Textile Pattern

Design
Anna Maria Lpez Lpez
Anna Maria Lpez Lpez lives in Lugo, in the Northwest of Spain. She has been working in the
graphic, fashion, and Web design fields since 1994. Her designs and digital artwork have been
featured in numerous publications. She is also a writer and contributor to design magazines and
has taught courses at universities and design schools. Anna Maria is the founder of
www.corelclub.org, the largest online community of Spanish-speaking Corel software users.
She is the author of various books about computer-aided design, such as La Biblia de
CorelDRAW 10 and Diseo de moda por ordenador, a bestseller about fashion design by
computer. Visit her Web site at www.anna-OM-line.com.

2 CorelDRAW X4 Insights from the Experts

Textile pattern design
In this tutorial, I will show you the workflow for creating a textile pattern design and applying
it to a fashion sketch (Figure 1), and in the process, Ill use some of my favorite CorelDRAW
tools: the Polygon tool, the Smart fill tool, and Corel PowerTRACE.

Figure 1: The pattern design

Introducing CAFD
In the past, computer graphic design in the fashion world was limited. Today, the workflow for
computer-aided fashion design (CAFD) has two approaches:

Traditional hand-sketching, coloring, and detailing of the model sketch by hand or with
bitmap-based software, such as Corel Painter.

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 Sketch design, technical drawing of garments, textile pattern design, and coloring with
vector-based software, such as CorelDRAW. This solution is increasingly preferred because
it generates fully modifiable models, high-resolution output, and the smallest size for e-
mailing files.

Most CorelDRAW users dont know that CorelDRAW Graphics Suite is the choice of thousands
of fashion professionals. CorelDRAW is so popular in the apparel industry because it offers really
useful tools for fashion and textile pattern design, such as the Interactive fill tool, auto-tracing
with color-reduction options, preview of color separations, and of course the superior
node-editing tools so necessary for creating flats or technical drawings of the garments.

Designing the rapport

There are many kinds of patterns. They can generally be divided into continuous patterns, such
as checks or stripes, and discontinuous patterns, such as animal prints. In this tutorial, we will
learn how to create continuous patterns by repeating a fixed rhythm. In the textile industry, the
repeated pattern is called a rapport or repeat.

To create more versatile textile patterns, try to use only a few colors. The fewer the colors, the
lower the production cost of the fabric will be.

Creating a custom page setup

The first step in creating a pattern design is to set up the page dimensions. I recommend
creating a rapport with square dimensions, so in the Paper width and height boxes on the
property bar, set the width and height to 15 centimeters.

The next step is to save these settings. I use this page configuration often, so I wanted to save
it for future use. To do this, click the Paper type/size list box on the property bar, and then
click the Edit this list button at the bottom of the list. In the Options dialog box, click the Save
page size button, and type a name for the page size. I named the page size "Rapport" to use
as my custom page setup whenever I design a rapport (Figure 2). I also wanted to clean up the
page list by deleting some page sizes that I would probably never use. I did this by selecting the
page size from the list in the Options dialog box and clicking the Delete page size button.

Figure 2: Custom page size

4 CorelDRAW X4 Insights from the Experts

Double-click the Rectangle tool in the toolbox to create a square with the same dimensions as
the page, and click the Black color swatch on the color palette to quickly create the black
background for the rapport.

Adding text
With the Text tool, type the text MAKE FASHION NOT WAR. (In this example, I used the
AvantGarde LT Medium font, and I typed the text in the workspace next to the image, to make
text editing easier against a white background.) Now, modify the kerning (tracking and line
spacing) of the characters by clicking and dragging the horizontal and vertical spacing handles
with the Shape tool (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Adjust the horizontal and vertical spacing of the letters with the Shape tool.

When you are satisfied with the shape of the text, select it with the Pick tool, and press the P
key to center the text on the page (it is now on the black background). With the text still
selected, click the White color swatch on the color palette to change the text color to white
(Figure 4).

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 Figure 4: Center the text on the page, and change the color to white.

The next step is to convert the text object to curves by pressing Ctrl + Q. Then, click
Arrange ` Break curve apart, or press Ctrl + K, to break the text apart into individual curves.
I like to delete the interior parts of the characters that I will not use anymore (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Remove any interior curves that will not be used in the design.

6 CorelDRAW X4 Insights from the Experts

Creating polygon shapes
Now its time to add some other elements to our composition. The world of fashion is always a
succession of trends and a reinvention of the past with new shapes. So first, lets add a bit of
retro style with a Sixties graphic flower. To create this type of retro flower, I use the Polygon
tool. The first time the Polygon tool appeared in CorelDRAW, I spent hours testing it until I
discovered a way to create unlimited shapes with it. Since that discovery, anyone who has ever
attended my CorelDRAW classes or conference presentations knows that my absolute favorite
tool is the Polygon tool, used in combination with the Shape tool.

To create the retro flower, you first need a polygon. To draw a polygon, select the Polygon
tool from the toolbox, and then drag inside the letter O of NOT, holding down Ctrl to
draw a polygon with equal sides.

On the property bar, set the number of polygon sides to 10. Then, select the new polygon, and
with the Shape tool, draw a selection box around the polygon to select all the nodes (Figure 6).

Figure 6: Create a 10-sided polygon, and draw a selection box around it.

Then, click the Convert line to curve button on the property bar (Figure 7).

Figure 7: Convert line to curve button

Finally, click any side of the polygon with the Shape tool, and drag the cursor from inside to
outside to discover the new shapes you can create (Figure 8).

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 Figure 8: Drag any one of the polygon sides to experiment with new shapes.

The object still remains an interactive polygon this means that you can continue adding or
removing sides until you get the shapes you want. Look at Figure 9: all these graphics were
created by using only this technique.

Figure 9: You can create a variety of shapes by using this simple technique.

When you decide which polygon retro shape you prefer to use, fill it with black (Figure 10).

8 CorelDRAW X4 Insights from the Experts

 Figure 10: Fill the polygon shape with black.

Adding color
Next, select the letter O, and fill it with any color (for this example, I used pink).

In professional textile pattern design, we use PANTONE Textile Color System, so I enter the
RGB values from my PANTONE for Fashion + Home Color Chooser software in the
CorelDRAW Uniform fill dialog box. In this example, the PANTONE textile reference is
PANTONE 14-2710 TC, and the RGB values are R: 234 G: 176 B: 202.

We will add some extra color to the composition, adding another color to the polygon. Until
the introduction of the Smart fill tool in CorelDRAW, this was a difficult task. Now, you can
simply select the Smart fill tool, set a color for the fill and outline, and click the interior shapes
of the polygon (Figure 11).

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 Figure 11: Add color with the Smart fill tool.

Tracing a bitmap image

Now it is time to add another graphic style to our fashion composition in this case, we will
add a baroque-style graphic to complete the rapport design.

Instead of drawing the whole baroque motif, we will convert an imported vintage bitmap into
vectors with the help of PowerTRACE. In CorelDRAW X4, the imported bitmap always appears
with the name of the original image on the status bar (Figure 12). This new feature is really
useful, especially for designers who often work with imported graphics.

Figure 12: The status bar shows the name of the imported bitmap.

10 CorelDRAW X4 Insights from the Experts

Before importing bitmap images into CorelDRAW to trace them, I usually prepare them in
Corel PHOTO-PAINT, adding more contrast and often converting the original image to black-
and-white (1-bit) mode. This technique helps me produce a more accurate tracing with
PowerTRACE.

The next step is to create a vector image of the baroque motif. Click Bitmaps ` Outline trace
` Line art. In the PowerTRACE dialog box, enable the Remove color from entire image
check box. In this version, you can also specify the level of corner smoothness by moving the
Corner smoothness slider.

Figure 13: Use the PowerTRACE controls to trace the imported image.

Over the years, Ive tested many bitmap-to-vector conversion tools, and the PowerTRACE
feature is by far the best vectorization tool Ive ever used. With a little experience, you can
produce truly amazing results with PowerTRACE.

After you create a vector image of the baroque motif, place it inside the "O" of "FASHION" to
complete the rapport design (Figure 14).

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 Figure 14: The finished rapport design

Creating the pattern

Now is the time to convert our rapport into one continuous pattern. Choose Tools ` Create `
Pattern fill, and click the Full color radio button in the Create pattern dialog box. While
pressing the Ctrl key, select the pattern area with the marquee (Figure 15). Be sure to draw the
marquee inside the black color, and finally, save the new pattern in the Patterns folder. From
this moment on, the pattern is accessible through the Pattern fill dialog box.

12 CorelDRAW X4 Insights from the Experts

 Figure 15: Select the area that you want to use for the pattern.

Before moving on to the next step, I recommend applying the pattern to a rectangle or to a
sample fabric simulation. Click the Fill tool in the toolbox, and open the Pattern fill dialog box.
Click the Full color radio button, and browse the pattern thumbnails to locate the pattern you
saved. In the Pattern fill dialog box, you can specify and test optional parameters, such as the
row or column offset or the exact rotation of the repeat (Figure 16).

Figure 16: You can specify rotation and other parameters of the pattern.

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Preparing the base models and garments
In order to better organize the fashion drawing, I opened the Object manager docker and
created two layers, which I labeled models and garments. One layer is for the base fashion
model or mannequin, and the other is for the garments (Figure 17). Normally, I work with the
models layer locked to avoid accidental movements.

Figure 17: Create one layer for the models,

and one layer for the garments.

Layers are very useful for previewing the garments separately from the models (Figures 18 and
19). With CorelDRAW X4, you can also create separate layers for each page of your document.

Figure 18: You can view the models and the garments together
by displaying both layers.

14 CorelDRAW X4 Insights from the Experts

 Figure 19: You can view the models and the garments separately by
hiding one of the layers.

Applying the pattern interactively

When the base models and garments are ready, select the Interactive fill tool from the
toolbox, and click the garment element that you want to fill. On the property bar, choose Full
color pattern from the Fill type list box. Open the Fill dropdown picker, and click your
rapport pattern design (Figure 20).

Figure 20: Choose Full color pattern from the list, and then
open the Fill dropdown picker to select the pattern that you
created.

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Now its time to adjust the pattern on the garment. First, by dragging the center handle you
can find the best position for your pattern. Furthermore, you can rotate or scale the pattern by
dragging the rotation and scale handles (the white circle in the corner). I dont like to deform
the original rapport design, so I never use the skew handles.

Figure 21: You can move and rotate the pattern and preview the
changes in real time.

Personally, I think that the interactive pattern fill tool is directly responsible for the success of
CorelDRAW in the fashion design industry. I cannot imagine testing a pattern on a garment
without previewing it in real time (Figure 21).

To apply the same pattern to several parts of a garment or to different garments, I click the
Copy fill properties button on the property bar (Figure 22).

If you want the work to go even faster, remember that you can apply the same pattern to a
group of objects.

16 CorelDRAW X4 Insights from the Experts

 Figure 22: You can copy the pattern and apply it to other garments, or to a group
of objects.

Once you are finished applying the textile pattern to the garments, you can add some fabric
samples to your presentation page, including the original color combination and some color
variations. To create color variations, you simply open the original file with the rapport design,
change the colors, and then create another full-color fill pattern with the mentioned technique.

As you can see, CorelDRAW offers all the tools you need to create professional fashion and
textile design in a productive and intuitive way.

Copyright 2007 Corel Corporation. All rights reserved. All trademarks or registered trademarks are the
property of their respective owners.

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