My love for Damask patterns has been enduring. I first fell in love with it when an aunt wallpapered her bathroom with a deep red, flocked damask pattern. I also worked in a fabric store as a teenager and loved the intricately woven medallion style patterns that were completely reversible! It was not until I was in trade school that I finally was able to find out how it was done. I had always wanted to create a Damask or medallion pattern myself, but I must admit, it took me awhile to wrap my head around how to do it.
It was also in school when I learned the history of the Damask pattern. You might be forgiven these days if you think of damask as a type of pattern, featuring elaborately scrolled motifs arranged in a diamond repeat grid. However, real damask is the woven fabric which uses different threads to create areas of varied texture in the cloth. That is why the fabrics I had admired were reversible! Because they have a different surface quality, the pattern shows variations in tone, and sometimes the weave is given even further emphasis by using different colours in the warp and weft (horizontal and vertical threads in the weave), often just slightly more contrasting. Because the pattern is woven into the cloth means that the fabric is always reversible, but that does not apply for many other modern reproduction methods for this pattern. The ability to print fabrics and wallpapers has allowed us as artists to introduce a lot more variety in our designs. Modern methods and trends are including more variety in colors and textures, and we will explore some of that in this class, while trying to remain true to the historical qualities of damask. When you take a closer look at Damask and medallion patterns, the production of them can seem very intimidating. However, as with most patterns, if you consider all factors such as the repeats and reflections, you’ll determine that it’s not as challenging as you feared, especially if you use Art Brushes, the Blob Brush and the Shapebuilder tools. We will also be making use of the Transformation Template created in other classes. In this class, I will impart what I’ve learned about this method of Damask pattern making. We will study some gorgeous examples of Damask patterns and I will share some of the planning and sketches I have done. Learning to plan and research is an important skill and cannot be ignored. I will definitely show you this in my class. Every technique discussed in the class is backed up with examples and explanation. We will build on techniques you have learned in other classes, like the use of the transformation template and pattern tool in Illustrator. My hope is that after seeing all the examples and explanation, you can more easily grasp how to create these patterns on your own. Are you prepared to plan and produce medallion and diamond repeat Damask patterns? That’s completely do-able once you’ve learned a few of these simple techniques. The key concepts I will include: This is a relevant course for you to take no matter what the end purpose for the artwork you create. If you don’t want to spend years figuring out Damask patterns, let’s dive in. This course is meant as an introduction to damask pattern creation, so this knowledge will get you on that path! Start now and you can be done watching in just over an hour!
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