Is anyone else obsessed with the trendy block prints out there right now?
It’s something I’ve been eyeing up for the longest time and badly wanted some in my home, but figured I would take a stab at a DIY before I buy. It’s pretty simple, but does require a little bit of familiarity with Illustrator.
Before I really get into the tutorial, I need to mention that this is 100% inspired by Block Shop Textiles, The Printable Studio, and Sofia Shu. I am in no way taking ownership of the idea of this work, just offering a way to DIY something similar. I strongly encourage you to check these incredible artists out, and support them in any way you can.
Step One
Use the line tool (/) to draw a line. The default stroke color is black and the weight is 1pt. I think that weight and color is perfect for this project.
Step Two
Duplicate by selecting the lines and dragging down while holding the shift and option keys. I like the look of 8 lines, but you can do however many you’d like to make it your own!
Step Three
Go to Window > Align to bring up your Align tool panel.
Select all of your lines, make sure you choose Align To: Selection, and then click Distribute Spacing: Vertical.
Step Four
Go to Window > Brushes (F5) to pull up your Brushes panel.
Select all of the lines and simply drag it to the Brushes panel. When you drag it in, choose Pattern Brush as your new brush type.
Select the following options:
- Scale: 100%
- Spacing: 0%
- Fit: Stretch to fit
- Colorization: Hue Shift
Step Five
Draw a shape with your pen tool and/or eclipse tool. I like to keep my lines straight (hold down shift while you draw a line) and draw 90 degree angles. Then I highlight the lines and use then drag the little circle in the corner to round out the angles.
Step Six
Play around with color and scale! The settings of the pattern brush allow for the scale and color to be easily changed, which is great for indecisive designers like myself.
Step Seven
To keep things simple, I printed mine at home on my basic inkjet printer on this paper. I love printing artwork at home on inkjet friendly watercolor textured paper to give it a more handmade look. I tore the edges using a straight edge and I got the look I was going for.
