Hey Reader!
I have a confession: I used to be a pattern island creator.
You know what I mean - designing one beautiful pattern, then jumping to something completely different, creating dozens of unrelated designs that lived in isolation from each other.
My portfolio was basically a scattered archipelago of patterns - each one pretty on its own, but missing the connections that turn good designs into great products.
Everything changed when I learned about the concept of “collections”.
That was pretty much the first step in creating a professional-looking portfolio. And my mind went- why hasn’t anyone told me about this before?!
As it turned out, successful pattern designers don’t create islands - they build entire ecosystems where designs work together across products.
So in today’s Eduletter, I wanna ensure you don’t feel the way I did and I wanna share:
- The simple 4-part collection system that transformed how I started thinking about patterns
- How to use Print-On-Demand to get started and to market your creation
- Plus a Procreate hack that’s saving me hours of frustration
Ready to turn your pattern islands into an interconnected (and profitable) ecosystem?
Let’s go!
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Jasmine Hnatkova’s Coordinated Collection:
- Mastering Cohesion: Jasmine balances hero, secondary, filler, and blender prints flawlessly, making the collection feel intentional and sellable.
- Smart Supporting Prints: The mix of scales and contrast between detailed and simple elements keeps things visually engaging without overwhelming.
- Perfect for Fabric & Quilting: This well-structured collection would be a dream for fabric shops and quilters looking for a mix-and-match set.
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Elishka Jepson’s Retro Mini Collection:
- Color Palette Perfection: This proves you don’t need a huge range of colors—just thoughtful coordination and contrast to create a vibrant, cohesive look.
- Retro Done Right: The groovy shapes and bold florals feel both nostalgic and fresh, making it a standout in a crowded market.
- Ideal for Apparel & Home Decor: This collection would thrive on vintage-inspired fashion, wallpaper, and bold statement textiles.
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Catherine Stonehouse’s Strawberry Print:
- Symmetry for the Win: The balanced, repeating elements give this pattern a polished, professional edge that screams “ready for licensing.”
- Playful but Sophisticated: The mix of organic curves and structured layout keeps it fun yet refined—something buyers love.
- Great for Kids' Textiles & Bedding: The fresh, whimsical energy makes it perfect for nursery decor, kids' blankets, and playful apparel.
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Let’s talk about the elephant in the Procreate app, shall we?
That feeling when you’ve created 47 “absolutely perfect” patterns… that absolutely nobody is buying.
cue awkward silence
I’ve been there too!
Nothing quite hits your creative confidence like crickets after posting your masterpiece. But here’s what changed EVERYTHING for me (and what most artists miss until they’ve wasted years of creative energy).
Tip #1: Stop Making Pretty Patterns (Make Money-Making Collections Instead!)
Hold up!
Before you close this email thinking I’ve lost my mind… I’m not saying don’t make pretty patterns. I’m saying pretty patterns alone won’t pay your bills.
Here’s one more truth about creating commercially successful art:
Single patterns are like socks without matches — they might be gorgeous, but nobody’s building an outfit around them.
Think about it from a brand’s perspective. When a company like Anthropologie or Target is looking for designs, they’re not thinking: “Let’s grab this one random floral and call it a day!”
They’re thinking: “We need a cohesive story that can work across bedding, kitchen textiles, wrapping paper, and stationery.”
The Mini-Collection Magic Formula
The secret to creating commercially viable art isn’t just making one incredible design—it’s creating a strategic mini-collection with these four essential pattern types:
Pattern Type #1: Hero Pattern
This is your statement piece—the pattern that makes people stop scrolling. It’s detailed, eye-catching, and complex enough to command attention. But here’s where most artists go wrong: they create ONLY hero patterns, then wonder why nothing sells!
Pattern Type #2: Secondary Pattern
These are simpler, more versatile designs that coordinate with your hero. They might use elements from your hero pattern but in a less complex arrangement. These are helping you make your REAL money because they’re what customers use for larger applications like walls, bedding, and big surfaces.
Pattern Type #3: Blender Pattern
These super-simple patterns (think subtle textures, small dots, or tonal designs) are what ties everything together. Most artists who are not creating collections would skip these entirely, but they’re seen and used everywhere!
Pattern Type #4: Filler Pattern
These mid-complexity designs fill the visual space between your hero and blenders. They create balance and give customers options for secondary products that don’t compete with your hero but offer more visual interest than blenders.
When I started creating these four-pattern mini-collections instead of standalone designs, EVERYTHING changed.
My portfolio looked way more organized and professional, these got better engagement on POD platforms, and by extension, I got way more licensing opportunities.
Not because I suddenly became a better artist overnight, but because I was finally giving people what they actually needed—a complete story they could use across multiple products.
The Mini-Collection Blueprint (Steal This!)
Don’t overthink this. If you’re just starting out, just create these 4 patterns for a mini-collection.
All using the SAME color palette and theme.
And since we’re talking real talk here, let me give you the direct formula that worked for me: Pick ONE theme and ONE color palette. Then spend two weeks creating JUST this collection. Don’t get distracted by shiny new pattern ideas halfway through (my ADHD brain struggled with this for YEARS).
“But Mandy, what if I get bored working on one collection for two weeks?”
Honestly?
I’d say get comfortable with being bored. The artists making real money aren’t bouncing between 15 different styles and themes—they’re known for doing ONE thing consistently well.
And I’m not the only one saying this, there are studies showcasing a correlation between “being more creative” and “feeling bored”.
So being bored might be good for your art AND for your business!
Because the bottom line is : Companies license and sewists buy collections, not cute one-offs.
And the fastest path to making money from your patterns is a cohesive body of work that solves a company’s problem of needing coordinated designs.
Tip #2: The POD Profit Blueprint (No One’s Telling You This Part)
Now that you know to create killer mini-collections, let’s talk about the perfect place to put them to work: Print-On-Demand (POD)!
POD is the perfect testing ground for your pattern collections. It lets you see what actually resonates with buyers without any upfront inventory costs or minimum orders. Plus, your collections get to shine across multiple products at once!
Getting Started with POD
Print-on-demand feels like the promised land, right?
Upload your art, watch the money roll in while you sleep, buy a yacht.
Here’s my simplified roadmap to POD success (especially for pattern designers):
Step 1: Choose Your POD Platform Playground
There are tons of options, but here are my favorites depending on what you create:
- Fabric & Wallpaper Lovers: Spoonflower is perfect for pattern designers
- Home Decor & Accessories: Redbubble, or Zazzle
- Apparel Focus: Printful, TeeSpring
- Stationery & Gifts: Zazzle, Fine Art America
All of these are great places to begin. You just have to match your patterns with their end application, choose accordingly, and start getting actual feedback from real customers!
Step 2: Prepare Your Files Like a Pro
Each platform has specific requirements, but generally you’ll need:
- High-resolution files (usually 300 DPI)
- Proper file format (JPG for standard designs, PNG if you need transparency)
- Color profiles appropriate for the product (CMYK for print, RGB for digital)
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Need help formatting your designs perfectly for POD platforms?
My Procreate Patterns Unleashed course walks you through every step of creating and preparing your patterns for various POD sites. No more guessing about file formats or scaling issues!
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Step 3: Make Your Listings Work Harder With SEO
Here’s where most artists leave money on the table! When uploading your designs:
- Use specific, searchable keywords in your titles (not just “Floral Pattern #1”)
- Write descriptions that include terms buyers actually search for
- Tag your work strategically to help it appear in relevant searches
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Struggling with keywords and product descriptions?
My Artful Notion Artist hub includes 50 ChatGPT prompts specifically for art businesses, including prompts for writing killer product descriptions and finding the perfect keywords!
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Step 4: Test Before You Promote
IF you can afford to, order samples of your own work before promoting it to others. This step is really powerful because:
- You’ll see how your colors actually print (screens vs. physical products can be wildly different)
- You’ll catch scaling issues before your customers do
- Those product photos become amazing marketing material!
Step 5: Market Your POD Shop Strategically
This is where the real magic happens! Your gorgeous collections need some help getting discovered:
- Create mockups showing your patterns on multiple products
- Share process videos on Instagram and TikTok (these convert like crazy!)
- Use Pinterest strategically to drive traffic to specific designs
- Build an email list of fans who love your specific style
Ever since I’ve started implementing this, POD platforms have become my testing ground for what works, what doesn’t, and which collections resonate most with real buyers.
That knowledge became invaluable when I later approached licensing companies because I already had data on what people actually wanted to buy!
Tell me if you’ve ever spent what felt like YEARS trying to find the right layer in a complex pattern on Procreate…
raises both hands, feet, and considers raising my iPad too
Let me introduce you to a (relatively) new upgrade:
Procreate’s layer selection feature.
This little gem has literally cut my design time in half, and I’m still mad I didn’t discover it sooner!
The Layer-Finding Magic Trick
What do you typically do when you’re working on a complex pattern with say 50+ different layers (don’t judge me), and you want to edit just ONE tiny element?
Usually it goes something like this:
- Tap a bunch of different layers in the layers panel
- Watch elements disappear/appear
- Swear under your breath
- Eventually find the right layer after trying Every. Single. One.
But not anymore!
Procreate’s new feature lets you just hover over any part of your pattern and instantly see which layer it’s on.
GAME CHANGER.
Here’s How to Activate This Sanity-Saving Feature:
Step 1: Open your Procreate app and tap the wrench icon
Step 2: Go to Preferences → Gesture Controls
Step 3: Look for “Layer Select” (it’s hiding in there, I promise!)
If you have the Apple Pencil Pro:
- Toggle on “Apple Pencil Squeeze” (yes, that new pencil actually knows when you’re stress-squeezing it!)
If you’re rolling with the regular Apple Pencil:
- Choose “Square + Apple Pencil” option (that little square between your brush size/opacity sliders)
Step 4: Start creating with WAY less frustration!
Once activated, when you use your selected gesture and hover over your artwork, Procreate will dim all the other layers and highlight only the one you’re on.
If you have overlapping elements, it’ll even give you options to toggle between them!
Ready to take your patterns from hobby to income stream?
And there you have it! The shift from creating isolated patterns to intentional collections changed everything for me, and I bet it will for you too.
Not because you’ll suddenly become a better artist overnight, but because you’ll finally be creating what the market actually wants to buy.
Hit reply and let me know which part of the POD process you’re most curious about!
- Is it marketing your designs?
- Creating the perfect mockups?
- Setting up your first shop?
I’ve got tons more wisdom to share, and I’d love to dive deeper into what would help YOU the most in our next eduletter!
I am waiting (and I read every message!)
Until next Thursday.
