Morning friends! Today I have my first GSL DT post for May and this time, it’s this A4 page in bright watercolour.
Introduction
The pattern is generally based on what is called the seed of life. The Seed of Life is a more modern name for an ancient geometric figure, often referred to as sacred geometry. It consists of seven overlapping circles with the same diameter. This pattern can be extended indefinitely which is how I have covered the whole page in this example, or if you create one out of nineteen circles it is known as the flower of life. To make this shape or pattern you will need a compass and a pencil, or something to make circles. Start by drawing one circle, and then take the point of your compass and place it anywhere on the outside of the circle and draw a second circle. Now you have two intersecting circles. Place your compass on the next intersecting point and draw another circle. Keep moving around the original circle in this way until you have six intersecting circles around the original circle.
You could stop here and draw a final circle around the shape to enclose it as shown in the figure below, or continue on until you have covered the page.
If you want to watercolour over the shapes, make sure to keep your pencil lines light so they will not show under the paint, or when you paint, try to avoid painting over the lines, which you can then erase when you are done. I plan to draw over my lines with a gold pen so I don’t need to worry about that.
Watercolour
It’s best to choose your colours in advance so you know what palette you will be working with and can stick to a set number of colours. Start by painting the petals in the centre.
How you decide to paint this is up to you, but I found it easier to paint all the little petals first, mixing and changing colours as I went, before starting on the hexagonal sections in between.
It’s a lovely, peaceful exercise, painting these little sections and moving across the page. Very enjoyable way to spend an hour or so.
When everything was dry, I outlined all the petals and circles with a gold pen.
Gold Metallic Elements
I wanted to use some metallic elements on my page and so I pulled out these chipboard pieces – Henna Border D117C x 2 and Mandala Frame 2 C58P. Note the Mandala Frame has two pieces but I am only using the front piece since this is a journal page and I don’t want too much bulk should I decide to keep it in my book rather than on display.
For the heat embossing, I used my favourite gold called Gold Rush, from Wow Embossing Powder.
The henna borders are especially fine and a little fiddly, so if there are any bits not covered in embossing powder, just go over them again.
Final Touches
Glue the mandala frame in the centre of the page where it will frame the original circle and flower, and then adhere a henna border at the top and bottom of the page.
And that’s the finished page ready for display or whatever you want to do with it. Thanks for making it all the way to the end. Let me know what you think in the comments!
Challenges
Art Journal Journey – Language – May Challenge
I suppose my interest in Sacred Geometry really began when I read the Da Vinci Code lol. I had been aware of it before but not really thought much about it until I read this book. It was a book I had no intention of reading (not the kind of book I usually go for) and then a friend sent it to me when I was in hospital with nothing else to do so I started reading it and got hooked! This is another book I have more than one copy of as I also bought the large illustrated edition with many examples of sacred geometry including Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man.
I hadn’t intended this design team post to be part of my language theme this month, at least not consciously, but it occurred to me today that it also fits because of the symbolic nature of the patterns used to convey meaning. I am not an expert but here are some things I found out during my research. It can represent a flower, or the sun, or as a spiritual protection symbol in many cultures, or just as good luck. In Eastern Europe for example, they were carved on homes to protect against lightning and were called “thunder marks”. Also historically, this symbol was used for making hexagons which otherwise would have been difficult to create accurately, but the even spacing of the six petals allowed hexagons and hexagrams to be drawn accurately using only a compass (as I did here) and a straight edge to make the seed of life and then use that for the points of the hexagon all evenly spaced. There are no words or writing on this page as all the meaning is conveyed by the seed of life pattern.
Sacred Geometry : The root of all languages in the Universe
Sacred geometry is a pure language that cares not for the country of your birth, the colour of your skin or your cultural beliefs. It expresses the interrelating harmony that lies at the heart of creation, transmitting patterns of frequency which resonate with our original Human blueprint.
Or if you prefer the definition from Wikipedia
Sacred geometry ascribes symbolic and sacred meanings to certain geometric shapes and certain geometric proportions. It is associated with the belief that a god is the geometer of the world. The geometry used in the design and construction of religious structures such as churches, temples, mosques, religious monuments, altars, and tabernacles has sometimes been considered sacred. The concept applies also to sacred spaces such as temenoi, sacred groves, village greens, pagodas and holy wells, and the creation of religious art.
I found some very interesting videos on the subject of geometric art, here is one of them https://youtu.be/Mynr7uik5-0 and an introduction to sacred geometry here which also has a great resources page if you want to read more about it.
Project Recipe:
Henna Border D117C x 2 and Mandala Frame 2 C58P
watercolour paper, watercolour paint, gold pen, gold embossing powder, embossing ink, pencil, compass, hairdryer/heatgun
Fabulous inspiration for your AJJ theme, it has me thinking how much we take on face value and not the thoughts that have gone before the marks were made.
Stay safe.
Yvonne xx
I LOVE geometry and I loved the DaVinci Code. I’m also a big fan of the Vitruvian Man, so you have pushed all my buttons today, Elle. At one time I had a Spirelli, with many plastic guides to create the same shapes you created using a compass. You did a fabulous job and you have brought the Seeds of Life to life. This turned out great and is absolutely perfect for your theme at Art Journal Journey, too, dear.
Wow! Not only beautiful – love the colour and that gold – but a great explanation about Sacred Geometry! Have a great weekend, Chrisx
Wow! This is really beautiful Elle! I love the colours, and those gold embellishments.
It looks beautiful Elle. Love how you made the chipboard look like metal. They really pop off your background. And you do handle a compass so well! Have a great start to your weekend. Hugs-Erika
The background is beautifully done with the pattern and the metal things go so well with it!
Greeting Elke