Procreate Pattern Problems

And how to fix them!

It can be frustrating to encounter problems when you are designing patterns in Procreate, particularly when you are just starting out and getting to grips with the software.

The good news is that there are some relatively simple solutions to the main problems we can all come across when we’re designing patterns in Procreate and I hope this post might bring you closer to some solutions!

Problem 1: There is a white line in my pattern when I create the repeat

Finding a thin white line in your pattern when you create your repeat is a problem designers can face and there are a few things to do in order to stop this from happening.

When a white line occurs in your repeat it means that the elements of the pattern haven’t snapped into place properly when you have built the repeat. Sometimes they are just one or two pixels misaligned which may not show on the surface but would certainly show if you zoomed in!

The solution:

When you have designed all your elements and are ready to build the repeat, it’s very important to make sure that snapping and magnetics are both on and that Distance and Velocity are set to max. This will ensure it snaps into place.

Make sure that the whole of your canvas is selected before you start moving the layers to the corners. I usually do this by making a small diagonal mark in the corners that I rub out later. If the whole canvas is not selected it won’t snap into place properly.

When you move each layer out to the corners make sure that drawing guide is on so you can see where the middle is, and when it has reached the right place the guidelines should turn orange.

At this point if I have a lot of layers open I can sometimes find the snapping a little bit glitchy. If you don’t feel it’s snapping easily into the centre, hide all the other layers that are visible so you just have the layer you are working with. It should snap into place much more easily.

Place it carefully and make sure you don’t inadvertently nudge the layer as you let go. Even just a tiny nudge can cause a white line!

If you have checked all these things you should have your layers snapping nicely into place and no white lines in your finished repeat!

Problem 2: My pattern is blurry

Blurry patterns can be the result of a number of things. As Procreate is a raster program (meaning it deals with pixels) you cannot scale things up like you might be able to do in a vector based program such as Adobe Illustrator.

However it is perfectly possible to create a high resolution, crisp pattern when working in Procreate if you take note of a few important things!

The solution:

In Procreate you can’t copy, rotate or scale up an element you have designed or it will lose its quality and can appear blurry.

To get around this, it’s really important to create a detailed sketch layer so that when you come to ink your final design everything is already in place and there will be no need to scale or rotate any of your elements.

If you have a pattern with multiple identical motifs, I would strongly advise that you drew each motif individually. This gives the pattern more character but it also means that each one looks crisp and defined.

Another key thing to remember is to create your canvas in a large, high resolution setting to start with. If you create on a small canvas at a low resolution, scaling it up to anything larger later will make your pattern look blurry.

I always create my patterns at 12x12 inches at 300 dpi. This is a good quality resolution and also gives me enough layers to work with.

Problem 3: I can’t place the elements to make them look good in a repeat!

Rest assured, placement is a common problem for every surface pattern designer!

Part of the skill of learning surface pattern is creating something that will look good in a repeat and it is hard!

Part of this comes with practice, but there are some things you can do to help get your motifs arranged in a way that will look nice.

The solution:

Designing in a template is the first step to getting your placement looking good.

This means you can arrange all the elements in one place and keep testing the repeat as you go along.

The key thing is to keep testing your pattern! You don’t want to find that things are all in a line or there is a really obvious repeat when you don’t want one.

Another thing I like to do once I’ve completed my sketch layer is to scale down the pattern so I can see the repeating block a few times next to each other. This will show you if you have any obvious problems like a line-up of elements or an obvious gap in your pattern.

If you are testing this at the sketch stage, it’s easy to go back and fix it. If you wait until you have finished the whole design it can be much more frustrating and time consuming!

If you're still looking for more ideas, I have a few more tips for you about placement in this blog post!

Problem 4: The colours don’t look right

Colours can be tricky but the correct choice and combination of colours is one of the key things that will make or break a pattern.

The solution:

If you are not confident in selecting colour palettes, try starting with a limited palette. A limited palette can be just 3-5 colours and can give a sophisticated and professional look to a pattern or pattern collection.

There are a few resources I often use to help me select colour palettes if I’m stuck:

• A quick search on Pinterest will often throw up a whole host of colour palettes that you can try out with your patterns.

  
  

• Check out the Pantone website. They have plenty of curated palettes for use in the design and fashion industry.

  
  

• Coolers is a fun website that can help you generate your own palettes and will show you a visual graphic of what they will look like together!

  
  

• Snap your own pictures in shops. I always have my eyes open for interesting colour combinations when I’m walking around the shops. If you see something you like, take a quick picture on your phone so you can recreate it yourself!

Do you have any other probelms you face in Procreate when creating patterns? I'd love to help! Drop me a line below in the comments section and I'll get back to you...

...You never know, I might even create a whole blog post about it! :)