I was tasked with researching a culture and developing a pattern for a pillowcase, which I chose to do on ancient Egypt. Using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, I prepared four options for a pillowcase.
Process
Research on this subject was primarily based on available tomb art, much of which depicts the life of Egyptians in all walks of life. Based on this research, I learned that ancient Egypt valued:
- Religion
- Animal husbandry
- Farming
- The Nile
- Stability
Based on my findings, I created a design that depicts agriculture, supported by depictions of the Nile in the same zigzag style common in Egyptian art, and finally centered with the sun disk of Ra–the creator god. My first design left the background transparent, electing to layer this design over white.
Problems:
- No single background color made for a complete work
- Upside down man and animal did not receive positive feedback
- Peers did not recognize the tools being used by 2/3 of the men
The reworked version changed the layout of the design entirely, now incorporating sand and putting a white background to the Nile ripples. Full focus was put onto the symbol of a man working a scythe, which a modern audience recognized.
Problems:
- The brightness of the colors bothered 1/3 of my peers
- There was concern that the sun disk featuring two colors was inconsistent
The final design darkened the design and utilized colors seen in ancient Egyptian art. All elements of Ra’s sun disk were given a unified red color to cut down on the colors used.
elisshowcase.com 