Keeping It Simple
By the time we sit down to create a pattern, it can feel like there are many decisions to make. What elements to include, how they should be arranged, what colors to use. It’s easy for the process to become overwhelming before it even begins.
But patterns don’t have to start with complexity. They can begin with something small, a single shape, a simple form, or a mark that feels interesting. When we limit ourselves to one motif, the focus shifts from trying to create something elaborate to understanding how repetition works.
At the worktable, this kind of constraint can be helpful. It removes some of the pressure and allows you to explore how one idea can change as it’s repeated, rotated, or spaced differently across the page. A single detailed motif can also become a repeat on its own.
Over the past few blogs, we’ve been observing, collecting, and creating in small ways. This week brings those ideas together, using something simple as the foundation for a pattern.
Worktable Small Spark
This week is about returning to something simple and seeing how far it can go. Instead of working with multiple elements, choose just one motif to focus on. It can be something you’ve drawn in the past few weeks or a small shape you create in the moment.
As you begin to repeat it, notice how small changes can shift the overall feel. Spacing, direction, and rotation can all create variation without adding anything new. The goal is not to build something complex, but to explore how repetition alone can create interest. You can include details just don’t allow complexity to take over.
Keep it loose and allow yourself to experiment. This is less about designing a finished pattern and more about understanding how a single idea can grow through repetition.
Prompt: Repeat a small single motif
Ways to Approach:
Keep It Simple: Repeat evenly
Add a Twist: Change size/direction/color
Stretch It: Add secondary element
From My Sketchbook:
As a mother of two, I don’t always have long stretches of time to sit down and draw, so this exercise felt within reach for me. It started in a very ordinary moment, sitting in the school pickup line with my sketchbook in my lap.
I began drawing simple stars, one after another. Nothing overly planned or complicated, just small shapes repeated across the page. As I kept going, I started to notice little differences in each one. Some felt playful, some felt a little wonky, and some had just enough personality to make me want to keep exploring them.
Those simple stars eventually became part of my birthday collection. I turned them into a few different patterns by playing with spacing, direction, scale, and color. The motif itself stayed simple, but the repeats gave it movement and variety.
This exercise was a good reminder that a pattern does not always need to begin with a big idea. Sometimes it starts with a few quiet minutes, a simple shape, and the willingness to see where it goes. Recently I’ve found success starting with blender and coordinate patterns like this rather than than the hero of my collection.
Why This Helps:
Working with a single motif simplifies the process and makes it easier to begin. Instead of managing multiple elements at once, your attention can stay on how one shape moves and repeats across the page.
This kind of focus helps build an understanding of pattern in a natural way. As you repeat the motif, you start to notice how spacing, direction, and placement affect the overall rhythm. Small adjustments can create variety without adding complexity.
It also reinforces the idea that you do not need a fully developed concept to create something meaningful. One small idea can be enough to explore, expand, and return to over time.
Until Next Week:
This month has been about starting small, paying attention, and allowing ideas to grow in simple ways. From making marks, to noticing what is around you, to creating from what you find, each step has been a reminder that creativity does not need to be complicated to be meaningful.
As you move forward, you can return to any of these practices whenever you need a place to begin again. A single mark, a small observation, or one simple idea is often enough.
If you try this prompt, I would love to see what you create so we can celebrate how these small pieces come together. I will meet you back at The Worktable next week.
♥️ Kelly
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