Patterning

Guide to Coloring ~ Patterning

A great thing for beginners to make their drawings more intricate and advanced is simply by adding unique and even basic designs to your drawing. This task can seem daunting but in fact it is really quite simple. Patterning involves the use of different shapes and lines to add some nice details to areas of coloring design, all patterns no matter how complicated are made up of basic lines, dots and shapes (Couch 52). If you can draw a square, circle and curvy/wavy lines, you can pattern! Basically whatever shape you can think of can be turned into a pattern.

A pattern in the most basic form would just be a shape or design repeated over and over. It is how you put the pieces together and all the different variations you incorporate that allow unique simple patterns to become diverse advanced ones, all by using simple shapes and ideas. Some examples of basic patterns are...

Mandala templates are very good when working with patterning. "Mandalas in particular are great for patterning because you can repeat patterns in symmetrical areas easily and create a very cohesive, polished final piece without a ton of planning" (Couch 57).  Basically Mandalas are simple drawings like a bird or plant that have already started out with simple basic outlines of the thing being drawn but with plenty of blank space and this is where you would draw all your patterns to make the basic picture much more intricate. I had many examples of Mandala templates in my book, but of course you can always search some up and copy and sketch those down. For example here is mine...

As you can see the picture on the left, I started off with a flower and worked my way outwards by just adding more flower layers. This is the main base aka the Mandala template because it has so much blank spots left for me to add in more design and patterns.

On the picture on the right is where I added some basic curves, lines dots and some squiggles. As you can see the basic flower has become much more detailed and makes the drawing seem much more advanced.

Here is the final result. I am very satisfied with the outcome! I always lacked patience but patterning did not really take up as much time as I thought it would and the best part is that it is quite simple and anyone can do it! As always you can add color to bring the piece to life, but I wanted to focus more on the patterning part for today.

Have you ever tried any forms of patterning? Do you think basic patterns give a piece more attention or does it make it more sloppy? 

Couch, Peg. New Guide to Coloring for Crafts, Adult Coloring Books, and Other Coloristas!: Tips, Tricks, and      Techniques for All Skill Levels! Fox Chapel Pub Co Inc, 2016.