Category: Online Courses

Course Title:   

Shamsa Pattern from Wazir Khan Mosque, Lahore 

Course Outline Description: 

Students will decipher the hidden geometry behind this biomorph design and combine it with freehand drawing following the geometric framework.

Materials required for this course:

1. A3 paper (hot press)
2. A4 paper (sketch pad quality)
3. A3 tracing sheet
4. 6H pencil
5. HB pencil
6. Compass
7. Ruler
8. Eraser (zero size)
9. Masking tape
10. Paints – gouache or watercolors
11. Water container 
12. Palette or a white ceramic plate
13. Paint brushes 1, 2, 4
14. A small metal spoon 

Course Outline Description: 

In this course we will begin with a single eight-fold rosette and learn to tesselate four of them into a square tile formation, allowing the internal pattern of stars and octagons to automatically emerge.  A variation of this tessellation can be found in the wall ornamentation at the shrine of Sachal Sarmast, in Daraza Sharif, Sindh. 

Materials required for this course:

1. Drawing paper – size a3 (since the pattern is tessellated a larger paper size is preferable)
2. 2H or HB pencils
3. Good quality compass
4. 6- and 12-inch ruler and eraser
5. Colour pencils or fine tipped marker for outlining. 

Course Title:

Flower of Makli – drawing and rendering a biomorphic pattern from the tomb of Jam Nizamuddin.

Course Outline Description: 

The students will make an 8-fold grid and further divide it into 16-fold. They will divide the radius into 3 sections and make two smaller circles inside

the large circle. They will then use 1/8th of the grid to make the petals. This design will be rotated and traced on to the rest of the grid. The central flower will be drawn with 12-fold symmetry. The finished design will be transferred to tea stained 300gsm hot pressed paper and rendered with pencils.

Materials required for this course:

1. Cartridge Paper (A4 minimum) from sketchbook should be fine.
2. Tracing sheet
3. A4 300gsm hot pressed paper (tea stained) for transfer and rendering.
4. Compass and ruler
5. Pencils HB to 4B, Eraser
6. Paper tape

Course Outline Description: 

Study elements of Islamic illumination design. Learn to trace and transfer the design. Paint the motif following steps of centuries old traditional illumination art using gouache paints. 

Materials required for this course:

1. Hot pressed, smooth finished paper (Arches, Fabiano Artistica, Daler Rowney, Wasli or any good quality paper available just make sure it is thick and smooth)
2. Tracing paper (motif should be traced beforehand)
3. steel spoon, coin
4. Paper tape
5. Pencils H,2B
6. Gouache paints (red, blue and white)
7. Gold gouache paint/poster color/gold pallate (important)
8. Black ink (calligraphy/sumi/black watercolor)
9. Watercolors
10. Fine tip Round Brushes (0,1,2)
11. Water container, color palette, paper towels
12. Tea stain (2-3 tea bags dipped in half cup of hot water. Cool it down before the session
13. Flat brush (1-2inches wide)

Course Outline Description: 

Students will decipher the hidden geometry behind this biomorph design and combine it with freehand drawing following the geometric framework.

Materials required for this course:

1. A3 paper (hot press)
2. A4 paper (sketch pad quality)
3. A3 tracing sheet
4. 6H pencil
5. HB pencil
6. Compass
7. Ruler
8. Eraser (zero size)
9. Masking tape
10. Paints – gouache or watercolors
11. Water container 
12. Palette or a white ceramic plate
13. Paint brushes 1, 2, 4
14. A small metal spoon 

Course Outline Description: 

We will be looking at how the same basic design can be tessellated with a square, triangle and a hexagon, and then painted with cool and warm balance of colours.

Materials required for this course:

1. A compass (recommended compass is the Rotoring Master Bow)
2. A ruler
3. Range of Pencils (6B-4H)
4. Tracing paper 5. Zero Eraser or equivalent
5. Optional ‒ Coloured pencils.
6. Optional ‒ Fine line drawing pens (useful to have, but not essential)
7. Canson paper or any water colour paper
8. Water colours or gouache paints
9. Masking tape
10. Watercolour brushes #1 and #4
11. A4 printer paper for blotching and testing
12. Water container with water. 

Course Outline Description: 

In this course we will begin with a single eight-fold rosette and learn to tesselate four of them into a square tile formation, allowing the internal pattern of stars and octagons to automatically emerge.  A variation of this tessellation can be found in the wall ornamentation at the shrine of Sachal Sarmast, in Daraza Sharif, Sindh. 

Materials required for this course:

1. Drawing paper – size a3 (since the pattern is tessellated a larger paper size is preferable)
2. 2H or HB pencils
3. Good quality compass
4. 6- and 12-inch ruler and eraser
5. Colour pencils or fine tipped marker for outlining. 

Course Outline Description: 

Employing a combination of freehand and geometric elements, students in this class learn to draw and paint the Tree of Life depicted in the stone carvings on the tomb of Jam Nizamuddin II, found at the Makli Necropolis (1510) in Thatta, Pakistan.  

Materials required for this course:

1. Heavy water colour paper- hot or cold press; as per individual’s preference. Water colour paper will need to be tea stained before class commences (Please find attached YouTube link on how to stain paper. Don’t worry if it looks patchy and isn’t very evenly stained). 
2. Alternatively, students may use any buff/stone coloured watercolour paper (Canson Mi-Tientes is one option) 
3. Tracing paper  
4. Pencils, 2B and 2H or H 
5. Masking tape 
6. Water colour, fine hairbrush. Natural hair preferred. 0, 1 and 3 (Winsor Newton 7 Series; tutor recommended) 
7. Watercolour or gouache paints (burnt umber, ultramarine & white) 
8. 2 Jars of water  
9. Tissue or blotting paper 
10. Compass, ruler and eraser