Creating a Christmas Background Pattern in Adobe Illustrator

In the run up to Christmas and New Year you may need a seamless background pattern for:

• Creating a background on your website, social media, app, or game
• Applying it to printing goods – day planners, postcards, etc.
• Making a print for a shirt or your dog’s jumpsuit. Something like this:

There will be 10 easy steps in Adobe Illustrator. You can use our free Christmas icons or any other SVGs. If you only have raster images, you may want to check this howto instead.

1. Create a Square

It can be of any size, depending on your needs. This one is 300x300px.

2. Place a Few Icons Crossing Two Sides of the Square

Select the icons crossing the vertical side of the square to continue editing the pattern. Make sure you have the Select tool chosen. It’s in the top left corner.

3. Find the Move Function

Click with the right mouse button on the selected icons and go to Transform > Move… in the context menu. Alternatively, use the hotkey combination Shift+Ctrl+M.

4. Copy Icons to the Other Side of the Square

Set the Horizontal to be the same as the size of the square (here it is 300 px). The Vertical must be 0. Click the Copy button.

5. Do the Same Thing to the Horizontal Icons

Select the icons crossing the horizontal side of the square and repeat the Steps 2-4. The only difference is that you set Horizontal as 0, and Vertical as the size of the square (300px here).

6. Fill the Rest of the Square With Vector Icons

Place them in any order you like. It will be the base of your pattern.

7. Delete the Square

Select the square with the select tool or press V on your keyboard. Then click the Delete button.

8. Open the Pattern Menu

Select all the icons and go to Object > Pattern > Make. The menu box for your pattern will appear.

9. Set up the Pattern

In the appeared window set Width and Height parameters as you used for the deleted square (ours was 300x300px). Click Done at the top of the document window.

10. Find Your Pattern at the Swatches Panel

Voilà! Your awesome seamless pattern waits for you at the Swatches panel. Now you can create any shape and color it with your Christmas pattern.

Questions? Seasonal Greetings?

Feel free to comment 🙂 Have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!