The Pattern Design Academy®

The most comprehensive program for creating, perfecting and selling your artwork in the surface design industry.

The Pattern Design Academy® is the best online training and coaching program of its kind that shows you exactly how to create beautiful illustrations and repeating patterns using the magic of Adobe Illustrator and how to get your designs into the hands of eager companies and customers as fabric, wrapping paper, wall paper and hundreds of other products. 

Before I tell you all about this life-changing program, let's talk about who this is really for...

You're a multi-passionate creative who's always dreamed of putting your designs on fabric or stationery or building a creative business and you're ready to invest in yourself and build a business that allows you to share your gifts with the world and work wherever, whenever, and however you'd like.

Whether you're...

  • a mom with kids at home who's always been creative but knows that now is the perfect time to gain validation and the empowerment that comes from getting your artwork out into the world
  • a multi-passionate creative who's still in a 9 to 5 job but knows in your heart of hearts that having a viable creative business ready to soar when you retire is your true goal
  • a successful entrepreneur who's ready to expand your creative business into surface design and loves a step by step framework to follow

You're in the right place and I'm going to tell you exactly how The Pattern Design Academy® will give you the tools, inspiration, and unparalleled support on your journey to creating and selling your artwork successfully.

By the end of this program,

you'll have:

  • Mastered Adobe Illustrator like a boss and be able to leverage these new skills in ways you couldn't have imagined before.
  • Created beautiful repeating patterns across a full spectrum of design types from geometrics to tossed, layered and more.
  • Expertly developed a comprehensive series of designs that showcase your capabilities as a artist.
  • Produced a collection of work that highlights your unique style and leans into what you love to design most.
  • Assessed the wide variety of industries and product types open to you and decided on the right place to start.
  • Explored the incredibly diverse options for selling your work beyond household products and fabrics including vector graphics, spot graphics, digital downloads and more. 
  • Developed your specific business strategy that leverages what you do best and how you want to interact with customers.
  • Crafted a compelling roadmap that gets your designs into customers hands with just the right approach.

Lifetime Access

The Academy® program comes with lifetime access. That means you buy it ONCE and keep access forever.

Get inspired by our
Amazing Alumni

Janell Vincent

As always, you are an inspiration and fantastic teacher. My word for 2021 is “finish”. I have so many projects that need to be completed to move my online business forward. This is the year to do so! Thank you so much for all your instruction, encouragement and support. You’re the best!

Carmellia Chavers

Thank you and many blessings to you and your creative business. You give so many hope, by helping them realize that they still have something to give to the world. That we can do hard things. That we can still learn new things. Our creations make the world happy. Thank you for your motivation, encouragement and for putting your heart into what you do.

Kyle Young

Your personal attention has made me remember how much I benefit from being in a community of caring, sharing, creative women. My progress wouldn’t have happened without your gentle push and the Academy has brought about so many valuable contacts. You, my friend, are the catalyst once again, who appeared at just the right time when I didn’t even know I needed it.

Interested in reading more student stories?

Click the link below - you'll be inspired!

Judy Patterson

Having a REASON to get back to the computer and “play” with illustrator again was just what I needed. It has been soooo good! I wondered if I even remembered how – but you did such a fabulous job at breaking the process down into doable steps. I could almost rehearse some of your comments in my head as I assembled my patterns. Yay! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to pick myself up and dust myself off…. And move forward!

Stephie Thomas

The Academy programme has given me the technical skills and focus I needed to create successful surface pattern designs. Anne provides a warm and safe environment to learn and explore whatever direction you wish to take your creative dreams. The program exceeded my expectations! Thank you for your support, your patience and for freely sharing so much wisdom.

Milly Hough

The Pattern Design Academy® is chock-full of content, but offered in small bites to avoid overwhelm. Anne’s teaching style and constant encouragement kept me engaged. This investment in myself began paying off on Day One of the course, and I’m now on a continuous learning journey as a creative! I’m so grateful that I found you (maybe you found me?).

What's Inside The Pattern Design Academy®

Eight beautifully crafted Modules that contain video lessons with closed captioning as well as downloadable practice files, transcripts and audio files. All of the content is searchable by Searchie®, a revolutionary video search engine technology. Enter a word or phrase and Searchie® will take you to the exact spot in the video where that topic is discussed. A-MAZ-ING!


Mastering Adobe Illustrator

Here's why it pays to learn from someone who's gone before you - I learned Adobe Illustrator at the age of 58. I know how overwhelming it may feel at the beginning and we're going to take it one step at a time.

We'll start by opening the program together and taking a tour to get you familiar with the layout. We'll match what you see on your screen with what's on mine as much as possible so that you can follow along as though I'm looking over your shoulder.

You'll discover your favorite tools and workflow and dive into pattern design with confidence.

Finally, you'll achieve mastery in the program so that the technology moves into the background and you can focus your time and energy on your design work.

Highlights:

  • Get familiar with the program so you know how to find the tools you need and can navigate and move around with confidence. You'll be delighted to discover different ways to accomplish the same result.
  • Discover which tools work best for you and help you achieve the design result you're looking for.
  • Enjoy practicing different techniques by using my practice files so that you aren't starting from scratch.

Developing Your Workflow

Let's take a break from the computer and build a mood board together. Doesn't that sound great? I've found over the years of teaching this program that we need to step away from the computer from time to time and use our hands.

Creating a mood board is both fun and an important way to open your mind to the different aspects of creative inspiration that will influence your designs.

Let's explore theme, color, scale and what inspires you the most so that you can discover and hone your unique signature style with ease.

In this module, you'll develop an effective workflow that will help free your imagination to the possibilities open to you as an artist and surface designer.

Highlights:

  • Discover what a mood board is and why this is one of the most effective ways to start the design process.
  • Explore theme, color, scale and technique so that you discover what inspires you the most.
  • Dive into the rich heritage of surface design and embrace the infinite possibilities.

All About Motifs

What is a motif, you ask? It's a design element or an individual decorative piece that makes up your illustration or repeating pattern. If you look at the pink flower in the module image, that's an example of a motif.

Creating motifs is an essential part of the design process and you'll learn how to leverage these elements beyond just placing them in a repeating pattern.

In this module, we'll explore all of the different ways you can create motifs. You can draw by hand or right inside the computer. We'll practice a variety of different methods together so that you know the universe of tools at your disposal.

Highlights:

  • Discover how to create motifs using the pen, pencil and blob brush tools.
  • Experience the thrill of pulling elements from a photograph - and discover the endless design options within it.
  • Embrace what's around you in nature to identify themes and organic elements to inspire your sketching.

Pattern Design Fundamentals

Curious about what makes a repeating pattern work both technically and from an esthetic point of view?

In this module, you'll discover why certain patterns work and why some don't and my Three Golden Rules to nail the technical part every single time. 

We'll also dive into color and one of the most popular tools inside Illustrator - the recolor artwork tool!

Finally, I've made every mistake in the book so I've organized this module around the most common mistakes and how to fix them.

You'll come away knowing how to design a beautiful repeating pattern, how to play and explore color and how to quickly identify and fix any mistake you might make.

Highlights:

  • Discover the magic of my Three Golden Rules so that your designs repeat perfectly every time.
  • Find answers quickly to the most common mistakes - I made them all! - and fix them effectively.
  • Dive into color with the recolor artwork tool - this may become your favorite tool of all

Advanced Pattern Techniques

Are you ready to expand your mind with the different types and varieties of patterns to create? I love this module because we'll dive into the technical jargon that get's thrown around in the industry and I'll decode it all for you.

We'll explore layered patterns and geometric patterns and patterns that use a half-drop technique.

We'll also explore adding background textures to your patterns. And I'll show you how to make your own textures. So. Much. Fun.

This module will truly free your imagination to explore the endless possibilities open to you as an artist and surface designer.

Highlights:

  • Explore the different types of pattern designs and how to build them.
  • Build the same pattern using several different techniques - you'll find a method that's perfect for you.
  • Discover the magic of building your own textures and the different ways to apply them in your designs.

Designing in Collections

Why design in collections? We'll start by analyzing some beautiful pattern collections - those of some of my favorite artists and one of my own.

Then we'll dive into what makes up a collection and the different features that make certain collections really stand out and WOW.

You'll see how color, scale and variety play an important role in the success of an overall collection and get tips and techniques to support you.

In this module, you'll also get the low down on trade shows and how to contact Art Directors at the companies on your wish list.

Finally, you'll discover how many different assets exist within your pattern collection. We'll explore how to leverage those assets to expand your sales and reach.

Highlights:

  • Discover how to work in collections from the number of patterns and colors recommended to the ancillary assets they yield for you.
  • Learn the ins and outs of trade shows and the different ways to attend.
  • Dive into industry research to start building your network of contacts within your target companies' art department.

The Biz of Surface Design 1

Whether you're interested in turning your designs into fabric, or creating your own set of stationery and paper products, or expanding your existing creative business, this module is essential.

We'll explore picking an industry to start - you're not limited to just one but picking one to start will accelerate your success.

We'll also dive into a variety of selling techniques that involve either direct contact with your customers or indirect methods, including print on demand companies.

Finally in this module, you'll actually set up shop with your first designs and start selling.

Highlights:

  • We'll cover over 12 different ways to sell your work - I don't like to put all my eggs in one basket and I don't think you should either.
  • You'll decide what products are best suited for your designs and which selling methods suit your personality. 
  • We'll dive into marketing and how to expand your reach through social media without getting overwhelmed by "all the things".

The Biz of Surface Design 2

Here's where the rubber meets the road. Past students love this module because I give you my proven framework for how to build a successful creative business. 

We'll dive into why building an email list is a critical foundational element in your business.

We also explore why it's important to have a website - even a very simple one - because this is your storefront.

In this module, you'll also get my recommendations and guidance on how to keep things simple - you can always get fancy later.

Finally, we'll dive into branding together and I'll share my personal approach to managing costs while not doing everything yourself.

Highlights:

  • Identify and attract your ideal customer - I have a special worksheet to guide you through this important process.
  • Start growing your email list with a compelling opt in - don't worry - I've got you covered on the tech here too.
  • Get out your calendar and let's map out your next 3-6 months so you have a proven roadmap to follow.

Time To Celebrate!

We'll have a graduation ceremony to wrap things up. You'll get a certificate of completion that's super pretty. And you'll have a chance to share your "what's next" with us.

Celebrating YOU and your accomplishments is one of the key tenets of #annesuniverse. 

There's a "Share Your Champagne Moments" opportunity throughout the Academy and each person who takes the time to share their win - tiny, medium or large - is celebrated by everyone.  

These moments are important for you to recognize, write down, and lean into because we don't celebrate our accomplishments enough. 

This method of capturing them when they happen deepens their meaning and helps them resonate and support you when "imposter syndrome" strikes. Which, inevitably, it will.

 

Graduates are welcome to join the "Alumni group" in order to stay connected with each other and with me. 

Deeper mentorship is available in Anne's Atelier, a monthly membership that provides accountability, on-going training on the business of surface design and support to ensure you stay focused on achieving your long term goals. 

When you enroll during this special,
limited time, you'll get:

The Pattern Design Academy®

  • 8 beautifully crafted Modules that show you literally EVERYTHING you need to do to turn your artwork into beautiful and valuable designs that people want to buy.
  • A complete, step-by-step framework that shows you how to create and leverage a series of patterns and ancillary products to expand your reach and increase sales.
  • The 3 Golden Rules Formula to make sure you never deliver a design with hidden flaws and create collections that are perfectly balanced.
  • Next level creative business practices including how to manage all of the assets in your business from your website and email list to your social media presence.

You'll get access to one module per week - they come out on Mondays - so that you have a full week to dive into the lessons and lean into that portion of the work BEFORE moving onto the next.

This is intentional. We do it this way to help you manage overwhelm, and to ensure that you're building on the skills you acquire each step along the way.

Core Bonuses Offered Again This Year

With your purchase of the Academy® program, you get these popular bonuses that are offered every year.

Live Q&As

10-weeks of live Q&A sessions inside a private, members-only Facebook group. Get your questions answered so that you can move forward with clarity. Connect with a supportive, global community of like-minded creatives. This is a safe place where students find and develop new life-long friendships.

Step by Step Demos

I love to look "under the hood" at your work so that I can show you step by step what you need to do next to complete your design or fix a mistake. These demos are one of the most popular parts of the Academy program! Send me your file and I'll demonstrate live exactly what you need to do next.

Hot Seats!

Apply for a laser coaching session. These sessions are an opportunity to dive into a specific issue you're struggling with. Everyone gains valuable insights from these coaching sessions. We'll get to the root of the issue and get you back on track so that you can move forward with confidence.


New Bonuses for 2022!

Yay, you! We're adding new bonuses to the program this year - brought to you by talented Academy® alum.

Mindy Lighthipe

Drawing the Beauty of Nature. 

In this amazing bonus, you'll explore the versatility of creating graceful flowing lines using the crow quill pen.  Mindy is an acclaimed Natural Science Illustrator with a proven teaching approach that delivers incredible results for her students.

Jamie Beronja

Color with Coolors. 

Need help creating compelling color palettes? Professional graphic designer and young Mom,  Jamie Beronja breaks it all down for you in this fantastic bonus. Discover her tips and tricks for creating color palettes with ease using a free online resource called Coolors.

Natasha Zahn-Pristas

Merchandise your Art with Flair

Do you have a pile of original artwork that you've created in the past? Wanna learn how to leverage those pieces and merchandise them successfully? In this wonderful bonus, Tash shares her best practices for success while infusing FUN along the way.

And returning for an ENCORE...

These bonuses were so popular last year that we're bringing them back again.

Kathleen Lambert

Designing on the iPad

In this special bonus, surface designer and educator Kathleen Lambert shares her expertise on how to incorporate the iPad and Apple Pencil in your design work. Her tips will save you so much time!

Katia Galante

Create a Pattern Repeat by Hand.

In this special bonus, Italian surface designer and painter Katia Galante demonstrates how to create a repeating pattern the old fashion way - by hand!

Maria Ahl-Zanier

Watercolor with MAZart. 

In this special bonus, Swedish surface designer and watercolor artist Maria Ahl-Zanier shares her love of watercolor with us. This bonus pairs beautifully with the Working with Watercolor bonus. 


Lifetime Access

The Academy® program comes with lifetime access. That means you buy it ONCE and keep access forever.

UNIQUE FEATURES

NO EXPIRATION

When you join the ACADEMY program, you gain lifetime access to the course. It's important for you to work at your own pace. This means you can revisit the course again and again. Come back and refresh your skills anytime.

GLOBAL COMMUNITY

Join an amazing community of students from all around the globe. You'll be surrounded by support and encouragement as you share your challenges and your WINS! Anne's level of accessibility is unparalleled.

LIVE Q&As & DEMOS

Your questions get answered twice a week. If you get stuck, we do LIVE demos with your work to help you move forward. This is where the magic happens and it feels like we are in the same room together. Priceless!

STRUCTURED APPROACH

Accomplish your goals faster with this step-by-step proven method. Each Module builds upon the next and Anne's constant guidance and up to date knowledge sets you up for success.

LEARN YOUR WAY

Everyone learns differently. The ACADEMY contains material offered in a variety of ways to support how you learn best. Videos, cheat sheets, actionable guides, practice files, and transcripts.

MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

Invest 100% risk free. The 14-day "no questions asked" guarantee is our way of giving you a no fault option. Just send an email before the guarantee expires. There are no hoops to jump through.


Frequently Asked Questions

The program starts on May 23, 2022 with the release of Module 1.

Great question! It's perfect for you if you:

  • Have always dreamed of putting your designs on fabric but have no idea where to start
  • Want to build or grow a creative business by expanding your offerings with products that have your very own designs on them
  • Know how to use Illustrator but have never mastered surface design and repeating pattern techniques
  • Feel overwhelmed by the prospect of learning this on your own and want a step-by-step process to follow
  • Have gotten stuck on a project and need a breakthrough to get to the next level
  • Want to be part of a community of creatives who help, encourage, and support one another
  • Want thoughtful and clear instruction from a passionate teacher who wants to see you succeed and help you every step along the way

When you enroll in The Pattern Design Academy, you begin a 10-week online course and coaching program that delivers the A to Z about surface pattern design. Each module contains video tutorials with step by step instruction along with cheat sheets and workbooks. The course is supported with weekly FB LIVES where you'll get the answers to your questions as well as live demonstrations where you'll see my exact steps on screen.

I recommend that you set aside 3-5 hours a week to watch the lessons and do the homework assignments. You'll quickly discover what works best for you. Developing strong surface pattern design skills takes time. Please work at the pace that's most comfortable for you. You get "lifetime access" which means you'll get any updates that I make to the material in the future, free of charge.

The Academy program is carefully crafted to lead you step by step through the process of becoming a professional surface pattern designer. The modules cannot be purchased separately. 

 Modules are released on Mondays at 10am pacific time. You'll receive email notifications when each module is released. 

Our weekly LIVE coaching calls take place on Wednesdays and Fridays at 10am Pacific time. Replays are always available.

We offer a 14-day money back guarantee. No questions asked. Just email us by the deadline and we'll happily refund your money. 

Hear from more of our
Amazing Alumni

Annie Tempest of tottering.com

The skill I have acquired is not to be afraid of the computer. Surface design enables me to leverage my existing skills as a cartoonist and expand my business. I have loved doing Anne’s course.

Melissa Tubbs

If you want to learn pattern design, Anne is the best person to learn from. She teaches without assuming you already know everything. Her videos are tremendously helpful and her teaching style is great because she is extremely patient.

Mary Chapman-Smith of ShopVida.com

I’m starting down a new path focused on kids design trends. I also want to create strong patterns for different purposes. I already have cushions, bed linens, purses, umbrellas, wraps, t-shirts, tea towels. When Anne says the possibilities are endless, she’s right!

Interested in reading more student stories?

Click the link below - you'll be inspired!

Susie Pogue of CreativeBloomDesigns.net

Since joining Anne’s program, I have gained the confidence to pursue surface design and enjoy
the flexibility I need to spend time with my son. I’m developing a flourishing artistic business and
hope to inspire others to pursue their passion!

Heather Lowery of InkwoodPress.com

My biggest challenge prior to joining Anne’s course was discovering my signature style. I’m a very tactile
person and translating my woodblock prints into digital art has been an interesting journey. Anne's encouragement and support are invaluable.

Barbara Abbatiello of BarbaraAbbatiello.com

I’m a perfectionist. It's
paralyzing at times. I stop myself before I start. I think everything has to be figured out in my head
and has to be a masterpiece before my pencil or brush hits the paper. That’s a lot of pressure, right? Anne helped me break through this cycle and her endless enthusiasm and passion are contagious.

I personally cannot wait to guide you over these next 10 weeks...

Creating products with my own designs on them has literally changed my life.

I've experienced first hand the heart break and trauma of losing one's job. I got laid off, totally unexpectedly, at the age of 55 from a company I loved and thought I'd work at forever.

But I emerged from that experience and reinvented myself because you know what? I'm not dead yet and I have a lot to offer this world. And so do you.

If you've always dreamed of putting your own designs on fabric, or having your own stationery line complete with gift cards and wrapping paper, or you're ready to build or grow a creative business, you owe it to yourself to explore what your life as a surface designer looks like.

Come experience first hand the empowerment, validation, and talent you have within you - and take real, tangible steps to share your art and bring joy to hundreds of customers all over the world.

If you join us, I'm confident that these next 10 weeks will be completely and utterly life changing for you.

Let's get started!

xo,

Anne 


Ready for VIP treatment?

By joining the waitlist for the May 2022 class, you'll get special bonus offers and first dibs when enrollment opens. Don't miss out. Join the waitlist today. 

Join the Academy Waitlist

Don't miss out on VIP bonuses and special surprises.

Close

50% Complete

Two Step

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.