Tagged: half-square triangles
Sunday sketch #343
I was digging through my old sketches and found this one, which I created when trying to come up with new half-rectangle triangle designs. It’s a bit like Sunday sketch #320, but sufficiently different to be worth posting, I think.
(This is maybe not a great colour combination to have chosen, as it can create chromostereopsis – a chromatic aberration where blue and red in proximity can give the impression of depth in an image or be harder to view. Or just seem a bit wonky. Sorry. I was too lazy to change it.)
Did you notice that the negative space within the design creates the same shapes in blue as there are in red? I love it when that happens.
So the half-rectangle triangle parts of the design are very similar to Sunday sketch #320, but the half-square triangles are oriented differently here, and the layouts are also different. It’s funny how such similar blocks can create designs that are quite unalike.
I’ve alternated the block colouring in the next version, so the four corners aren’t spiky anymore.
This design reminds me of a plant in Australia called Sturt’s desert pea, which has bright red leaf-like flowers that extend vertically from a black centre point.
Arranging the blocks on point helps to position the ‘flowers’ vertically. I like how all the lines from the HRTs create movement across and down the design.
The blue shapes in the middle might be easier to see in that last version.
This week’s sketch could be made into a quilt using 2:1 half-rectangle triangles, half-square triangles and squares. I’ve only shown two-colour versions here, but I guess it could work with a larger palette?
Sunday sketch #342
This week’s sketch is a direct progression of Sunday sketch #341. Instead of half-circles, I’ve used flying geese, and instead of larger circles in the inside of those black squares, I’ve introduced more squares. The colouring’s much the same, and there’s still a ton of movement, with lots of secondary shapes created by all those horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines.
The good thing about introducing flying geese is that their angles match those already in use in the design – so the sides of the geese are parallel to other lines in the design. Same with the central white squares. That helps to keep the whole design feeling coherent and less cluttered.
Here it is in a standard layout (with the blocks not on point).
I also tried replacing the flying geese with another shape – a triangle-in-a-square unit – but… nah. I don’t think it works well at all.
I’m not entirely sure why I don’t love these variations very much… they just feel a bit too busy and chaotic for me. The triangle-in-a-square units just add too many new angles that aren’t repeated elsewhere in the design, and it all feels very pointy and sharp. No thanks. But hey, I’m happy to share them anyway, because that’s what the Sunday sketches are all about: exploring design ideas, playing with shapes, and inspiring you to do the same.
These designs could be made using squares, half-square triangles, flying geese and rectangles. The standard layout above is an 8 x 8 grid, so 64 blocks total. Although you wouldn’t have to construct blocks before constructing the whole quilt – you could just make all the individual units and then piece them together in rows or columns. All the colouring is the same in all blocks, so you could chain-piece your way through them in no time.
Sunday sketch #341
This week’s sketch might look like a 4 x 4 grid, but it’s actually 8 x 8 (with a border). Each block is a 4-patch made up of one square, two half-square triangles, a half-circle and a rectangle. Tile and rotate the blocks, and the diagonal, horizontal and vertical lines start joining up to make new shapes. And so much movement!
Alter the block rotation, and those diagonal black squares shift up and over. I love how such a simple design can have so much going on.
The diagonal black squares are kinda empty, so let’s fill them with something. More curves seems apt.
Or maybe curves without so much colour. That’s better.
Another thing I often try with block-based designs is setting the layout on point – basically a layout where the square blocks are all rotated by 45 degrees. I really love this variation – all the elements and movement are still there, but with slightly fewer blocks (13 instead of 16), it just feels a little lighter I think.
We can fill those inner circles back in…
…or leave the squares empty.
I love so many things about this sketch. The back and forth, scribble-like movement of the curves across the whole design; the horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines that emerge to create secondary shapes; the symmetry and simplicity… it just ticks alll the boxes for me. It’s the kind of design where I think ‘OMG THIS IS THE BEST DESIGN I’VE EVER DONE!’ hahaha, so I’ll be interested to see what other people think 🙂
This one’s definitely going on my list of things to (possibly) make in 2023.
