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Review: Procreate Patterns Unleashed by Mandy Corcoran

Writer's picture: Toni FedericoToni Federico

Cover image for Procreate Patterns Unleashed

The first drawing program I learned to use after purchasing my iPad was Procreate. The sales guy at Best Buy had hooked me by demonstrating the program on his device and quickly sketching something out. Armed with my Apple Pencil, I happily downloaded the program and began teaching myself to draw. I devoured Skillshare classes, followed household names in the world of Procreate such as Teela Cunningham and Jennifer Nichols, and spent the next three years learning to draw. Then, I decided I wanted to explore seamless pattern design (SPD). I quickly found out that Procreate doesn’t make this easy. I took many, MANY classes on pattern design in Procreate.

The common wisdom in the SPD world is to use Illustrator. This is a problem for me. I don’t draw in a flat style. My work is dimensional which necessitates a raster-based program. I had been trying to vectorize my work and it was just frustrating me all the way around. I was more or less over it all and wondering how to move forward when I saw an ad for Procreate Patterns Unleashed by Mandy Corcoran. I paid my $150 and settled in to see what she could teach me.

What Procreate Patterns Unleashed Gets Right

No Drip Pacing

Mandy gives you access to all modules of the course immediately. If you’ve read my other reviews you know this is a big deal to me. Yes, I understand why teachers dole out their content (you can read a whole article about it here), but it doesn’t work for my schedule and flow. So, having access to all the course content at once and letting me determine when I engage with the content is important to me.

Chunking of Content

Mandy breaks her course content down into logical and manageable chunks. Her videos average around 20 minutes and her teaching style makes it very easy to follow along with her. I ran the course on my MacBook while using Procreate on my iPad. You could easily open a browser window on your iPad while using Procreate and have them side-by-side, but that’s a bit too small for my limited eyesight.

Collateral

Mandy provides a PDF handbook for the course along with a set of twenty pattern templates and a slew of stamp brushes for you to use as you follow along with her. You can also use these brushes in your commercial work so long as you embellish them and don’t just use the default stamp. She also provides a pattern planner PDF as part of her bonuses. I used all of the collateral extensively and continue to even now. I even adapted the pattern planner to use when I’m designing spot illustrations.

Bonuses

Mandy offers four bonuses as part of the class:

  • Creating your own templates

  • Planning a fabric collection

  • Saving your files for Licensing, POD, and Spoonflower

  • A mockup

These are sensational value-adds for the class. I still use the template I created during the course for every pattern I create in Procreate. I’ve used all of her bonuses in my work at some point since taking the class.

Amaziograph

One of the best tips Mandy provides is how to use Amaziograph to create your own complex pattern designs. My Poppin Poppies pattern shown below used an Amaziograph template for its structure.


A pattern showing poppies in red and green
Poppin Poppies by Janet Federico designed with Amaziograph

Mandy has an ongoing Facebook group for students. I’m still an active part of the group and love to see everyone’s work as they experience that aha moment like I did when I finally saw how easy it actually was to make a pattern in Procreate. Additionally, Mandy is active in the course. As we took the class she was answering questions, adding troubleshooting videos, and offering encouragement. She even — and let me tell you I was surprised by this — added captions to her videos when I posted about having a minor hearing impairment that made following her voiceovers difficult at times. She had captions on the videos within 48 hours!

Cost

This course is only $150 which is a perfect price point. Mandy isn’t teaching you how to use Procreate, you’ll need some experience there for that. She focuses exclusively on how to use the software to create seamless repeat patterns and when you add in the collateral she provides, this is a deal.

What Could Be Improved

Nothing

If I were writing this right after I took the class, I’d tell you there needed to be a troubleshooting section inside the class not just in the Facebook group and a video for Ogee patterns. However, Mandy already added those! I can’t think of anything more I would add.

Verdict: Practically Perfect in Every Way

Yes, I loved Mary Poppins growing up, but I mean it. I adored this class enough to become an affiliate and I even recorded a video testimonial about it. You can watch it below. I basically am an unofficial hype woman for this course. I love it. Take it. You won’t regret it. My link plus the code “Janet” gets you a discount.


Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links for which I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you should you make a purchase.


 

Janet “Toni” Federico, PMP, MBA, MFA, is an illustrator, surface designer, writer, and curriculum designer from Washington, DC, now based in the Midwest. Toni helps online course creators optimize their content to ensure students learn what is being taught. Toni’s courses have been used by the State of Texas, major insurance companies, and in her own work as a teaching artist.


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