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title_how to draw celtic knotwork

A NEW Method Of Drawing Square Edge Celtic Knotwork (part 2: open knots)
© 2004 Gevera Bert Piedmont www.obsididanbutterfly.com

Celtic Knotwork is mysterious and beautiful, and creating your own is a rewarding meditation. There are many methods in books and on the Internet that show how to draw Celtic Knotwork. While trying out several in preparation for a class in Celtic Magic & Mythology, I realized I had made up my own, which seemed much easier to follow.

This method constructs open knots (edges hanging out) with square corners. Visit my other drawing page for information on drawing closed knots. If you are new to drawing knotwork, I suggest you start with the closed knots, which are easier to draw.

If you are interested in purchasing a Celtic Knotwork Mandala, custom made and infused with energy just for you, please visit my other Celtic Knotwork page & view the samples (.PDF) (coming soon)

Required:

Graph paper with 3 or 4 squares per inch
Straight Edge
Mechanical pencil (or a regular pencil and a sharpener)
A QUALITY eraser (not the one at the end of the pencil!)
Black pen or thin felt-tip marker

1. Draw 2 dots, one at upper right of a small square and one at the lower left of that same square. Don’t draw this flush with the upper left corner of the paper, go in at least 3 small squares in each direction.
2. Draw a dot 2 squares to the right and hoop to the previous dot.

3. Continue to draw a dot every two squares and hooping every other set until you’ve reached the desired width. After the last UNHOOPED pair, drop down one square and to the right one square and draw a dot.
4. Continue down the side, following Step 3. For best symmetry, end this corner so the corner is unhooped.

5. Finish with the last two sides. You should have 2 hooped corners and two unhooped corners. Connect all dots with 45 degree lines.

6. Note that the two unhooped corners will be the open ones, where the “ribbon” extends outward. Extend those first. Then draw large arches over each smaller hoop. The corners will be tricky—look at the sample drawings for how to extend and hoop them. Lightly dot inside each arch and in every other diamond shape across each ribbon, to mark the open spaces.
7. A. If you’re new to knotwork, first create the over/under lacing (by erasing lines). B. If you’re experienced, choose your breaks.

8. Whichever you didn’t do in #7. Then fix up your knot. When you are happy with it, go over the lines in ink and crosshatch the dark spaces. WHEN THE INK IS DRY, erase all the pencil.
The beautiful of Celtic knotwork is not just the over/underweaving (although drawing just the weaving can be hypnotic). It’s the breaks, where the weaving curves in unexpected ways. I am fond of symmetrical breaks and 4-part (mandala) knots, but they don’t have to be that way. Each basic knot has many ways it can be configured. For hand drawing, I prefer the more difficult open knots.

I also offer custom channeled knotwork (drawn by a different method).

Creation Date: 12.19.13.5.12 1 Eb 5 Zip May 19, 2006

Modified: 25 October 2011/12.19.18.14.17 5 Zac 10 Caban