Week 6

Knowledge Gained

Reflect on what you have learned about designing patterns. Consider how your research and experimentation influenced your creative approach.

I’ve learnt that patterns aren’t just confined to my previous, conventional understanding (florals,  geometric, tiled, block repeats etc.), that they can be created by almost any imagery, as long as that imagery can be repeated endlessly.

My creative approach was initially influenced by abstract forms. As suggested in this module’s activities, I experimented with tracing images of dappled light and shadows. To give these traces some structure and repetition, I decided to mirror them rather than aiming to make then continuous. This trial and error with mirroring lead me to researching what was out there in the world of mirrored patterns, I eventually landed at mirrored animal patterns.

Challenges

Was it difficult to ensure repetition, alignment or variation? How did you address any issues that arose during the creation process?

One of my first repeat attempts was of a continuous pattern, this was initially difficult and confusing for me. I found a quick tutorial video on YouTube describing how to achieve it using pen, paper, and scissors and without the need for digital skills - I found I was able to wrap my head around it once I followed the instructions.

I found that mirroring created both the look & feel that I wanted while also enabling a pretty easy repeat process in comparison.

Success & Strengths

Reflect on your achievements in Activity 1 and what you feel confident about. Which pattern design techniques felt most natural to you, and why?

I feel most comfortable using fine line marker and tracing paper at this point – they enable me to create more complex patterns over free-hand drawing.

I would have liked to have experimented with using acrylics however I fear over-using these as, at this stage, my entire first cube is comprised of 6 sides of paint.

Application

Consider how your work in Activity 1 connects to your broader learning journey. How do you plan to apply the knowledge gained here to future projects? How might these creative methods influence your approach to future design challenges?

The message of ‘just get started’ comes to mind – that an idea or tangent from one activity or experimentation may lead you down the path of another. In terms of creative methods, I think starting with my hands, with analogue methodologies, is pretty often going to be beneficial by producing unpredictable results and happy accidents.

Areas for Improvement

Reflect on the areas where you could improve or need more practice. How did the feedback you received influence your design choices? Are there any design tools or techniques you want to explore further to enhance your skills?

I could definitely work more on continuous pattern design and producing seamless patterns. I could also benefit from learning and using different mark-making methods other than fine line marker alone. On the digital end of things, again, some more training in the Adobe Suite would be beneficial for me, especially if I want to manipulate designs without having to retrace them.

Goals

Based on your reflections, what study goals can you set for the coming week?

It is feeling like crunch time in terms of attending an Adobe workshop, my weakest link at this point is looking to be Photoshop!