This Florals and Nature Design Masterclass has been a phenomenal hit with our students since it’s launch. In this visually stunning course led by surface pattern designer Rachael Taylor, you will:

• Build up a bank of floral motifs and drawing
• Develop your creative skills
• Learn new ways to approach drawing and motif making
• Explore mark-making techniques
• Get exclusive insight into professional surface pattern designer Rachael Taylor’s design practice

Dive in today!

INSTANT ACCESS CLASS (Start whenever you’re ready and enjoy full access until Dec 31, 2024)

*IMPORTANT INFO* After thirteen fantastic years, we have made the tough decision to close the doors of Make It In Design December 31, 2024. After purchasing a course, you will need to log in and download anything you need by December because there will be no extensions under any circumstances beyond that date. Please note videos can only be streamed in the classroom (not downloaded) so you will need to watch them, make notes and download the transcripts before the deadline. You can find all questions answered here.

• 13 x beautiful and professionally shot videos filmed on location at Arley Hall & Gardens, one of the top filming locations for tv and movies in the UK. As well as a visit to Course Leader Rachael Taylor’s garden, indoor studio and outdoor studio spaces
• An in-depth look into the portfolio of renowned and globally licensed print and pattern designer Rachael Taylor
• 2 x technical video demonstrations in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop taught by Course Leader Rachael showing you how to turn your floral and nature drawings into designs and patterns
• 1 x exclusive video tour that dives deep into Rachael’s 15 years of floral and nature-based design experience and archive
• Bonus materials such as a gorgeous downloadable pdfs and motivational, portfolio-enhancing creative exercises
• Over 70 x visual downloads including gorgeous photography of florals and nature taken at Arley Hall & Gardens as well as styled photography to use as drawing reference and portfolio inspiration
• Over 40 x stock photographs for you to mock-up your brand new designs on

• Bonus trend insights on creating commercial selling designs with Sarah Porter of Porter & Brawn
• Bonus video content from expert Textile Designer Davinder Madaher
• Bonus video content from Watercolour Artist and Designer Maria Montiel

Inspiration:

• How to seek inspiration from florals and nature with several video tutorials shot around Arley Hall & Gardens
• How to gather inspiration from a local space available to you or even your own garden, that can really help enhance your creative portfolio
• How to be inspired by the seasons and create artwork all year round
• Get inspired by Rachael’s varied archive of floral and nature-based design from drawings and designs to physical products
• Draw inspiration from our celebration of floral and nature-based Make it in Design community student work
• How to use the inspiration you have gathered to form a new collection of floral and nature-based designs

‘Bloom Freedom’ and ‘Quirky Floral Stems’ – original drawings and digital designs by Rachael Taylor

‘Bloom Freedom’ and ‘Quirky Floral Stems’ on Rachael Taylor’s branded and licensed products

Technical:

• How to scan in and manipulate your original drawings and motifs in both Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop
• How to create a floral and nature inspired pattern within Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop
• How to use textures and scanned backgrounds within your designs
• How to design a placement print or design concept
• How to create a seamlessly repeating pattern design
• How to add colour to your designs within Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop
• How to use colour to change the dynamic of your design
• How to save your file ready for print
• How to name your designs and file them in an organised way

‘Hydratrope Dance’ and ‘Swiss Forest’ designs by Rachael shown in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator

Portfolio:

• How to create your own plant hybrids and species to really add originality to your design work
• Learn to loosen up and experiment with our exciting and fun drawing exercises
• How to create motifs in a variety of styles from detailed and realistic to simple and abstract
• Learn how to present your floral and nature-based design portfolio in a professional and beautiful way
• Tips on how to name your designs using inspiration from florals and nature
• Understanding floral and nature trends and the power they hold
• How to create florals for fashion
• Creating watercolour art and how to digitise it to create print ready repeats

A selection of Rachael Taylor’s floral and nature based drawings, branded products and licensed ranges

“Thanks to Rachael Taylor and the Make it in Design Team for providing this course to concentrate on the natural world.”

“This course could not have come at a better time for me. I started taking Rachael’s courses in 2012! I can’t believe it’s been that long.”

 “I’m very grateful to be a student here, especially at this time. This class is full of so much beauty and positivity which is needed very much right now!” 

“I know you didn’t have any idea what the world would be like now when you conceived this class last year but it’s what the world needs right now”

“Yes it’s perfect timing, distraction and a calming haven from the anxiety and social distancing”

“Thank you Rachael. Those videos of Arley Hall Gardens were so lovely and much needed. As is this course. It’s come at such a perfect time as we all try and navigate the spectrum of emotions during this pandemic.”

“This course is perfect for me and I’m excited to use the current lock down situation to develop and grow creatively.”

Our alumni have gone on to win amazing awards, set up their own design studios and labels, land major design gigs with household brand names, signed exciting licensing deals and built thriving design careers.

Check out our Terms & Conditions page. We strongly encourage you to read these before registering, as registering for one or more courses or bundles acknowledges acceptance of these Terms & Conditions.

This course is aimed at all skills levels. You will be in safe hands with Rachael as she makes her tutorials very easy to follow. You do not need to have taken any of our other courses in order to take part.

Software

In the course Rachael Taylor will be teaching her workshops in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. If you wish to follow the technical workshops then you will need to have these programmes available to you. If you are new to the software, don’t worry, as Course Leader Rachael has been teaching the software for 8+ years and her tutorials are very easy to pick up and follow. Please note that the software is not included in class and it will need to be purchased separately from Adobe. We advise getting in touch with them directly for the best deals. Adobe programmes are widely used in the design industry and are an essential investment if you are serious about a creative career or learning to apply the skills you will learn. However, we always advise our students to take the courses at their own pace so if you wish to save the technical sections of the course for later when you feel you are more ready we would encourage this.

Materials

For the motif making and drawing part of the class you may need access to simple drawing equipment such as pens, pencils, inks or paints depending on the media you prefer to create with. Rachael likes to use pens from Derwent, UniPin and Berol in a variety of weights.

Devices

We do not have a set device requirement other than if you wish to follow the technical section of the course then your device will need to be able to run Adobe programmes sufficiently. The team works on Apple devices but we have had students also work on PC’s. If you have a scanner for uploading your drawings then this is great, but you can upload photography of your drawings to work on too.

If are new to Make it in Design:

You will be sent an email confirming your class registration after purchase as well as an email containing information on how to set up your student account. Our online classrooms are accessed through this account, and once registered will be accessible through your dashboard. If you have not received emails from us, please check your junk mail and set [email protected] as a safe sender. Please email us if you have still not received anything.

If you already have an account with us:

The class will appear in your dashboard after purchase. If it is a live class this will be in your dashboard but will not be accessible until it goes live (please check dates on individual classes). If you cannot see your class, please check you have signed up with the same email address. If not, please email [email protected] and we can combine the accounts for you.

Sound good? Scroll up to register, or down to see  the course curriculum