https://www.skillshare.com/en/classes/Surface-Pattern-Design-in-Affinity-Designer-V2-Linear-Geometric-Patterns/8017799

Horizontal, vertical, diagonal, wavy, zig zag… so many linear surface pattern designs start with one single line

How do we take that straight line and turn it in to those beautiful, linear, geometric patterns in Affinity Designer? Let’s find out!

Hi everyone! I’m Tracey, an illustrator, photographer and designer from the Chicago area, and welcome to class!

Welcome to the next class in my series of surface pattern design classes, called “Pattern Toolbox!” In this series of classes, we’ll focus on a specific pattern, or theme of patterns, in a variety of applications: the Affinity suite, Adobe, and Procreate. With each lesson, you’ll walk away from class with a new design for your portfolio, as well as experience in tools that can expand your creativity in surface pattern design and beyond.

In this class, we’re going to take a single, straight line and, using Affinity Designer V2, turn it in to a basic horizontal pattern, a diagonal, a wavy pattern, and a zig zag. I’ll show you my method for creating linear patterns that allow you to not only create your base pattern efficiently but make variations, quickly and easily as well.

It all starts with a single stroke with the Pen Tool…

  • The basics of linear pattern creation in Affinity Designer: We’ll start with a simple horizontal pattern, created with the Pen Tool and a single, straight stroke. I’ll show you how to start and end your pattern tile, as well as how to space and tile your final pattern, quickly and efficiently.
  • How to add multiple colors to a basic linear pattern: I’ll show you how to take your basic pattern from a single, solid line to a final pattern with multi colored lines of different stroke widths.
  • How to create a diagonal line pattern with ease: While one of the more challenging linear patterns to create correctly, I will show you several things to keep in mind as you create yours that will not only allow you to efficiently and consistently create a successful diagonal, but vary it easily.
  • How to create a wavy pattern that tiles correctly: The wavy pattern is about as forgiving as the basic linear pattern, as long as you keep a few things in mind when creating it. I’ll walk you step by step, through how to create a solid wavy line pattern, as well as how to vary it’s colors and stroke width.
  • How to create a successful zig zag pattern with a single stroke: I will show you how, taking one additional step when you begin your pattern, can help you efficiently create a tileable zig zag without having to duplicate or offset any of your lines to fill in gaps at the sides.