PERSIAN GEOMETRIC ART | Workshop 2 | Draw and Design with Shapes

Geometric art can be found in many examples of iconic architecture, ancient manuscripts, traditional apparel, and antique stoneware in the Islamic lands of the Middle East, North Africa, and Southern Europe. Artists of all stripes and nationalities have been inspired by nature and combined their artistic sensibilities with mathematics to create astonishing art. The Islamic world, with its restrictions on representational depiction, is no exception, and masterpieces that have dazzled for centuries—designed and created using simple tools such as the ruler and the compass—are a testament to the skills of Muslim artists. In this workshop, we will follow in the footsteps of these artists, producing geometric patterns of our own with the same simple tools.

In this workshop, you will learn how to draw a simple yet famous eight-fold pattern. Once the mother pattern is drawn, you will learn how to convert it into completely different patterns just by changing some lines and constructing new shapes. Using the skills you’ll gain at this workshop, you will be able to design new patterns and create your own variations of the eight-fold pattern. A template of the mother pattern will be provided.