Pen, Paper, Scissors: Creating Patterns the Analog Way

1. 01 INTRODUCTION: how everyone my name's charnel and welcome to creating patterns the analog way. I think we can all agree that digital programs can help us to create some stunning patterns . But have you ever wondered how to create a repeat without the use of all those fancy tools ? Well, in this class, you learn how to create a pattern without these of technology. Computer programs are cool and all, but sometimes it's good to take it back to the basics. So grab your pen, paper and scissors and let's get started. 2. 02 SUPPLIES: here the supplies. You'll need a cutting mat or a piece of cardboard to protect your work surface paper, a cutting tool, drawing utensils of your choosing, a roll of clear tape and last but not least, a ruler. Once you gather your supplies, it's time to start drawing. 3. 03 THEME AND INSPIRATION: The theme of your project is faces. You can draw smiley faces, animal faces, objects that look like faces. Theo. Options are endless Before we jump into drawing, let's talk about inspiration for your project. If you're stuck on what to draw first, think about the feeling you're trying to communicate. Whether you want your drawing to be bold and sophisticated or subdued and whimsical. Deciding on the overall feel of the piece is a great place to start. There are tons of different ways to find inspiration. One way I like to spark ideas is by heading to Pinterest. Pinterest can be a great source of inspiration when browsing it for reference. I like to look at disciplines outside of drawing, whether that be photography, home to core or ceramics. I like to find images that reinforce the overall mood I'm trying to achieve. Once you find your inspiration, it's on to the actual drawing process. 4. 04 DRAWING YOUR SQUARE: Now it's time to start your initial drawing. Cut your paper into a six by six inch square. This process will work for any size square, but I find that six by six inches is not too big and not too small. Once your paper is cut to size, it's time to fill in the middle of the square. One thing to keep in mind while drawing is that you want to stay away from the edges. You can get close to them, but don't go over. This will make your end repeat more seamless. Take into consideration each element you're placing on the page and how it might move. The I straight lines will give Ah, hard directional line. 12 rounded elements will keep the eye moving all over the page after you're done drawing, feel free to add color and accents. When finished, you should have a beautiful drawing right in the middle of your square 5. 05 OPTIONS TO SAVE YOUR WORK: cutting up your artwork can be quite intimidating at times. So here are three low tech options to save your work as you go. Option one is photocopying. All you have to do is Photocopier Square and cut it down to size. This way, you can cut up your photocopy and see how your pattern starts to form. Option two is tracing. With this option, you can do a line drawing, and then using a light table or a sunlit window, trace your drawing onto another piece of paper. That way, your original sketch remains intact as you move forward in the process, - Option three is to scan your image. Although this is indeed using technology, it's a great idea if you do want to digitize your piece in the end. And also like with photocopying, this will allow you to cut up a copy of your image to see how your overall pattern is coming together. Just print out your scan and cut a dancer size 6. 06 CUT AND ARRANGE: the next step, cutting up your square and rearranging it. This creates the overall repeat here I will be demonstrating the process. Using a photocopy of my original square, I labeled each corner to make it easier to follow. I'll also be using these quilting rulers, but any straight edge Will Dio wanted to get a straight cut is to use to rulers. I use the right one to measure and the left one. To create a straight line, cut your image in half from top to bottom, Then take the two halfs and switch from. Make sure all your edges lineup and at a small piece of tape to keep your paper together. Then flip it over and add a long piece of tape. Toe. Hold your seems together. Once that's in place, I turn it over and remove the small piece of tape. Next, we'll be cutting the image in half horizontally. I turned my image 90 degrees clockwise. In order to give you a better view, line up your straight edge again and cut it down the middle. You will see that B and A are joined together and are now separated from D and C now switch the half so that B and A are now to the left of D and C. You can see that I am sliding the D C. Side to the right and just placing the beat a side to the left of it. Be sure not to rotate the sides as you switch them. Make sure your edges line up at a small piece of tape to keep them from moving. Flip it over and tape the scene. After you remove the small piece of tape from the front, you'll see that now your lines are along the edges of the square instead of in the middle. Congratulations on making your repeat. Now it's time of the fill in the gaps and add the finishing touches. 7. 07 FILL MIDDLE : whether you chose to cut up your final piece of artwork, a photocopy of your artwork or trace diversion of your sketch. This next step will be the same for each. Now that your lines are along the edges, you're gonna fill in the gaps with additional elements. Since our images already split apart, feel free to get as close to the edge is as you'd like. Just don't go beyond them. Or else I get cut off when you go to reproduce it. - And there you have it. You're finished. Pattern block. 8. 08 FINAL AND HOW TO REPRODUCE: to reproduce your pattern. You can either photocopy it and tile it together, or you can scan it and tile it digitally. Here. I'll show you how to view your repeat by tiling photocopies. Together, you'll see that I'll be leaving about 1/2 inch border around some of my edges. This makes it easier to match up my lines. I made four photocopies my finished pattern ball and went ahead and labeled each. You'll see that as I match up the edges of the four photocopies, I lineup aside with a border with a side that is cut flushed to the image because it's important that our lines matchup. I add a piece of tape to the edges of the bordered sides. The sticky side should be facing up towards you, and there should be about 1/4 inch of overhang. This allows me to line up my edges while taping it in place at the same time. Press down firmly to make sure it's not going anywhere once it's firmly in place. Now you can flip it over and add more tape. If necessary, complete that process for each photocopy you made. In the end, you should have a beautifully tiled repeat pattern. Thank you so much for joining me in this course. I can't wait to see what you all create.