Eleanor—Jayne Browne | Printmaking Class Notes | From Analogue To Digital: Repeat Patterns & Structures 1

Repeat patterns have been used in ornament, decoration and design since the beginning of civilisation.Their use not only links cultures across the globe, but also forms a bridge between the natural and the manmade worlds.

The Greek Key Pattern or Meander, which takes its name from the river Meander which had many twists, is a repetitive ornamental pattern of lines winding in S—forms, and may be connected, opposed or separate. It was the most important symbol in Ancient Greece, symbolising infinity or the eternal flow of things and many temples and objects were decorated with this motif. Alternatively, theChinese describe this motif as beingderived from pictograph's of the Shang dynasty which represent clouds and rolling thunder, hence it is knownas the “cloud and thunder” pattern.

A pattern can be defined as a design composed of one or more motifs,multiplied and arranged in an orderlysequence; and a motif as a unit withwhich the designer composes a pattern by repeating it at regular intervals over a surface. A motif is not a pattern, but it is used to create patterns, which will differ accordingto varying arrangements.

The 4 most common types of repeatorganisation are— the block, drop,brick and composite. The first threekinds offer the most comprehensiverange of variations as motifs can bemirrored or rotated to create differentkinds of movement and tempo.

Block Repeats—Variations include:(a) block repeat(b) stripe(c) pillar(d) open(e) diaper

From Analogue To Digital:Repeat Patterns & Structures

(a)

(b)

(e)

(c)

(d)

Eleanor—Jayne Browne | Printmaking Class Notes | From Analogue To Digital: Repeat Patterns & Structures 2

Block Repeat Variants—Variations include:(f ) horizontal mirror(g) vertical mirror(h) vertical rotation(i) stripe(j) diaper

(f )

(g)

(j)

(h)

(i)

Eleanor—Jayne Browne | Printmaking Class Notes | From Analogue To Digital: Repeat Patterns & Structures 3

Drop Repeats—The half drop repeat is the mostcommon of all the repeat systems and widely used in the wallcoveringindustry as it helps to visually increasethe width of a pattern.

Variations include:(k) half—drop(l) step(m) one—third drop(n) quarter drop(0) repeat pillar rotation

(k)

(l)

(m)

(n)

(o)

Eleanor—Jayne Browne | Printmaking Class Notes | From Analogue To Digital: Repeat Patterns & Structures 4

Brick Repeats—Variations include:(p) brick repeat(q) one—third brick(r) quarter brick(s) pillar rotation(t) horizontal rotation

(p)

(q)

(s)

(t)

(r)

Eleanor—Jayne Browne | Printmaking Class Notes | From Analogue To Digital: Repeat Patterns & Structures 5

Composite Repeats—Variations include:(u) Four—way mirror(v) Rotated vertical mirror(w) 90—degree rotation(x) 120—degree rotation(y) 60—degree rotation

(u)

(v)

(x)

(y)

(w)