My Journey to Damasks

It was a simple request. My friend Rachael asked for a set of Damask patterns. I already have quite a few I've cleaned up from royalty free collections which I could have used. But as I stared at them a bit longer, there was that nagging voice in my brain, the one that comes deep from my very soul, wondering how in the world I could make my own. And I just had to learn how to do my own. Just HAD to.

I already understood exactly how to create the repeating pattern, and the variations on the fills. But ... really, a damask motif on a sheet of paper has some specific things which set it apart. It's painfully symmetrical. The space that isn't filled is as important as the space which is filled. The design looks good in light on dark or dark on light. It's all ... curvy ... and seems to just be pleasing to the eye no matter who admires it in any century.

Damask is the name of the type of weaving invented in China by the 5th century.  That's 400AD for those of you who are keeping track. It's hallmark was that it was reversible; you could turn it over and you'd see a reversed color of the front. The pleasing curves of the motif probably didn't hurt it's popularity, either. The Syrians, notably the master weavers of Damascus, had imported the technique and by 1000AD had perfected it to the point of making stunning fabrics. Crusaders took the fabrics and the technology back to Europe with them, where every Royal, Noble, and would-be Lady in Waiting would clamor for the gorgeous designs by the 15th century.

The design of these beautiful textiles became synonymous with the name of the weave, Damask, and although it has a popular revival every several decades, Damask has truly never fallen out of favor in all the intervening years since then. Each new generation of artist ... and medium ... adapts this timeless design motif of 1500 years ago to their vision and time.

So a couple weekends ago, I spent nearly 18 hours reverse-engineering a slug of historic Damask pieces until I thought I understood the proportions and angles well enough to have my hand at my first, original Damask design. It ... was not pretty.  I learned, I adapted, and finally began to feel it in my soul.

I've made a set of 4 damask designs in two sizes. They consist of black design on a transparent background in digital scrapbooking, standard 300dpi 12inch by 12inch PNG files. There's a regular sized pattern overlay and a special large motif  set. They come with a commercial license. Be sure to look at the details of the extra views at the shop, so you can appreciate the quality of these high resolution damask images. (In the shop, click on the preview image to see the other views)

You can bet I'll be working on some more new damasks in the weeks to come. These were so much fun to create. In the meanwhile, tho, you can enjoy them for your papers, elements, and crafts in your upcoming projects. Be sure to drop me a line and let me know what you've done with them. I'd love to spotlight your creation with my damask designs right here on the blog and in my shop.