Sacred Geometry: A Primer

This week, the Wedjat eye, or the eye of Horus.

To start you need a square, but make it a bigger square than you might usually use and find the vertical and horizontal axis.

On the left double square draw the diagonals.

Set your compass with the point on the bottom left corner of the square and the drawing point on the half way point. Arc down until you meet one of the horizontal lines.

Set your compass point on the bottom right corner of the double square. Set the drawing point to where the last arc stopped and arc to the edge of the double square.

Repeat on the top side of the square: set the point on the top left corner of the square, drawing point on the half line and then arc to meet the horizontal line.

 Set your point to the top left corner of the double square and set the drawing point to where the last arc left off. Arc to the edge of the double square.

 To draw the pupil of the wedjat eye, set your compass point at the center of the square and set the drawing point to the where the lines and arcs intersect and make a circle.

Next set the compass point on the bottom point of the pupil, set the drawing point at the top of the pupil and arc down to the horizontal line.

Repeat in reverse.

Next the eyebrow. It's drawn like the top line of the eye, but closer to the top (one probably should do it more scientifically than picking an distance that looks good, unfortunately I don't know any other way.)

Next is the little curly thing under the eye. I realized after doing it that it was facing the wrong way. It will still show you how to do it, you'll just need to flip it around. Actually, you could just draw the curly thing free form, this is just one way to do it.
Set your compass with the point in the center of the pupil and the drawing point to the right most point of the eye. Use this measure to make a square below the eye.

Sacred Geometry: A Primer

This week, the penton and I must first state that I'm pretty sure I figured this out but the diagram I went off was complicated and the instructions are in German, which I don't speak or read that well. If anyone can see that I've made a mistake, please let me know.

Rather than starting with the square we start with the double square.

Draw a diagonal from the bottom left to the top right.

Set your compass to the width of the bottom of the square, point on the left, lead on the right. Arc up to meet the diagonal line.

Set your compass again, this time point on the upper right corner of the double square and the lead where the arc and diagonal line meet. Arc up past the outside of the double square.

Apparently I failed to get a picture of this step but set your compass again, point on bottom right corner and lead on top right and arc to meet the arc that extends beyond the double square.
Then draw a line between where the two arcs intersect and the bottom right corner.

Where the double square and the diagonal line meet is the top of the penton.

Top it off and there is a penton.

Sacred Geometry: A Primer

This week, how to draw a dodecagon/do-decagon (a twelve sided polygon). Start with an axis.

Draw a circle around the center point.

Make the vesica piscis on either side of the circle.

From there make circles on the pints of the vesica picises (sp?).

When this has been completed it should look like this:

Then go around and connect the points in the inner circle to create a hexagon (this is the sort of thing that I've used a lot in the Hex series).

When that's done, make lines through opposing sides, I don't really know how to explain it well but I hope the pictures will help show better what I mean.

It should look like this when finished, note the six sided star.

The center rectangles are and orthogon shape I believe, the double square if I'm not mistaken.

Then connect the lines on the outer circles.

There you have a dodecagon.

Sacred Geometry: A Primer

Ever hear of the Vesica Piscis? It's well, I'll show you first and then talk about it. You start with a line.

 Then you draw a circle on the line.

Then at the same compass setting draw another circle on one of the points where the circle and the line intersect.

That  area where the circles overlap is a Vesica Piscis, which I believe means something along the lines of "fish guts" you may recognize it as the 'Jesus fish' also Venn diagrams look like that. To learn more about the Vesica Piscis I refer you to Scread Geometry: Philosphy and Practice by Robert Lawlor, pages 32 - 35.
With the Vesica Piscis it's possible to create a double square, or other rectangle. To start, make another Vesica Piscis by drawing a circle on one of the points where line and circle intersect.
Draw lines between the verticals in the Vescias.

Connect between the lines.

This rectangle is not actually a double square but it is possible to make one this way.
 Or you can just make a cool design.

Sacred Geometry: A Primer

The double square is today's orthogon, as might be inferred by the name, is a rectangle made of two squares. There are multiple ways to construct it, this way starts off with the square, building to the diagon, and then to the sixton.

As with the other orthogons, take the arc up from the diagonal of the sixton. Repeat on the opposite side and cap off the double square.

The lines from other orthagons are ofcourse not required to be in the double square, they are however, useful in composition of a piece. More on that to come.

I was really excited to have figured out a good way to incorporate the pattern I've been working with into a finished piece. I got the nudge in the right direction through this piece by Whitney Johnson. Here's the piece.

untitled

prismacolor and graphite on illustration board
2011

detail