DESIGNINGWITHINTRADITIONALBLOCkS 85
- To fracture the squares, go up equidistant from the
corner points on both sides and connect those marks to
the opposite corner, creating another long, slender point
(blue). In my block, I just estimated this distance. To
create continuity, I split the new point vertically, like the
kite shape. This completes the center section. Be sure to
keep placing the mirrors on your sketch to evaluate your
design.
Fractured kite (red) and squares (blue)
- Fracture the 24 outer diamonds that surround
the center section in a similar way to create unity.
Remember, unity is created through repetition. - Split one diamond in half horizontally. Then split
the upper half of that diamond vertically. For the lower
half, connect the midpoint of each side of the diamond’s
lower half to create another diamond and 2 triangles.
Then fracture that diamond into 4 and fracture the
inner diamond again into 4 smaller diamonds to echo
the center. Repeat this fracturing process for a diamond
on each side of this new diamond (3 total), so that when
you place your mirrors on your drawing, you can see the
whole Sedona developing. - Fracture the 16 outer triangles (aqua) by first creating
4 smaller triangles. The shapes will probably still seem
too large, so fracture the inner triangle into 4 more
smaller triangles; this also adds more detail.
Redesigned outer diamonds (yellow) and outer triangles
(aqua); Sedona complete
Mirrors on sketch
- At this point, if you love your design, you would
decide the size of block you wanted to make, if you do
not already know. I wanted a 36 ̋ block, so I needed to
know the size of the diamond, square, and triangle for
an 18 ̋ LeMoyne Star block: 18 ̋ ÷ 3.414 (sum of the
parts) = 5.272 ̋ = 51/4 ̋. Referring to my sketch, I drafted
each shape, using the 51/4 ̋ size as my guide. - To draft the kite shape (red), draw 2 lines each 51/4 ̋
long at a 45° angle from each other. Draw a line from
each end at a 90° angle until they intersect.
5¼ ̋
45° angle
90° angle
90° angle
Draw a kite shape.