ll learn to recolor your patterns. In fact, I’m willing to bet you’re going to fall in love with the Recolor Artwork tool as you use it to explore wonderful color schemes for your art.

You’ll get plenty of practice using Illustrator and you’ll grow in confidence with every lecture.

How will I learn?

This course is made up 100% of video content. You’ll watch my screen as I show you how each pattern is made. I’ll explain what I am doing and why so you can learn as you watch. 

Now you can (and should) use your own art as you follow along with these videos. But, in case you don’t have anything suitable to use right now, I’ll give you some of my drawings – in fact the exact drawings I use in the class – so you can follow along with me. 

Join me… 

I hope you will join me in this Illustrator class. I look forward to meeting you and I invite you to contact me if you have any questions as you work through the lectures.  

cheers!

Helen

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have access to the course materials?

You can view and review the lecture materials indefinitely, like an on-demand channel.

Can I take my courses with me wherever I go?

Definitely! If you have an internet connection, courses on Udemy are available on any device at any time. If you don’t have an internet connection, some instructors also let their students download course lectures. That’s up to the instructor though, so make sure you get on their good side!