When you start building your portfolio, you shouldn’t just throw your patterns in a book and hope for the best. Companies want to see what your patterns might look like on different products so having mockups to compliment pictures of your patterns is a great way to help companies visualize what your pattern might look like on their products. There are a lot of great mockups on the web that will easily allow you to apply your patterns to their mockups so I thought I would share with you some of my favorite free mockups for showcasing your patterns.
Before we jump into this post I need to mention 2 things. Most mockups are made for Photoshop so you will need to have Photoshop to use these mockups.
Also, you need to check the licensing agreements of each mockup before you use them. Some mockups require you to give them attribution and others cannot be used for commercial use so you should check the mockups license to make sure you are using a mockup correctly and legally.
Let’s get started!
1. Apron Mockup From Graphic Burger
Graphic Burger is a great place to get free, high-quality mockups. This mockup was done in collaboration with Creatsy which usually creates paid for mockups but is offering this apron mockup for free on Graphic Burger. As a pattern designer, it is your job to distinguish which patterns would look best on which mockups. For instance, a pattern showcasing food might look good on an apron or a recipe book. You don’t have to go for the typical, however, if you are sending your portfolio to a home design company it will benefit you to include patterns on similar mockups to items they might sell in their store.
What I like about Creatsy’s mockups is they are very easy to use. Their mockups usually have an area where it clearly states “place patterns here” so there is never any question where you should be putting your pattern.
2. Tin Container Mockup From Graphic Burger
When you are choosing mockups to use, you want to make sure that you are using diverse mockups. Choosing 3 different pillowcase mockups and 4 different bedding mockups isn’t going to give a company a well-rounded view of what your patterns will look like on a multitude of products. This mockup is great for showing companies what your product might look like on packaging. I also like that this mockup is high-quality and looks like this is a picture you took of an actual product so it would be a perfect addition to your portfolio.
3. Notebook Mockup From Pixeden
When I first started making patterns, I knew I wanted them to be on stationary and office supplies so having my mockup on a notebook was a natural fit for me. This notebook mockup is slightly more labor intensive than the other two since you are manipulating your pattern to fit on the front and spine of the book as well as changing the color of the back of the book and possibly changing the color of the band of the book to match your pattern, however, the results are stunning.
4. Tote Bag Mockup From Graphic Burger
I use this tote bag all of the time because it is a simple, clean design and will help a company get a feel for what your design will look like on fabric. This mockup is really versatile as you can add any design to this pattern and it will still look good.
5. Bedding Mockup from Pixelbuddha
For the last mockup, I wanted something that would allow you to show your patterns on a larger scale. The cool thing about this design is everything is customizable. You can change the color of the pillowcases, sheets, bedding, etc. which allows you to make this mockup your own. To get this bedding from Pixelbuddha you have to subscribe to their email list and then they will send you a download link which you can only download 3 times so make sure to remember to save your mockup.
So these are 5 of my favorite mockups. Other types of mockups that would be a good fit for your portfolio might be wallpaper, phone cases, shirts, wrapping paper, etc. but it all depends on the type of pattern you are applying to the mockup and what types of companies you are sending your portfolio. What are some of your favorite pattern mockups?
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Susan Tienhaara
Looking for ideas to use my art onto products.