Key Patterns and Motifs - Part 1 - Observing patterns
with TESS NEWALL
Lesson 9 of 32
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Patterns are central to decorative painting, so it’s very good practice to make a conscious effort to start noticing and observing the different patterns all around you. Tess suggests where to look and encourages you to seek inspiration from your everyday surroundings.
From the Lesson Workbook
Key Patterns and Motifs - Part 1 - Observing Patterns
I find that I am instantly drawn to anything that contains patterns; it never fails to make me feel joyful! Patterns are central to decorative painting, so it's very good practice to make a conscious effort to start noticing and observing the different patterns all around you.
Where to Find Patterns
Often inspiration for patterns can come from unlikely places, and the key is training your eye to notice what is around you.
Pattern can be found in:
- Decorative mouldings in historic houses
- Examples of artists' work, postcards can be a nice reference to keep
- Painted ceramics, look particularly for pieces which have borders
- On your travels
- Textiles, I love to look at quilts
- Books that showcase a variety of decorative arts
While a photograph is a great way to record an inspiring pattern you see, I would also really recommend doing a quick sketch of it if you can as this can often lead you to create your own spin on it.
It can help to think about how the pattern you are observing was created. Is it a fluid movement, or something more rigid? What tool was used to create it? This can enable you to engage with the pattern on a more meaningful level.
Further Reading
John Ruskin
History of Irish Spongeware
'Glorious American Quilts: The Quilt Collection of the Museum of American Folk Art', by Elizabeth V. Warren and Sharon L. Eisenstat
'Folk Art of Europe', by Herbert Theodore Bossert
'Masterpieces of Dala Peasant Paintings', by Svante Svardstrom
Your Assignment
You may have already started to gather your sources of inspiration - take some time to continue with this endeavour, and perhaps use your sketchbook to record some mark making inspired by your observations.
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Your Instructor
Tess Newall
Acclaimed artist and set designer specialising in hand painted homewares and decorative painting.
Tess Newall is a decorative artist based in Sussex, specialising in hand-painted bespoke murals and furniture. Following a decade of experience as a set designer and painter in the film industry, Tess has mastered how to bring a creative vision to life. She often draws on historic patterns and aims to capture an artisanal feel, where textures and brushstrokes add to the atmosphere of a room or to the character of a furniture piece. Tess and her studio team work with interior designers and private clients on bespoke commissions for both commercial and residential projects, as well as collaborating on homewares collections with brands including Liberty and Matilda Goad.
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