Introduction to Islamic Geometric Design

The fourfold pattern whose method of construction is shown in this lecture, can be found across many regions and eras of the Islamic world. It is especially good as a pattern for beginners but also as a pattern that you can embellish once all the lines have been drawn. A PDF template can be downloaded that already has the construction lines of the first step of the design sequence for this pattern

The fourfold pattern whose method of construction is shown in this lecture, can be found across many regions and eras of the Islamic world. It is a very common and recognisable pattern with a central eightpointed star, surrounded by eight 'petals'. The step-by-step instructions show how sometimes construction lines have to be drawn solely in order to create intersections for other construction lines. A PDF template can be downloaded that already has the construction lines of the first step of the design sequence for this pattern.

In the previous two lectures (5 and 6) we learnt how to make patterns that fit in a square. The next step is to tessellate these patterns to make a complete composition. This lecture shows you some tricks and principles that will help you create a composition efficiently, by keeping to a minimum the number of times you have to draw the same pattern. Two PDF's are provided that allow you to use the same grid of four squares as is used in the lecture.

The Ben Youssef madrasa in Marrakech is one of the masterpieces of Islamic architecture. It was built in the late 16th century and was named after a Marinid ruler, although it was built after the reign of the Marinids. Many of its floors and walls, as well as wooden panels are decorated with an enormous variety of geometric patterns, almost all of them fourfold patterns. To visit it is a visually overwhelming experience: the beauty of the decoration and of the building, the peacefulness of it in the middle of the bustling old center of Marrakech, it is hard to compare it with anything else. This video gives you a tour of the madrasa, focussing of course on the fourfold patterns.

The sixfold pattern whose method of construction is shown in this lecture, can be found across many regions and eras of the Islamic world. It is essentially a pattern of overlapping hexagons. In this lecture it is shown on a horizontal band of ceramic tiles on the shrine of Bibi Jawindi in Uch, Pakistan. A PDF template can be downloaded that already has the construction lines of the first step of the design sequence for this pattern.

This sixfold star pattern can be found (amongst others) on the famous wooden mihrab from the shrine of Sayyida Ruqayya (1133) in Cairo, Egypt.The star itself is familiar sixpointed star which, when tessellated in a grid of hexagons, becomes an effective sixfold pattern that is especially suited for embellishment. A PDF template can be downloaded that already has the construction lines of the first step of the design sequence for this pattern

In the previous two lectures (9 and 10) we learnt how to make patterns that fit in an hexagon. The next step is to tessellate these patterns to make a complete composition. This lecture shows you some tricks and principles that will help you create a composition efficiently, by keeping to a minimum the number of times you have to draw the same pattern. Two PDF's are provided that allow you to experiment with a grid of hexagons.

A successful geometrical composition is more than just a pattern drawn with single lines. In this course, all the examples from Islamic art and architecture show that what makes a composition beautiful, is the way it is embellished. In this lecture you will learn a few effective techniques to turn your line drawing into a more accomplished and interesting composition.

Now that you have finished this course, what can you do next? I offer some suggestions.