Samira Mian
The Twelvefold Islamic Geometric Rosette
Home of the #tutorialtuesday #twelvefoldchallenge activities from June & July 2020 but perfect to work through any time at your own pace.
If you enjoy the free resources, any size donation welcome to help sustain my work!
This page collects together the relevant YouTube tutorials & art work that will help you work your way through this family of patterns with a series of activities. Suitable for those of you have drawn a little before or brave beginners! The key is perservere and practise. In terms of tools & materials, they are listed listed at the start of each tutorial video, click here for materials & equipment.
Activity 1: Watch #15 Al Nasir Masjid - How to draw Islamic Geometry
Just watch, don't draw, this first video. #15 Al Nasir Masjid is a the original animation, a precursor to the tutorials I've produced in recent years. I enjoyed creating the animations in PowerPoint, but as I taught more, I wanted to share more, so hence the evolution in the tutorial style. Drawing starts at the next video below: #15 Drawing a Twelvefold Islamic Geometric Rosette.
Activity 2: #15 Drawing a Twelvefold Islamic Geometric Rosette
Draw this rosette as many times as you need to build up familiarity, confidence & accuracy. The radius doesn't have to be defined as this drawing will not lead to anything further. New Geometers draw larger (e.g. 10cm to 13cm on A3 paper) and try smaller for your further drawings. Repeat as many times as you need.
If there is one thing I want to get across in my teaching it's that you should enjoy the process of drawing by hand. Value it, repeat it, perservere and you'll master it. The video below is a warm up - learning the construction- activity.
Activity 3:
#15.1 Drawing Tiling & Painting Two Arrangements of a Twelvefold Islamic Geometric Rosette
Draw the constuction, draw the two tracings as shown to lead to many different compositions using the two tracings. Follow the processes to either copy the compositions shown or create your own variations. This activity could lead to one, two or many paintings, it's up to you how much or how little you wan to create from it.
There are two main ways I draw fuller Islamic Geometric Patterns with the repeating motif/pattern. This video and activity, shows you the first: Draw & trace the repeating unit and then transfer multiple times to create a fuller pattern for outling, colouring, painting etc. I find this especially useful for when I have less time and also I want to come up with different crops of the repeat unit, in this case the rosette. I've summarised 7 of those variations in the slide show below the video.
Remember that when you do tile the tracings together you have to do so correctly. This part is non negotiable!
1) Hexagonal tiles fit together like honeycomb, no gaps or overlaps!
2) Squares in a grid, side to side, corners meets corners with no gaps or overlaps!
3) The tile lines/corner crosses are not part of the pattern and must be removed in a final pattern.
These are some of the biggest mistakes made time and time again modern day patterns. Never found in the original patterns from centuries ago. So let's consciously be aware of them and avoid them.
I adapted this construction to show the relationship between a square and hexagonal tiling in one drawing. I haven't seen anyone else do this - one construction leading to two tiles (square & hexagon), so I hope you find the relationship between them interesting and secondly a useful tool to create correct painting variation efficiently.
Once you have your tracings there are many possibilities ofr how you add colour, #15.1A Transferring, Tiling & Painting An Hexagonal Arrangement of a Twelvefold Rosette below shows a different outcome.
Activity 4:
#15.2A Drawing & Painting 4 Twelvefold Islamic Geometric Rosettes in a Square Arrangement
This video has one outcome, four rosettes in a square arrangement to be drawn a the scale, pens & colour of your choice.
It shows the second main way in which I draw fuller Islamic Geometric Patterns - draw everything, erase nothing and enjoy/celebrate the full complexity & repetition of constructing Islamic Geometric Patterns. Drawing all the lines and circles needed requires concentration, patience and accuracy for an extended amount of time. The process & outcome are both very rewarding. I often say if you have anything troubling you or something on your mind, drawing geometric patterns requires so much of you that it forces your troubles out for its duration. An all consuming respite that I often turn to.
Activity 5:
#15.2B: Drawing & Colouring Twelvefold Islamic Geometric Rosette in a Hexagonal Arrangement
This video has one outcome, one rosette in a hexagonal arrangement to be drawn a the scale, pens & colour of your choice.
This is of course more complex than the square arrangement of four in activity 4. I've tried to hold back on too many detailed steps to help you gain confidence, build on your learning so far and think about what you are doing and what you did when drawing the single rosette and activites 1 to 4. One tip which I should have given myself, was to take a break! I lost concentration near the end and doing things logically flew out the window! Notice yourself and your concentration levels, and work through this carefully and slowly with breaks as needed.
Activity 6:
#15.3A: Drawing a Stellated Twelvefold Islamic Geometric Rosette
Draw this rosette as many times as you need to build up familiarity, confidence & accuracy. Draw larger to begin with (e.g. 10cm radius on A3 paper) and if you wish try smaller for your further drawings.
This whole family/page of tutorials is about drawing a pattern from Al Nasir Masjid in Cairo. And this tutorial gets us one step closer. If I tell you that the final pattern we’re after is a “ Stellated Twelvefold Islamic Geometric Rosette in a Square Arrangement” I hope some of this long-winded terminology may make sense and enable you to visualise the end outcome whilst also knowing there may be related variations of it.
Activity 7:
#15.3B: Drawing, Tracing, Transferring, Tiling & Painting Two Arrangements of a Stellated Twelvefold Islamic Geometric Rosette
Draw the constuction & the two tracings to enable you to tile and transfer to watercolour and arrive at different compositions using either the hexagonal or square tile. Either copy the compositions shown in the slide show below or create your own variations. This activity could lead to one, two or many paintings, it's up to you how much or how little you wan to create from it.
As I’ve mentioned before, there are two main ways we’ve drawn fuller Islamic Geometric Patterns with the repeating
motif/pattern: With or without tracing. I’m sure you have a preference, I enjoy them both depending on my mood, how much I want to concentrate, the time I have available and so on. One thing I’ve loved about using tracing paper is that it’s allowed me to find slightly different variations (full rosettes in outer corners) with great ease.
See some of the suggested tilings in the slide show below the video.
Do remember that when you tile the tracings together you have to do so correctly.
1) Hexagonal tiles fit together like honeycomb, no gaps or overlaps!
2) Squares in a grid, side to side corner meets corner with no gaps or overlaps!
3) The tile lines/corner crosses & guide lines are not part of the pattern and must be removed in a final pattern.
These things are the biggest mistakes made time and time again in modern day patterns. Never found in the original patterns from centuries ago. So let's consciously be aware of them and avoid them.
Again note that this two tiles from one construction is my own invention. Firstly to show the relationship between a square and hexagonal tiling in one drawing. Secondly, a useful & practical technique to create correct painting variation efficiently.