OUAN503 - Feathr, Repeated Pattern

I've wanted to try to design and create a repeating pattern for quite a long time now, and due to a lack of time and understanding I haven't been able to do this. Fortunately the responsive module does accommodate for us picking our own briefs to pursue and about two weeks before the deadline I found out about the Feathr brief. After going through all of the information and looking at various details about the brief, I decided to investigate further, as a starting point in the design process, how to create a seamless repeat pattern. It's worth mentioning that I've been very lucky to know people who are on the Printed Textiles and Surface Pattern Design degree at Leeds College of Art so I've had some of their input and advice if at any point I've needed it. When it comes to making a repeat image it became apparent to me through a variety of sources that the first step and the foundation of the pattern is a tile. A tile is singular repeat of a pattern or design, and is essentially a motif that features at the heart of the pattern. In my case I was looking to explore abstract textures and shapes, and also take reference from natural forms. In this instance the random and unordered nature of these organic forms may make the task a little more difficult but I thought the best way to dive into this brief was to go in with enthusiasm and a willingness to overcome any hurdles I may face - I also had to expect this, because it was such an unfamiliar area to me and I was complete novice in the practice of pattern making. After having created a tile of the design, or the motif there is a variety of ways that the design can be offset in order for it to be repeated. The repeat can consist of a 1/2 offset, 1/3 offset, 1/4 offset etc. But this essentially means that you're moving any repeats of the design down by that portion of the length. For example, 1/2 offset would mean that the next sequential repeat could be moved 1/2 the length in relation to the previous motif, this sounds more complicated than it is in practice.

Something that became apparent to me that I was unaware of before diving into the practice of pattern making is that there isn't an exact science or process that encompasses every type of pattern. The skeleton is the process that I previously mentioned, but once the pattern is offset it creates an unnatural line between the different segments because of course the edges will no longer match up. This is where different techniques and approaches are taken in under to create a seamless connection between the separation lines. This was especially apparent in some of the work I was doing because the pattern was random and unordered following the themes I was looking into such as natural forms. Below is a visual example of what happens after offsetting a design by 1/2 and the lines that become visible, dividing the image into quadrants. I've been working with these patterns and designs in Photoshop and there are a range of techniques available and that will be used in order to overcome the problem of making the pattern a seamless repeat. However, during the process the design will change quite dramatically. I think it's important and quite a skill to be able to retain the initial aesthetic of a design and the original intention behind it, but also succumbing to the inevitable modifications that the design will undergo as a result of creating a seamless repeat.



Feathr were also generous enough to provide information about how to create seamless patterns using designs, and sharing some of their knowledge and experience on the practice.