Initially, the only requirement for my pattern making final was a packed layout in two colors.  I was very excited because when I doodle, I often fit the elements together just so and this assignment was right up my alley.  A week or so later, however, the instructor changed her mind and decreed that the print must be autobiographical in some way.  I was crestfallen.  I didn’t want to talk about myself, I am myself!  Why should I have to explain anything to others?

Reluctantly, I started thinking about what it is that makes me “Claire”.  At first, I was so stubborn, I was going to just draw what I had planned on drawing and assert that, as a contrarian, it was autobiographical.  But then, slowly but surely, I began to remember moments.  I would pick out specific objects from various memories and draw them.  Some of these memories hadn’t been accessed in so long, they startled me when I could recall them with such clarity.  Inside jokes, old past times, so many things packed into just a couple of decades!

The tile I came up with looked like this:

Which would have created this pattern:

Unfortunately, the photo emulsion was too gloppy and was unable to capture such fine lines, and I had to rework the pattern.  Because everything had to be bigger, I was forced to choose fewer elements.  The print turned out great, and in hindsight, I think the first one would have been too busy.

See if you can spot the repeat!