Exercise 3 | Pattern + Layering

Step 1

I began my explorations with analyzing the lower case “a” from the Gothic characters of “Grand Marnier.”  Continuing the study of the curvature and datum shared among proportions of the characters formed the first unit of the pattern. The first step was mirroring the character along its baseline to create another void between two characters, which I presumed would be a complete circle.  Instead, it was not quite a continuous smooth circle; this is because the two end points of the base are not exactly half circle dimensions, but slightly off. So I rotated the newly created coupling which in turn created the continuous circle I was attempting, the additional repeating arcs compensated for all sides of the circle. 

Step 2

Another form was seen from the overlapping after changing the characters from filled text to contour lines. The regularized grid pattern was produced from scaling down the new form and continuously repeating it mirrored across the x and y end axes aligning the angled slope of the top of the “a”.

 

 

Step 3

The next step involved scaling the grid pattern down and repeating the pattern to create a denser pattern and applied as linear vertical strips between the squares created by the larger grid. The vertical pattern of the denser grid repeats every 2 units. Every other remaining vertical band increases in scale.

Step 4

Then I rotated the composition 45 degrees, and began to push and pull the visibility of the pattern through changing stoke weights and adding various gray-scale values.

Final Steps

The next steps allowed me to focus on creating a contrasting figure ground relationship with the original figure produced by rotating and reflecting the “a” with the figure produced from overlapping. The figures generate another pattern from the negative space created by the black figures.  Then color was integrated in attempts to either create a clear hierarchy or create tension between the two main figures.