TACTIC 1
Drawing, composition & designer thinking
Egyptian Design Tactics
A builder’s puzzle. How would you make this drawing?
Start with the Egyptian Dog. Watch the introduction and short tactic videos, test the relationships yourself, then share what you find.
The starting question
Think like the builder.
Instead of only looking at the finished shape, ask how it could have been built.
This is an exploratory study of designer thinking. Extend a line, test a repeated angle, look for a circle center or a shape doing more than one job. Treat each construction as a possibility to examine, rather than proof of how the original designer worked.
Use a compass and straightedge on paper, or work with layers in Photoshop or another drawing app. Keep your guide lines and your false starts: they show how you reached an idea.
Start here
Tactics to try
Watch the short versions here. Pause, extend a line on your sheet, and test what you see.
Watch the series introduction
TACTIC 2
Quantize angles with shape
Open this video →TACTIC 3
Target the corner points
Open this video →TACTIC 4
Increase parallelism
Open this video →TACTIC 5
Produce your lines
Open this video →Go further on YouTube
Longer videos develop the ideas beyond these short tactics.
Composition in Ancient Egyptian Design, Part One (2:32) ↗
Visit Tommy’s YouTube channel ↗The complete study · Paid download
Work with the Egyptian Dog.
Get the complete annotated plate as four digital files: US Letter PDF, A4 PDF, original study PDF and high-resolution JPG. Study it on paper or on screen.
Get the printable · $9Two exercises · Free
Try another drawing.
Try the same way of thinking with two different drawings. Each exercise has its own image and instructions; return here for the tactic videos and to share your analysis.
Lesson 1: Vietnamese Figure Study →
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Two free practice sheets
Begin with the figure, then try 1st Steps. Sign up once to download both lessons in Letter or A4.