Illustrator Tip: Polka Dot Pattern

Creating a polka dot pattern in Illustrator is a great way to introduce how to create a pattern swatch.

This short video demonstrates how to create a simple tile that will be stepped and repeated when dragged into the swatches panel.

There are four key steps to this workflow:

1. Draw the artwork you would like repeated in the pattern. In this case, a red circle.
2. Draw a tile with the rectangle tool. Centre it over your artwork and send it to the back.
3. Select both the tile and artwork together. Drag the tile and the artwork into the swatches panel.
4. To apply the pattern, draw any shape. With the shape selected, use the swatches panel to choose the pattern swatch you created as the fill.