Module 1, Chapter 3. DESIGN DEVELOPMENT BASED ON THE CROSS.

 

This chapter is about playing with cross shapes in order to see how many ways in witch it is possible to transform it. This design exercises is ment to give a structure of how to play with a shape and developing it by beeing inventive and creative.

Before starting to work on Design Sheet A, I wanted just  to test how positive and negative shapes looked like, using some different cross shapes.

Half fork cross, fork cross, arrow cross and tilted Andrea cross.

Fig. 1. Positive and negative shapes of different cross shapes.

 

DESIGN SHEET A:1

Fig. 2. George´s cross and Cross Crosslet

 

The George cross is the highest civilian  reward in Great Britain and painted red it is used  by the Masonic order.

Cross Crosslet is a symbol for world evangelism. Four Latin crosses meet at the center, and each cross represents a point on a compass – symbolizing how the christian faith should spred on earth in all four directions. Cross Crosslett is one of two variations of the general form of the Jerusalem cross. The second version is St. Julian´s cross with the four Latin crosses set diagonally.

To start with I had some difficulties to choose which cross to work with, so I started with George´s cross and Cross Crosslet.

i   Counterchange

ii   4 positive and negative cross shapes in a square, touching each other, so that a new shape is 

    formed by the enclosure.

iii   Symmetrical formed cross.

iv   Asymmetrical formed cross.

 

DESIGN SHEET A:2

Fig. 3. Distortions and repeated pattern of Cross Crosslet.

Here I have used the Cross Crosslet and I think the – perspective distortion  and also the repeated pattern with the redesigned cross in the triangle, turned out well.

v   Perspective distortion

vi  Redesigned Cross Crosslet in a diamond, circle, and triangle.

vii The redesigned cross in the triangle, has been used to make a repeted pattern where the

    shapes link together, edge to edge.

 

DESIGN SHEET B:1

Fig. 4. Different designes with Cross Crosslet.

i   A small positive shape and a large negative shape of the Cross Crosslet.

ii  A simple repeated pattern using the two sizes of the cross shape.

iii A simple border and corner using the cross shape.

iv  A linking border consisting of two interlinked cross shapes.

v   Two different crosses  are interlinked in two different ways.

 

DESIGN SHEET B:2

Fig. 5.New shapes from old.

vi  The uppermost shapes is made using 4 Cross Crosslet patterns. Those were glued asymmetrically on an orange paper square. A tilted cross was after that cut out. The leftovers are glued back with a distance from the cross shape -  just in order to see how the piece loooked before it was cut apart. Perhaps not a good idea, as it is  a bit hard to see the cross shape.

Bottom shape: 4 “legs” of the Cross Crosslet were glued diagonally to a blue paper and then a George´s cross is cut out, giving a symmetrical shape. The glued leftoveres are not so disturbing here, probably as it is symmetrical design.

 

DESIGN SHEET C

Fig. 6. Design sheet C:1.

i   The George´s cross is cut into quarters. Alternate colours are used in opposite spaces.

    Looking at the two crosses the alternate colours in opposite spaces are not so easy to

    distinguish.

ii  A new design variation using one of the parts of the unit.

 

Fig 7. Design sheet C:2.

iii   Overlapped units. A border design.

iv   New motif in repeat.

Those designs work well, I think.

 

Fig 8. Design sheet C:3

v   Simple symmetrical repeat unit.

vi  Interlaced asymetrical repeat unit.

Perhaps not so successful designs.