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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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?).

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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".

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.

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. 

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. Exchange ideas and find lifelong friends. 

In this entirely separate video series, Working with Watercolor, Anne demonstrates advanced blending and color techniques so that your watercolor designs maintain that "watery" look. This bonus pairs beautifully with Maria Ahl-Zanier's Watercolor with MAZart bonus.

Apply for a laser coaching session. These sessions are an opportunity to gain valuable insight on issues we all struggle with. Mindset coaching gets to the root of the issue and solutions to common issues help the entire Academy® community move forward. 

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!

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!

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. 

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.