Tagged: squares
Sunday sketch #87
Back to basics this week, with a very simple nine-patch on repeat.
Playing with the squares in the nine-patch creates some interesting shapes. I’ve used half-square triangles to get that overlaid grid effect, but you could even use quarter-square triangles in the centre, and half-square triangles for the other squares, so create a tighter grid pattern overall.
Sunday sketch #83
If you look closely at Sunday sketch #81, you can see that the inside halves of each arrow create a closed octagon in the centre of each block. I decided to take that part of the block (which kinda looks like a circular saw blade) and tile it on its own.
Of course, that tiling brings up some really interesting secondary shapes: octagons, zig-saggy diamonds, and some wonky 8-pointed stars. It can be easier to see them if I redo the sketch with reverse shading.
I think when I sketch by hand that I pay more attention to the shapes, and see more possibilities for alternative designs and colours than I would when I use Excel or Illustrator. Instead of just creating one block and cutting-and-pasting it to get repeats, I’m re-drawing it again and again, which gives me time to think about each line and how I might manipulate it to get something new.
This design could be made into a quilt pattern using half-square triangles and squares.
Sunday sketch #80
Recently I revisited some half-finished sketches for new ideas. I found a design for a circle of arrows that ends up looking a bit like a wreath – I’d never quite finished it, but knew how I wanted it to look. A bit more sketching, and I was happy with the block design. Tiling the block produces a simple pattern with some circular motion.
Removing the sashing between the blocks produces a slightly tighter design, with some more interesting secondary shapes.
These 9 x 9 blocks could be made using half-square triangles, squares and rectangles.
