Aug 2, 2010 4
Amish Inspiration
As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been flipping through a bunch of quilting books lately.
The book on Amish quilting in particular caught my interest. Simple is probably the best word to describe an Amish quilt, but that is precisely what makes them so intriguing to me. I find them incredibly striking, and I love the bold colors and geometric patterns. I decided to draw a geometric composition, inspired by the quilts.
I started drawing the triangle pattern from my memory without referencing the book. Once I had the lines drawn in, I realized that it wasn’t quite right, but I went ahead and finished the drawing. I added color with watercolor paints, and then added in some detail and texture with pen. In the end I think the drawing has more of a Native American feel than Amish, but I’m really happy with the result. When I look at it, I’m reminded of Native American woven rugs or tapestries. This drawing is a serious contender to be enlarged. I think it would look great hung on the wall, just like a tapestry.
For the next drawing I referred to one of the quilts in the book, but gave it my own twist.
I purposefully drew it in two sections that were slightly skewed from each other because I didn’t want it to be too perfect. I colored in some of the triangles with watercolor, then added some texture with pen. Initially I intended to add black to the triangles that didn’t have color, but as I was working I liked the contrast that the white triangles added to the overall composition.
The next drawing was a free form composition, but it was a continuation from the geometric triangular forms in the previous two. This time I added some curved lines, and it took on a life of its own.
As I was working, the drawing started to spread apart, away from the grid that I’d tried to stay in. I don’t mind it, and I like the drawing as it is, but I still wanted to fulfill my initial vision.
I drew a one inch grid and then worked within the grid to lay out the pattern.
I really like this pattern. The variation of the watercolor adds a level of depth and interest that I wasn’t expecting, but that I’m very happy with.












