2021Academic Year Short Course Review「The Language of Nature Design Motifs」

From May 24 to June 4, The Language of Nature: Design Motifs Short Course was be delivered online by Tutor Mahrukh Bashir in Yuan Centre, with supporting and translating by Tutor Assistant. The students learnt about the art of creating traditional Islamic patterns inspired by the forms of nature, and the specific natural forms upon which stylized Persian design patterns derive. They also engaged in practical study of traditional Islamic painting techniques, especially the art of manuscript illumination; in particular, they learnt to prepare their own “shell gold” pigment made from 24-carat gold.

The first week

 our students in Suzhou, China learned the basics of traditional Islamic illumination with remote guide from tutor Mahrukh Bashir, including preparation for paper, shell gold and pigments, painting techniques such as negative painting, Halkar and classic technique with lots of hand exercises in both pencil and brush.

The second week

our students continued studying the painting techniques of traditional Islamic illumination and finished their classic style illumination, practice of Halkar and negative paintings. They also designed a Shamsa composition with their own stylised biomorphic motifs for the very first time.