Design Development
Design Development tests whether you can move from an inspiration source to a working drawing at actual size, applying design principles and repeats correctly.
Principles to name in answers
- Balance (symmetrical for formal articles, asymmetrical for contemporary work), rhythm (repeating motif or border), proportion (motif scaled to the article), unity (one family of motifs and colours), emphasis (a single focal motif, usually centre or one corner).
- Placement rules: centre motif on the true centre, corner motifs mirrored, borders following the edge with mitred corners, all motifs aligned to the fabric grain.
From source to working drawing
Collect sources - Warli figures, Paithani mor and muniya, temple arches, leaves - then simplify to three or four lines, repeat, and enlarge by the grid method. A 4 cm sketch enlarged to 16 cm uses a 1 cm grid on the sketch and a 4 cm grid on the working sheet, copying square by square so proportions stay true.
Worked example
For a 40 × 40 cm cushion the brief is 'Paithani-inspired, formal, maroon and gold'. The square is divided into a 20 cm centre field, a 7 cm border and a 3 cm outer edge. A lotus (kamal) of 12 cm sits at centre, ashtakoni stars of 5 cm at the four corners, and a 4 cm repeating creeper runs along the border, mirrored at the mitred corners. The working drawing is made at full size, with the seam line marked 1.5 cm outside the design.
Traps
Designs drawn without seam allowance, corner motifs that fail to meet when mirrored, motifs that ignore grain direction, and freehand enlarging instead of the grid method, which distorts proportions.