DESIGN

Throughout human history, man first creates a useful object, and then he decorates it to make it beautiful. Expressing oneself by creating beauty is a basic fundamental need of man. As we look at the beautiful decorative masks and pottery of early man, we can admire their strong artistic sense. The American Indians decorated their teepees, created beautiful headdresses, beaded moccasins, richly patterned blankets, and carved masks and totem poles rich with symbolic ornamentation. The Victorians took great pride in making elegantly crafted objects for their homes, and also in the workplace. Victorian tools have beautiful decorative handles and Victorian windows have elaborate carvings. Even coal grates were intricately patterned.

Every culture creates beauty from the raw materials available to it, and incorporates its ideals, knowledge, customs, and innate artistic sense into the decoration and ornamentation of its artifacts. Understanding line design and patterning helps children appreciate beauty in the everyday items and artistic creations of the world around them.

LINE DESIGN

We can help children understand the basic ways patterns are created. Make a collection of fabrics and useful items that incorporate each of the following line designs to share with the children. Also draw children's attention to the line designs in their clothing, or that decorate objects in the classroom. They might like to bring in other examples from home.

Depending on the age and the interest of the children, these exercises can be spaced over time.

Material

• White and colored paper
• Colored pens, pencils, paint, or chalk

Presentation

Exercise 1

The simplest line designs are stripes. When weaving, thread goes in straight lines. Bring in samples of striped fabrics and weaving patterns, even striped drinking straws. Have them notice the stripes in their own clothes.

Give children small pieces of paper, felt markers, colored pencils, crayons, or paint and a paint brush. Ask them to make straight lines of same thickness and equidistant apart:

Exercise 2

Using another sheet of paper, ask the children to choose two colors they think look nice together and alternate lines.

Exercise 3

This time, ask them to alternate a thick stripe and a thin stripe. Include unwrapped broken crayon pieces.

Have the children experiment with various combinations of thick and thin lines. Show the children examples of fabrics which use alternating thick and thin lines.

Exercise 4

Ask the children to create a line design using thick stripes which touch each other:

Exercise 5

Ask the children to repeat the first exercise - stripes equidistant apart. Then ask them to turn the paper 90 degrees and cross the lines equidistant apart, using one color throughout.

Here we see checks, a common line design used in dresses, blouses, children's clothes and table cloths.

Exercise 6

Repeat the exercise using thick and thin stripes in two colors, turn paper and repeat. This time you create a plaid line design.

Exercise 7

The children may take as many colors as they like and create a plaid design.

Exercise 8

Show the children how to turn the paper 45 degrees, and using any combination of colors, create a diagonal line design.

Exercise 9

Show the children examples of tyrolean prints, that add different motifs to a stripe design. They may create their own. Always allow children their choice of paper color as well as pencil, pen, or paint colors.