Rug Design 101: Central Motif

Different people start thinking about the elements of the rug design in different orders. Whenever I'm drawing my designs, I usually start with a central motif and then I add the rest of the elements around that. This is the part of the rug design that makes most people nervous because, let's face it, most of us didn't take an art class beyond sixth grade, and, well, for most of us our drawing skills reflect that.

But not to despair! As long as we have a computer, assess to a copier, and sharpies in hand, we have all we need. What is most important (even vital) is that we are able to find good visuals to use.

So TIP 1: find pictures of whatever it is you want your central motif to be, print them out, and paste them into your RUG ART JOURNAL. Be aware of copyright laws though, and stick with public domain materials. There are numerous websites offering free clip art and Dover publishes a rich treasury of public domain art for reuse.

TIP 2: use your own photographs

TIP 3: use common objects which are especially useful for drawing templates. Just trace around the bottom of glasses, plates, and bottles and you will have instant perfect shapes. I designed Jack in the Red by picking up autumn leaves, photocopying them, cutting them out, and arranging them on my foundation. Then I drew around them. Other natural objects to trace around are hands, feet, rocks, tree branches. There is a story of an old guy who laid his cat down on his foundation and just traced around her! Why not? The results will be unique and funky.

TIP 4: if your rug is for a particular room in your house, perhaps you might pick up inspiration from the décor like fabric or wallpaper or quilt blocks from a bedspread.

TIP 5: don't be afraid of using letters, from your own hand or printed out from your computer. Consider how easy it is to select fun fonts and size them to fit the space perfectly.

Rug Art Journal: For Mission Concepción rug, my central motif is taken directly from the photograph my husband took. All I did was print out an 8 by 10 of the photos, went to Kinkos, enlarged them by 200%. I then took my sharpie and drew a dark line around the outer edges of the elements in the photo (see FIRST PHOTO). Then I went over to the BIG copier (the one that does blue print size) and I enlarged it again until I had the size I wanted. Then I went home and am in the process of arranging the different elements on a piece of paper the size of the rug I want to hook. So I cut around the different elements and am placing them here and there on this sheet (see SECOND PHOTO). I'm not satisfied with the placement yet, but I'm getting there.

Rug Design 101: What type of rug?

The fourth initial decision that needs to be made in the design process if the type of rug you want to hook. It would be impossible for me to provide an exhaustive list of rug types since the possibilities are unlimited, but here are a few of ideas.

• Celebration rug ~ a rug that celebrates a personal event like the birth of a child, a wedding, an anniversary, a retirement, or a proud achievement
• Commemoration rug ~ a rug that commemorates a local, national, or world event
• Memory rug ~ a rug that records your special memories
• Portrait rug ~ a rug with a portrait of a pet, a favorite person, or even yourself
• Animal rug ~ a rug that shows off your favorite animal, fish, bird, reptile, or insect
• Ethnic rug ~ a rug with formal ethnic motifs (Native American, Persian, Turkish, Colonial American, Celtic, Greek, Indian, African, Hispanic, Asian, on and on)
• Children’s rug ~ a rug based on a children’s drawing
• Pictorial rug ~ a rug that tells the story of a place or landscape
• Geometric rug ~ a rug that is filled with geometric shape
• Floral rug ~ a rug of flowers or herbs or leaves
• Wallpaper rug ~ a rug to match a wallpaper or fabric motif
• Quilt rug ~ a rug inspired by quilt blocks
• Stained glass rug ~ a rug inspired by stained glass art
• Favorite Thing rug ~ a rug honoring your “favorite thing”
• Story rug ~ a rug that tells a story including folk life village story rugs
• Saying rug ~ a rug that has a phrase as a central motif
• Abstract rug ~ a rug of abstract design
• Fruit rug ~ a rug of fruits
• Holiday rug ~ a rug for a special holiday

Rug Art Journal: For the Mission Concepción rug, I think I am in the mood to hook a wide-cut floral using value rather than color as my guide. I want to multiply the floral motif in the rug, making it the dominant feature.

Rug Design 101: Initial Decisions

You will need to make some initial decisions about the rug you are designing, but keep in mind that these can be adjusted (and probably will!) later if you change your mind about any of them as you work through the design process.

SIZE
You need to figure out what size rug you want to design. Will it be a small table mat? A large piece? A REALLY large rug? Are there any space limitations for the rug you have in mind? In your art journal, jot down the size of rug you plan to design.

Rug Art Journal: The Mission Concepción Rug I am designing will be a large rug, in the range of 3' by 5'. Or 2.5' by 6'.

SHAPE
What shape do you want your rug to be? Do you have any space limitations for the completed rug that might dictate the shape? Do you want a rectangle? Square? Round? Half-round? Oval? Triangle? A shape that follows the outline of the motif? The creative thing about rug hooking is that rugs can take any shape you want to give them.

Rug Art Journal: In the case of the Mission Concepción Rug I am designing in this blog series, the shape of the image above the door lends itself quite naturally to a half-round space. But I don't want a half-round rug. I would like a long rectangle.

FUNCTION
The function of the rug should be determined. Will it be a floor rug? If so, will it be in a high traffic area or a low traffic area? Will it be a tablemat, a wall hanging, a fire screen, an ornament, a pillow, a handbag, a doll, a bed rug, a Christmas stocking or a piece of clothing?

Rug Art Journal: The Mission Concepción Rug is not being made for a specific place in my home. It will probably be hung. Although I might use it as a wide runner for my dining room table?!

Rug Design 101: Getting Started

I've been asked by a reader to blog about my process of rug designing. What a good idea! I am going to create a series of posts occasionally on the subject under the label Rug Design 101. Even more than that, I'm going to create a new rug design in the process!

I have a couple of things that I tell my graduate students who come to me struggling to write a paper, not knowing what to say or where to go. I tell them, "Just get started. Write something. Anything. Don't worry about the whole thing right now."

The same is true about rug design. Just get started. Anyone can do this. Really. With all the computer tools available to us now, designing beautiful and pleasing rugs is fairly simple.

When I first get started, it is usually because I have come across an image or a photo that is inspiring - something that jumps out at me and says, "I need to be a rug." This initial inspiration is important because it motivates me to carry through with the rug and complete it. It is the passion for the subject that keeps me going. So find an inspiration - a photo, a memento, a drawing, etc. Find an image that inspires you to turn it into a rug.

So here is my initial inspiration for my new rug. When I visited Mission Concepción in San Antonio with my family recently, I turned around in the baptismal chapel and was struck by this painting created in the 1700s framing the doorway. It immediately jumped out at me and said, "I need to be a rug." This is the picture my husband shot of the painting which will become my rug.

In the next post, I will discuss initial design decisions step-by-step.