Retro Bloom: Create Trendy Floral Art in Procreate

If you love floral illustration, Procreate, or the idea of turning artwork into products, Flower Power: Drawing Trendy Retro Floral Art in Procreate for Print On Demand offers a practical introduction to the entire creative process. Taught by illustrator and surface designer Carrie Cantwell, the Skillshare class takes students from initial flower sketches to a finished retro illustration ready for print-on-demand applications.

• Procreate beginners — Designed to be accessible even if you have never used Procreate before.
• Aspiring illustrators — Learn a straightforward process for creating polished floral artwork.
• Surface designers — Explore a retro illustration style that can translate to commercial products.
• Print-on-demand creators — Learn how to prepare artwork for products such as T-shirts and wall art.
• Creative entrepreneurs — Useful for artists interested in turning illustrations into sellable designs.

• Sketching retro floral subjects in Procreate
• Developing and arranging floral motifs
• Creating clean inked illustrations
• Applying retro-inspired colors
• Adding texture and shading
• Refining and signing finished artwork
• Exporting artwork for print on demand

Flower Power follows a clear start-to-finish workflow rather than focusing only on individual Procreate tools. The class begins with the required supplies and reference material before moving into sketching, motif development, inking, illustration, shading, finishing touches, and print-on-demand preparation. The 10 lessons range from short introductory and export lessons to longer hands-on drawing demonstrations.

One of the strongest practical aspects of the class is its emphasis on creating an actual finished piece. Students work toward a complete retro floral illustration instead of simply practicing isolated techniques. This makes the class particularly approachable for beginners who benefit from seeing how individual Procreate techniques fit into a complete creative workflow.

Carrie also provides several class resources, including four custom Procreate brushes, six retro color palettes, and flower reference photographs. These resources allow students to follow along more easily while experimenting with the visual style demonstrated throughout the class.

The print-on-demand section gives the course an especially practical direction. Carrie demonstrates how to export a finished illustration as a JPEG and explains how to prepare artwork with a transparent background for applications such as T-shirts. This helps bridge the gap between creating digital artwork and preparing it for use on commercial products.

The course is also useful for artists who already know the basics of Procreate. Rather than being purely software-focused, it demonstrates an illustration workflow that can be adapted to an existing creative practice. More experienced users may therefore find value in the approach to floral drawing, retro styling, shading, color selection, and preparing finished artwork for different applications.

Another advantage is the instructor’s professional background. Carrie Cantwell describes herself as an illustrator, surface designer, and educator, and says she has built her creative business around artwork, licensing, education, and collaborations. Before becoming a full-time artist, she spent 16 years as a film and TV graphic designer.

She also has experience specifically relevant to the subject of the course: her work has been used in products and licensing projects, and her artwork has been featured by outlets and organizations including UPPERCASE Magazine, Peppermint Magazine, AIGA, NPR, and TED.

Overall, the class focuses on a manageable project and presents the process in a way that should feel achievable rather than overwhelming. It is less about mastering every feature in Procreate and more about learning a repeatable workflow for creating attractive retro floral artwork and preparing the result for print-on-demand use.

Flower Power is a focused, beginner-friendly course that combines Procreate illustration with a practical introduction to print-on-demand preparation. Its step-by-step project, downloadable resources, and emphasis on creating a finished piece make it particularly suitable for beginners and aspiring illustrators. More experienced Procreate users can also use the class to explore Carrie Cantwell’s retro floral illustration workflow and commercial-oriented approach.