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I just love making mood boards! They seem complicated, but it’s all easier than it looks… Did you know that they’re useful for so many creative things? They are great to keep you on track for a project, to inspire, and to share ideas. My favorite purpose for making Moodboards, is a best kept secret! They are perfect for showcasing your creative work, and getting noticed in the online world! And we all know that’s not easy…

Mood Board Formula

Today, I’m going to share with you my easy Mood Board Formula for creating professional, engaging looking mood boards. It’s really quite simple and easy once you know how to do it! It’s like a recipe and you can improvise quite a lot in order to infuse your own style. So it’s super fun!!! It will require a bit of Procreate knowledge or you can do a version of this in Photoshop or Illustrator if you have those skills.

Step 1

Gather Your Images-

If you’re an artist or photographer, you will want to gather work that is in a similar theme, or color palette. It needs to tell a story and make some sort of sense. In the below image, you will see I gathered some of my art inspired by my September color palette.

I add my images in Procreate which will automatically upload as separate layers. This is super helpful in arranging your photos so they have an interesting layout. We will be moving them around as we add elements, so don’t get too hung up about the placement just yet.

Step 2

Add a Color Palette-

The next step is to add a color palette so it pulls together your images. I’ve done plenty of mood boards that didn’t have a color palette added, so it’s not required, but they are so much more dynamic with one.

Step 3

Name Your Moodboard-

From there, I add some text. Naming your mood board gives it an identity and a personality, like a fashion or interior design editorial in a magazine. It allows the viewer to see that you have thought it out and that you’re serious!

Step 4

Illustrated Elements-

Open a new layer and quickly sketch some botanicals, doodles, or anything else you would like, to compliment your images. I painted the above botanicals in black, then changed the colors with some of those in the color palette I added. This will ensure, that your added sketches will compliment the look of your mood board and not take away from it.

Step 5

Branding Your Mood Board-

If you are an entrepreneur this is the perfect place to add your logo or signature image. This will be the cherry on the whipped cream to making this mood board your very own. If you don’t have branding, no worries at all. It will still be yours and you can share it proudly, along with the beautiful work you’ve added to it.

Want the Mood Board Creation Step by Step PDF? Click the button to download it now!

download the pdf Guide

There you go! My mood board formula in a nutshell. I’d love to know if you try this out and how it worked for you. If you share it on Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest, please use #OctopusCproject so myself and the others posting projects can see it!

Want to learn more about this process or see a more detailed description? I have a Skillshare class called Procreate Art Moodboards and you can find it by clicking this link.

Not a Skillshare member? Starting on October 1st 2020, you will get 2 weeks free! During the 2 week trial, you can watch the class and to try out thousands of other Skillshare classes too! See you there.

Chris V. ;-)

Mood Board Formula for Creatives