Fearless Drawing

23

Drawing as

Pattern

I LOVE pattern and find it deeply inspiring. I add it

to all my drawings, even inventing it where it fails

to exist. I find constructing areas of pattern in my

drawings deeply meditative; it is a relaxing, repetitive,

simple task that allows me to become completely

absorbed in my drawing (and completely unaware

of the time!). For me, pattern is play. It is the closest

thing to doodling I have found, and it allows me to

take an imaginative, creative, and deeply personal

approach to my work.

We are surrounded by a vast number of inspiring

patterns every day; think of a brick wall, braided

hair, parquet flooring, and all the wonderful

patterned textiles in your home and wardrobe. Have

a look around the space you are in now—there

will be a dazzling array of patterns if you look for

them. Because I draw every day, this has had an

enormous effect on the way I see. I really look at my

surroundings; I’m drawn to pattern so I notice the tiles

on a roof, leaves on a fern, or stripes on a shirt. When

you begin to draw regularly you will become aware

of a shift in how you look at things. Perhaps you’ll feel

drawn to observing texture or light and shade, but

you will certainly change the way you see your world.

This chapter is completely about play. I’ll give you a

few ideas to copy and get started with, but fill these

pages with many more of your own ideas. Use this

book as a safe private place to document all your

experiments, which you can refer to as your journey

continues. Just get started and doodle!

24 > Fearless Drawing

Drawing as Pattern > 25

PATTERN PRACTICE

Use this page to practice different patterns. If you can find some

colored pencils, that would be really fun! Remember to keep

your sharpener close at hand for a nice, sharp point.

Circles

Stripes

Grids

Triangles

Swirls

Zigzags

Waves

Squares

Practice doodling these patterns while you’re in meetings, on

the telephone, or in front of the TV. Gradually, pleasing repetitive

shapes and patterns will emerge.

RHINOS

I drew the outline of this rhino while watching the animal at a

zoo in the south of England. It was a freezing cold day and once

I’d completed the basic outline I retreated to a cafe to fill the

interior with glorious, imagined patterns. I worked slowly with no

preconceived plan, just building it up gradually while drinking a

much-needed hot chocolate!

As you continue with the exercises in this book, watch for and

record interesting patterns that you see around you—sketch

the lines in the surface of a wood table, the weave of a sweater,

or the arrangement of the seeds in a pinecone. If this book is

too big to carry with you, try a small sketchbook—even scraps

of paper or a receipt will do. The important thing is to make a

little time each day to really look at the world around you and

enjoy creating small drawings, doodles, or scribbles. Consider

collecting your pattern doodles in a single sketchbook that you

can refer to later on for inspiration.

26 > Fearless Drawing

TIPS

 Begin by defining some anatomical outlines within the basic shape of

the animal.

 Splitting up the large interior into smaller sections will make the

patterning easier to tackle.

 Repeat different patterns as you move around the space to create

areas that relate to each other. For example, I repeated a row of circular

patterns to define the rhino’s ribs.

Now it’s your turn! Begin with the rhino outline and fill it in with

patterns and shapes

Drawing as Pattern > 27