Surface Pattern Design Basics: Design seamless repeating patterns in Canva

[@fernandquill]

Want learn how to illustrate patterns on your iPad? Checkout my Skillshare class here: skl.sh/3VFagkp

[@Mscelliart]

Many thanks for all the info! You're a very good teacher & I really appreciate your teaching style. Looking forward to your next video.

[@asalvani82]

another tip for you, if you hold the shift button while moving it it will lock it as you move it. That way you are certain it stays on that line

[@fernandquill]

Great tip, thanks for sharing with us 😊

[@valentinagenova439]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! ❤❤❤

[@joybenoit566]

GREAT job Michelle! Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and pro tips for making seamless prints! Time to get creative!

[@fernandquill]

You're most welcome! Have fun!! 😄

[@thereal80sfan]

This is gold. Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks so much!

[@fernandquill]

You're very welcome ☺️

[@brigitteklassen8397]

The most comprehensive tutorial I have seen! You are a great teacher. Thank you!

[@fernandquill]

That's very kind of you, thank you so much 😍

[@curranlouise]

Thank you, for the first time I have found a easy way to create seamless patterns.

[@fernandquill]

I'm so pleased you found the video helpful, thank you!

[@sharonmb8817]

Michelle , this was so much fun doing it with you!! Now for me to play around some more!

[@fernandquill]

Yaaaay! I'm so glad you had fun. Enjoy 😃

[@tumo27]

Useful tips and techniques

[@fernandquill]

Thank you! I'm glad you found them useful 🙂

[@ImogenShade]

This is the best tutorial I’ve seen on seamless repeating patterns! Thank you for providing this educational service!☺️

[@fernandquill]

Oh I'm so glad it was helpful, thank you 😊

[@lilianamunoz5601]

¡Estoy de acuerdo contigo!🎉

[@janetalabi-wi2ut]

This is a very good job. Thank you.

[@fernandquill]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

[@candymorrison6991]

Brilliant tutorial. 💯%

[@fernandquill]

Thank you, I'm so pleased you found it helpful 😊

[@melaniescheller188]

Thank you so much for sharing this. This is a wonderfully clear, concise explanation of how to do this.

[@fernandquill]

You're so very welcome, I'm glad you found it helpful.

[@Abbbpash]

Immaculate Tutorial and love your Aussie accent btw

[@fernandquill]

Thanks 😀

[@shaunaoc]

Great tutorial!! The best I’ve seen. Really appreciated the grid and the guide tips. Thanks ❤

[@fernandquill]

You're very welcome, I'm so glad you enjoyed it 😊

[@candycarlile3853]

Michelle you are an excellent teacher1 I have been watching videos for days trying to understand how to do this! I am trying to make my first designs for Spoonflower and they provide no help at all for beginners. I was going to give it one last day before giving up completely and happened upon your video. It is absolutely a Godsend for my fledgling business! Can’t thank you enough (

[@fernandquill]

Oooooooh you have NO idea how happy this makes me!! Thank you so much for sharing, and I'm so pleased you found my video and that it was so helpful for you! ❤️

[@valentinagenova439]

I'm so happy KZbin showed me your tutorial. I needed just that. I am happy to subscribe to your channel and will recommend it. Thank you so much!❤❤❤

[@valentinagenova439]

I have a question - how do you put the design on an item? For example on a T-shirt.

[@fernandquill]

Thank you so much Valentina, I appreciate your support 💜 For putting the design on a t-shirt, do you mean getting it printed on an actual shirt, or do you mean creating a mock-up digital image of the pattern on a shirt?

[@amandataylor4537]

This is an awesome video. It gave me so many ideas for my POD niche. Thank you!!!

[@fernandquill]

Wonderful! I'm glad you enjoyed it 😀

[@AngelaCollins-zn3il]

This was wonderful, very clear!!

[@fernandquill]

Thank you Angela, I'm so pleased you enjoyed it ☺️

[@digitalmumlife1]

That’s was super cool tutorial 🎉

[@fernandquill]

Aw thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it 🥰

[@niameanspurpose]

awesome! thank u f😊r sharing🎉

[@fernandquill]

You're welcome 😊

[@lilianamunoz5601]

Michelle nuevamente gracias. Me ENCANTÓ este tutorial. Aprendí un montón. ❤

[@fernandquill]

You're very welcome Liliana 💜

[@WisSotaGirlDesigns]

Excellent! Thanks so much - great tutorial- didn’t know if I ought to be concerned with the lines I still see. Will those be visible?

[@fernandquill]

Ah yes those lines are super frustrating! Here are a couple of possible fixes: 1) Try a larger artboard/canvas (perhaps 3000px) and set up your pattern tile side by side there. 2) Add a background colour to your artboard to match the background of your pattern. This will make any hairlines less obvious.

[@yolaamz6015]

👍👍👍Thanks you very much. GREAT VIDEO. Blessings. 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@fernandquill]

You're very welcome, glad you enjoyed it 😊

[@MissMolly3377]

The 4x4 grid never works for me, either, I still always have a white line. It’s so frustrating. I saw someone else using Photopea, after making the design, and it’s more accurate, it doesn’t give those lines.

[@fernandquill]

Yes, it's a very frustrating part of the process, with it being more obvious with some pattern colours than others. I find better success when placing the image rather than using frames, and it helps to make the background colour in Canva the same as the background in your pattern. But we win some we lose some 🤷‍♀️

[@jillian1579]

Awesome video!! THANK YOU!!

[@fernandquill]

You're very welcome, I'm glad you enjoyed it ☺️

[@eileenoneill9294]

Brilliant Thank you

[@fernandquill]

You're most welcome ☺️

[@danajohnson4438]

Thank you for the tutorial! Can you possibly do a tutorial on how to do a seamless name pattern?

[@fernandquill]

You're welcome, I'm glad you enjoyed it. That's a great idea! I'll let you know if I create that video.

[@bubblegum505]

Yay !!

[@lolychic]

Hello:) Thank you for this video! Very helpful, however I do not have a grid on my board...how do I access it?Thank You:)

[@fernandquill]

Hiya 😊 The purple lines that you see in my video when I'm moving my shapes through the centre of the frame (Refer to video at 03:00 ) - these lines should be there as default settings. You can temporarily turn them off while holding Control/Command - but I'm not sure if this will temporarily turn them on for you. Perhaps give it a try? You used to be able to toggle the auto align feature on and off in the settings, but now that I'm looking for it, I can't find it. Can you try the control/command thing and see if it works? If no, I'll do some research.

[@sophieca6906]

Wonderful teaching. Thank you! BTW, I dont see the horizontal and vertical rulers in my canvas. Would you or anyone please let me know how to open the rulers? Thanks.

[@fernandquill]

Thank you Sophie! Yes, sure I have a video that shows you how to manually add guides to your canvas. Watch this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jInMkHh8ZqimnpY Specifically at the 08:35 minute mark where I talk about custom guides. Your settings will be there too.

[@southernbellcooks5175]

Hi! This is fantastic! Thanks so much! Can you please tell me the size of your artboard? TIA

[@fernandquill]

Sure! I typically start with an artboard of 1000x1000 pixels. Usually that's enough for most projects but you can adjust as needed depending on what you need the pattern for.

[@southernbellcooks5175]

@@fernandquill Thank you!

[@hilarylauren6112]

Is there any way to get rid of the thin white lines between the assembled patterns? I can't find any solution anywhere to this problem.

[@fernandquill]

Hey Hilary! Are you still seeing the white lines when you export or zoom all the way in? Sometimes it's just an artefact that you can see on screen that isn't actually there. Try zooming right in and see if they're still there. If not all good, but if you can still see them let me know.

[@hilarylauren6112]

@@fernandquill yes they’re still there. And they’re also visible on my product designs after exporting the files as both jpeg and png files

[@fernandquill]

@@hilarylauren6112 I see. Which method are you using to test your pattern tile? Are you using the 4 grid frames or resizing them?

[@hilarylauren6112]

@@fernandquill I resize and then duplicate the image. I’ve tried using grid frames as well and even those leave lines

[@fernandquill]

@@hilarylauren6112 Ok thanks. Here are the checks that I'd do on my own pattern: Double check there is 0 border set on the grids, or when resizing the tile make sure they snap to the guides. I'm assuming you've done that so I'm wondering if you're using a smaller artboard/canvas size. Can you try increasing the size of your artboard to 2000 x 2000 pixels and try again? Keen to hear if that's the issue.

[@elincelina]

Thanks for an awesome video. I have just made 20 12x12in patterns i want to upload on canva but i cant find out how. Do i have to upload from Canva with pdf to get 300pdi and do i have to give customers a link from google drive? I also saved mine with the 4 images stuck together on the frame but seems like im not suppose to do that 🙈 Thank you ❤

[@fernandquill]

Hey, thanks for asking! If you can check your patterns to see how many pixels they are, then you won't really need to worry about DPI. Canva won't allow you to control the resolution (DPI or PPI) but you can control the export size in pixels. So, if you export your patterns at around 4000 x 4000px then you'll have a pattern that can be printed at 12inches at 300DPI. Let me know if I need to explain more, I know the DPI is a confusing topic. As far as providing the link for customers - can I ask where you're selling your patterns? Often you can compress your patterns into a Zip folder and upload that. For example, if you're selling on Etsy you can upload the Zip folder. Let me know the details and I can give you a better answer 😊

[@elincelina]

@fernandquill Thank you 🙌 I meant upload to Etsy. I see people sell them as JPG and I have heard it's only PDF that can give 300dpi, but it might be wrong. I used size 3600x3600. Yes true, zipfolder or 5 files or a link from Google drive? I'm confused 😅 Is it ok to upload them to etsy after I stuck 4 together on a grid or should i just upload the simple 1 as u did or is it irrelevant. I have uploaded on etsy before but I have always followed tutorials to be sure, and I don't find the same info for digital patterns... thank you and sorry for needing everything in with teaspoons 🤭

[@fernandquill]

@@elincelina Oh please don't be sorry, asking others is how we learn! Well, it's faster than trial and error 🥴 The PDF and 300dpi is a myth, other file types can support that resolution too. Industry standard would be to deliver the files as JPEG, PNG or EPS (although EPS is only for vector patterns created in apps like Illustrator). You only need to upload the pattern tile (the repeat) as one single image. So you don't need to line up four. If it's via Etsy, I would recommend compressing the files into a Zip folder and uploading that straight to Etsy when you upload them as the product. Would you find tutorials on this kind of thing to be helpful?

[@elincelina]

Thank you so much. Yes I would find it very helpful, have been researching for days and didn't found exactly what I was looking for. Its like driving alone the first time, so much insecurities lol But thanks again, I'm finally doing the listing now 🙌 I appreciate

[@normanyam4917]

Hello, I tried your method of creating 4 circles on the same page, two purplish and two bluish green. I found it very difficult to place the exact half of a circle on both the left and right sides. Turn out that the left side of my circle is larger than the half on the right. Could you tell how me how to do it the right way please? Thanks much!

[@fernandquill]

Hi Norman, sorry to hear you're having some trouble with the process. Can I ask, are you seeing the purple guidelines appear when you try to line them up? These guidelines are very important when positioning them properly, but I've heard a very small number of people don't have those guides. Let me know, and if not we can keep troubleshooting.

[@normanyam4917]

@@fernandquill

[@normanyam4917]

Hi Michelle, Thanks for your immediate reply! Yes, I saw those purple lines after clicking Position but do not know how to use them. Could you briefly explain? Thanks a heap!

[@fernandquill]

@@normanyam4917 no problem, I happened to be on KZbin when you commented so happy to help. If you rewatch the section starting at 03:22 of the video, I show you the purple guides and how they allow you to snap the circle exactly in the right place. When you hover your circle slowly on the edge you should be able to see when it "snaps" halfway across. You'll know when it is exactly half way because there will be a magenta/purple line appear along the whole side of your design. Let me know if that helps!

[@normanyam4917]

@@fernandquillThanks so much Michelle. I'll take a closer look. Just want to say I have been so inspired by your amazing works!

[@lana5946]

I’m new. How to make it vector?

[@fernandquill]

One of the limitations of Canva is that you won't be able to make vector repeating patterns. If you'd like to learn how to make vector patterns then I'd recommend learning how to do this in Illustrator. A whole new world will open up for you then! 😃

[@Leo-pf3cd]

Thank you I have tried to do repeating patterns, I have tried but most of the time pattern is off, it is placement where to put them to create interesting pattern

[@fernandquill]

Hey! It can be tricky to create interesting patterns, and I would struggle to teach that. I find it's more about testing, checking and tweaking to create the look you're going for. As for them not lining up, it's all about making sure both sides are set at exactly half way each side. If they're off by even 1 pixel, they won't line up. Keep trying!

[@Leo-pf3cd]

@@fernandquill thank you Michelle will on practicing

[@dianeovercash6739]

How do you know how far down to bring the image from the top to make sure it lines up with each other?

[@fernandquill]

Hey Diane! It's something you'll have to play around with, trial and error. Keep trying new distances and you'll see what looks good. But use your guides as they always help you stay lined up.

[@dianeovercash6739]

@@fernandquill thank you so much. I'm just getting started. I love it. though.

[@MarleyJ]

But Canva doesn’t I believe yet upload in 300dpi ? Is that so

[@fernandquill]

Yes, I believe that's correct.