Tutorial- Making a Line Design Star

 

I was obsessively drew these as a young boy, making all sorts of permutations and complexities. Then, many years later I was creating these in 3 dimensions as kinetic sculptures

Essentially you are connecting points on graph paper. If there is no graph paper, then you are making it yourself, either measured out in advance, or eyeballed in the moment. The graphic below pretty much sums it up. 

Create a set of points evenly spaced out on one axis. Then do that for another axis- whether at 90 degrees, as my example has, or any other angle. Connect your points in the manner shown. Extend the axis, make more spaced points and those and then you repeat this process, shifting 90 degrees each time, each subset section contributing to an overall design.

Here's my sculptural version of it. (You can see more on my website)

The Randomized Mandala

For a number of years I’ve been using mandala-making in my workshops as a method for quickly creating large-scale artwork.

Mandalas have a number of features which make them ideal for this use. For starters, you can take practically any element, like a line or dots or spirals or whatever, and as long as it is repeated with regularity around a central point, it will look intentional. Keep adding elements and building outwards and voila! This is helpful when I’m working with art novices for whom coming up with a compelling completed artwork from scratch could be a daunting task. It allows me to work with any number of people and have each person’s creation be unique. Collaboration between multiple participants can easily be incorporated with each person taking turns adding new elements.

The first thing that is needed is a framework. For a mandala the framework can be a series of circles and a few spokes. The number of each is not so important. The framework will not be visible in the final creation (unless desired)- rather it serves as a guide to staying even in placing and sizing new elements.

So we might start with a framework like this. Then, for any element that is added, decide where it is going, how large it will be, and then repeat the positioning for as many times as the circle has been divided by spokes. Keep adding new elements in a similar manner.

Sometimes deciding what to add next can be a stumbling block, especially during a workshop when there isn’t much time for designing. A new twist I have added is using a dice guide:

So, by rolling the dice (or going to this site which will give randomized numbers), whatever the dice comes up with your job then is to incorporate the new element. There are no rules for how the element is added- as many or as few as desired, inverted or sideways, large or small, filled in or left open. The great part about this system is that even though it is prescriptive in telling you what to do, it leaves open tremendous room for creativity. 

The guide can be any elements you decide, and there can be as many as desired (using the randomizing link for numbers not found on dice)

Here’s a go I had at using this system using a slightly more complex framework:

Construction Guide- Icosahedron

The icosahedron is a platonic solid. Platonic solids are 3-dimensional shapes the sides of which (also known as 'faces') all have the same shape. The icosahedron has 20 faces, each a triangle. In the version I made, shown below, I stylized the icosahedron by curving the faces and adding an inner line. Read on to learn how to make this shape.

Making the Wave

Let's learn to make 'The Wave'

Construction Guide- Biohazard

I am often surprised when folks choose this card when I offer a choice of my postcards. The Biohazard symbol is beautiful. It is lacy and feels insectoid, perhaps a bit sinister. Apart from its meaning, which is to convey a health warning, it is a lovely symbol. I'll show you how to make it.

Dividing the circle into 3-6-12 equal parts

Most geometric designs have radial symmetry, meaning that the same thing is occurring along multiple equally spaced 'spokes'. Generally the first phase of design construction is about establishing these 'spokes'. The second phase is about using the spokes as the basic framework to create the rest of the design.

Follow this guide to equally divide a circle.