Here’s What You’ll Experience During Doodles Coaching Week
There’s a magnificent thing that happens when you make your very first repeating pattern.
So, What Exactly Is a Repeating Pattern?
When was the last time you wrapped a gift? Think about the wrapping paper you used. Maybe it was covered with flowers, stars, Christmas trees, stripes or some other design. Whatever the artwork was, it repeated over and over again from one end of the paper to the other.
That’s a repeating pattern.
The same thing happens on fabric. If you have a favorite blouse with a design on it, look closely. The artwork probably repeats from side to side and from top to bottom. Once you know what you’re looking for, you’ll start seeing repeating patterns everywhere.
The individual drawings inside a pattern are called motifs. A motif might be a flower, a leaf, a bird, a star, a mushroom or even one of those simple doodles you draw without really thinking about it. Surface pattern design is simply the process of taking those motifs and arranging them so the design can repeat across a surface.
And during Doodles Coaching Week, that’s exactly what I’m going to show you how to do. You’re going to start with one of your own simple doodles or sketches and use Adobe Illustrator to turn it into a repeating pattern.
Now, if those two words — Adobe Illustrator — just made your shoulders creep up toward your ears, I understand. Probably better than you think.
“You Can Teach Me How to Do That in Just a Week?”
Yes.
And here’s something that’s really important for you to know about me. I didn’t learn Adobe Illustrator when I was 22. I learned it when I was in my late 50s.
I remember opening it for the first time and looking at all those tools, panels, buttons and menus and thinking, “What in the world am I supposed to do with all of this?” Illustrator is an incredibly powerful program, but you do not need to learn everything Illustrator can do to create your first repeating pattern.
That’s why I’ve designed Doodles Coaching Week the way I have.
I’m going to show you how to use Illustrator for one very specific purpose. We’re going to keep your artwork simple, and I’m going to walk you through the process step by step by step.
Our live lessons begin at 10:00 a.m. Pacific, and I keep them to about 30 minutes because I know you’re busy. If you can join me live, wonderful. You’ll watch me demonstrate everything right there on the screen.
But maybe you work full-time. Maybe you work part-time. Or maybe you’re retired but somehow your calendar is fuller than it ever was when you were working. That’s okay. You don’t have to join me live in order to participate.
I send the replay out that afternoon, so you can come back to the lesson when it works for you. And honestly, even if you do watch me live, you may want to watch the replay too. When you’re learning software, being able to stop the video is incredibly helpful. You can pause, try the step yourself, go back and watch me click something again, check your own screen and then move on when you’re ready.
And You’ll Have the Steps Right Beside You
Video isn’t the only way I teach you.
Each of the core lessons also comes with a downloadable, step-by-step written guide. This is one of the things students rave about, and I understand why. I love having written instructions in front of me when I’m learning something new, so I created the kind of guides I would want myself.
You can print them out and keep them right beside your computer. They include screenshots and arrows showing you exactly what I’m clicking on next, so you can compare what you’re seeing on your screen with what you should be seeing in the lesson.
That means you have several ways to learn the same thing. You can watch me demonstrate it live. You can watch the recording again and stop or rewind whenever you need to. And you have written directions beside you while you work.
For me, that combination matters because everybody learns differently. Some people need to see it. Some people need to hear it. Some people really need those written steps.
And a lot of us need all three.
And When You Get Stuck, You Can Ask
This may be the most important part of the whole experience, because at some point something probably won’t look exactly the way you expected it to.
That’s normal.
Maybe you missed a click. Maybe something disappeared. Maybe your screen looks different from mine. Maybe you followed the directions — or you think you did — and your pattern isn’t doing what it’s supposed to do.
That’s exactly why Doodles Coaching Week isn’t just a collection of videos.
You’ll also be inside our pop-up Facebook community, where you can share your work, ask questions and get feedback from me. You’ll be surrounded by other creative women who are learning right alongside you.
You don’t have to sit alone at your computer wondering what went wrong. You can ask. We figure it out. And you keep going.
That combination of live demonstration, same-day replays, written step-by-step guides and a community where you can get help is what makes this a true coaching experience.
Don’t Just Take My Word for It
I can tell you how carefully I’ve designed Doodles Coaching Week and how it supports you even if you’ve never opened Adobe Illustrator before, but I’d rather let some of my students tell you.
Allison said:
“You don’t go too fast, you humbly repeat yourself and you break it down into small, bite-size steps.”
Angela described the experience this way:
“You are so detailed and accessible.”
And Alida summed up something I work very hard to create:
“I like the short — DOABLE — lessons.”
That word — doable — means a lot to me.
Because that’s exactly what I want you to feel when you come into Doodles Coaching Week. Not rushed. Not intimidated. Not like you’ve somehow fallen behind before you’ve even begun.
Supported.
Wanting to Learn Is One Thing. Actually Doing It Is Another.
Maybe you’ve had the feeling for a long time that there’s more you could do with your creativity. Maybe you’ve imagined seeing one of your own designs on fabric, wrapping paper, stationery or another product and thought, “I’d love to know how to do that.”
But wanting to learn something and actually sitting down and doing it are two very different things.
Learning something new means following the steps, trying, getting something wrong, giving yourself some grace, asking a question and trying again. It means staying with it instead of deciding that one frustrating moment means you can’t do this.
That’s why the environment matters so much.
You don’t need to arrive knowing what you’re doing. You don’t need to be “good with technology.” And you don’t need hours and hours every day.
You need a simple doodle, a computer, Adobe Illustrator and a willingness to follow along.
I’ll take care of showing you the steps.
Come Do This With Me
Doodles Coaching Week starts Monday, September 28, and early-bird seats are only $37.
For $37, you’re not buying a couple of videos and hoping you figure it out. You’re joining me for a live learning experience designed to help you take one of your own simple drawings and turn it into a repeating pattern in Adobe Illustrator.
You’ll have short lessons, same-day replays, written step-by-step guides, a community where you can ask questions and me right there showing you what to do next.
If you’ve been thinking, “I would really love to know how to do this,” this is your opportunity to stop leaving it on the someday list.
Bring me a doodle.
Join me for Doodles Coaching Week for $37 →
Let’s turn it into a repeating pattern together.
xo,
Anne
It’s Never Too Late to Create®
More Resources for You!
Check out my new Video Podcast on YouTube!
Ready to create your first repeating pattern in Adobe Illustrator with me by your side? Join the From Doodles to Dollars® Coaching Week.
Grab your early-bird ticket HERE.
The Creative Business Spark Podcast.
Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Check out the latest episodes HERE.
MEET ANNE
Hi…I’m Anne!
My creative inspiration comes from a lifetime of observation. I grew up in Paris on the Place St. Sulpice and walked to school through the Luxembourg gardens. And that was only the beginning… Learn more by watching the video on my About page.
