Last week, I shared how exciting it can be to see one of your own repeating patterns on a real product.
I told you about my love of coffee mugs and how much I enjoy creating my own Christmas wrapping paper.
But there's something else that's really interesting about seeing patterns on products.
A design can look wonderful on your computer screen and feel completely different when you see it on something you can actually use.
And that brings up a question I think is worth exploring.
What makes a pattern look beautiful on a product?
Of course, beauty is personal. We all have our own tastes and preferences.
But there are a few things that can make an enormous difference.
And since the holidays are coming, I thought we'd explore them using something I especially love.
Christmas wrapping paper!
The Size of Your Motifs Really Matters
Let's start with something called scale.
Scale simply refers to how large or small the elements of your pattern appear on a product.
Imagine you've created a repeating pattern filled with little Christmas trees.
Now imagine printing that pattern on a roll of wrapping paper.
If the trees are very large, you might only see a few of them on a small wrapped gift.
But if the trees are much smaller, you could see dozens of them scattered across that same present.
It's the exact same subject, but the feeling is completely different.
Neither one is necessarily better.
A pattern with large motifs can be bold and dramatic.
A pattern with tiny motifs can feel delicate and charming.
The important thing is to think about where the design is going to live.
A pattern that looks wonderful on a large piece of wrapping paper might need to be adjusted if you want to put it on a coffee mug.
And a design that looks adorable on a mug might feel a little lost if you printed it at the same scale on something much larger.
That's one reason seeing your artwork on a physical product is so helpful.
It gives you a sense of whether the scale feels right.
You Don't Need Lots of Colors to Make a Beautiful Design
Here's something I find fascinating.
Some of the most beautiful repeating patterns use only a handful of colors.
And sometimes they use just two!
I have a Christmas wrapping paper design with a beautiful deep red background and white sprigs, stars, and other little details scattered across it.
It's simple, but that's part of what makes it so appealing to me.
The white motifs stand out beautifully against the deep red background.
And because the design isn't competing with a whole collection of colors, you can really appreciate those little shapes.
Now, I absolutely love colorful patterns.
But I also think there's something wonderfully elegant about keeping a design simple.
You might choose two colors that create a strong contrast.
Or you might work with several shades of the same color for a softer effect.
There's no magic number of colors you have to use to make a design beautiful.
It's about choosing colors that work well together and create the feeling you're after.
Christmas Doesn't Have to Be Red and Green!
When we think about Christmas, we almost automatically imagine red and green.
And there's a good reason for that.
Those colors are so closely associated with the holiday that we recognize them instantly.
But here's the wonderful thing about being an artist.
You don't have to follow those traditions!
I've created Christmas-inspired wrapping paper using browns and tans rather than the usual holiday colors.
The designs include recognizable Christmas imagery, like ornaments, Christmas trees, and presents.
But because the palette is so different, the patterns have a completely different personality.
They feel a little more understated and unexpected.
And I love that.
I have a coffee mug that illustrates this idea beautifully, too.
The pattern features all sorts of funky little Christmas trees on a gray background.
But instead of traditional red and green, I used cream, white, pink, orange, and a lovely orangey-red.
It's clearly a Christmas design because the trees are so recognizable.
But the unexpected colors give it a playful personality all its own.
That's what I find so exciting about experimenting with color.
You can take something familiar and give it your own interpretation simply by making different choices.
Imagine Christmas ornaments in shades of lavender and soft pink.
Or little Christmas trees in warm caramel, chocolate brown, and cream.
Or a winter-inspired design using icy blues and silvery grays.
They can all suggest the holiday season without relying on traditional red and green.
The subject gives you a starting point, but your personal style makes the design your own.
The Product Itself Is Part of the Design
Something else to consider is the product you're creating.
Wrapping paper is a wonderful example because it's meant to be folded around gifts.
You might see a large sheet of a pattern when it's still on the roll.
But once you've wrapped a present, you're looking at a much smaller portion of the design.
Maybe there's a ribbon covering part of it.
Maybe a gift tag sits on top.
And if you have several wrapped gifts together, the patterns also become part of a larger arrangement.
I love this aspect of Christmas wrapping paper.
Each individual design can be beautiful on its own, but the real magic happens when you see all the presents together under the tree.
That's something I think about when I look at my own wrapping paper designs.
Do the colors look lovely next to each other?
Do the patterns complement one another?
Is there a nice mixture of busier designs and simpler ones?
I don't necessarily want every present to look exactly the same.
But I do enjoy seeing how different designs work together to create something beautiful.
And here's something worth remembering.
The product you're designing for can influence how you think about your pattern.
A pillow, a coffee mug, a tea towel, and a roll of wrapping paper all give you different opportunities.
Sometimes Simple Is Better
One of the things we talked about recently was how coordinating pattern collections often include a mixture of bold designs and quieter patterns.
And that same idea can be useful when you're choosing designs for products.
Imagine a wrapping paper pattern filled with large Christmas ornaments, stars, trees, and ribbons.
There's a lot to look at!
Now imagine a second paper with nothing but tiny white stars on a deep red background.
That simpler design might be exactly what you need to create a lovely contrast.
And when the two papers are used together, each one makes the other look even more interesting.
This doesn't mean that complicated patterns are bad.
Not at all.
It simply means that sometimes a design doesn't have to include every wonderful idea you've ever had!
A few thoughtfully chosen motifs can be more than enough.
Look at the Finished Product, Not Just the Pattern
This brings us right back to something I mentioned last week.
Seeing your artwork on a real product can teach you a lot.
A pattern might look beautiful as a flat image, but until you've seen it printed, it can be difficult to imagine exactly how it will feel.
With wrapping paper, I love being able to unroll it, look at the colors, and see how the motifs repeat across the page.
And then, of course, the real fun begins when I wrap a present!
That's when the artwork becomes part of the whole experience of giving a gift.
It's not just a repeating pattern anymore.
It's something you've designed to make an ordinary moment a little more special.
And isn't that a lovely thing?
Your Creative Invitation This Week
Here's a little exercise I'd love you to try.
The next time you're in a store, take a few minutes to look at the wrapping paper.
Or, if you're like me and already have a collection at home, pull out a few rolls and spread them out.
Choose two or three designs that appeal to you.
Then ask yourself:
What do I love about these patterns?
Are the motifs large or small?
Do they use lots of colors or just a few?
Are they busy and playful, or simple and elegant?
And how do they look when they're placed next to one another?
You don't need to know anything about professional pattern design to begin noticing these things.
Just pay attention to what appeals to your eye.
Because the more you notice how patterns work on real products, the more ideas you'll begin discovering for your own artwork.
And who knows?
Maybe this Christmas, you'll find yourself looking at a roll of wrapping paper and thinking:
"I could design something like that!"
And you absolutely can.
xo,
Anne
It’s Never Too Late to Create®
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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.
