Wallpaper Pattern

Introduction to Digital Media - Project #2

A pattern can be defined as "a combination of elements or shapes repeated in a recurring and
regular arrangement" (Lorenzo Pereiro, Widewalls). For this project, students will work in Illustrator
to develop a repeating pattern of the sort that could be used for wallpaper or fabric. Consideration
should be given to the following:

• Color Scheme
• Shape
• Pattern & Repetition
• Texture
• Unity (Implication of oneness, harmony, and the feeling that a composition holds together
well visually) & Variety (Visual diversity. Used to counteract monotony, create visual
interest or emphasis).

1. Begin by doodling or drawing in your sketchbook, and/ or playing with the drawing tools in
Illustrator. You have the option of scanning in any hand-drawn elements you'd like to trace. You
might also do some visual research: patterns can be found in natural forms, architecture, and art
and design history (for example in the Art Nouveau and Op-Art movements).
2. Develop a color scheme for your wallpaper consisting of at least 3 colors. Collect these on an
artboard inside your project (you can come back and change this later if you want.)
3. Create a repeatable, 8" x 8" design module (artboard) in Illustrator. For now, don't add a
background to your artboard.
4. Create your pattern to fill a 24" x 24" space. Use the method we looked at in class (Turning your
8"x8" pattern into a 24"x24" pattern) to challenge yourself to go beyond a grid formation to create a
pattern using offset, repetition, mirroring, rotation. This is where you add the background;
remember, that's done by creating a new recgangle with a fill/ pattern/ gradient