Mark, Motif & Repeat : A Pattern Design Workshop

At the heart of textile design is drawing - not just as a skill, but as a personal and expressive language. This welcoming full-day workshop invites you to explore a range of drawing and mark-making techniques in a relaxed, supportive environment. Whether you enjoy fine detail or bold, expressive marks, you’ll be encouraged to develop your own visual style and translate it into ideas for textile and surface pattern design.

Through a series of playful and accessible exercises, you’ll explore new ways of seeing, thinking, and drawing. The day is designed to build confidence, loosen your approach, and expand your creative toolkit - showing how simple sketches can evolve into imaginative design outcomes.

Jules is a freelance print designer and Senior Lecturer in Textile Design, with a passion for intuitive, hand-drawn processes. Her workshops are known for being encouraging, energetic, and focused on experimentation, play, and embracing happy accidents.

What We’ll Explore

Across the day, you’ll be guided through a series of connected activities:

• Expressive Mark-Making
  Start by loosening up with a variety of tools and materials, exploring line, texture, and mark. Using simple prompts, you’ll create bold, intuitive drawings and begin building your own visual language.
• Observational Drawing
  Working from natural forms such as plants and flowers, you’ll explore techniques like continuous line and negative space to develop confidence in looking and drawing more closely.
• Developing Motifs
  Moving from observation into expression, you’ll transform your drawings into more stylised, personal motifs. Experimenting with scale, materials, and composition, you’ll begin to shape your own creative voice.
• Introduction to Pattern
  Finally, you’ll explore how to turn your motifs into a simple repeat pattern, learning the basics of layout and composition to create a flowing design.

Who It’s For

This workshop is open to anyone with an interest in drawing, textiles, or surface design - from complete beginners to those looking to reconnect with a more playful, hands-on approach.

What You’ll Take Away

By the end of the day, you’ll have a collection of drawing experiments, your own motifs, and a foundation repeat pattern. Most importantly, you’ll leave with renewed creative confidence and a set of techniques to continue exploring beyond the workshop.