In traditional ornament, composing or strongly marked lines are used, but in types more nearly allied to natural forms, it is necessary for the lines to bear some relation to the character of the selected growth. The disposition of leaves and other elements must also be characteristic, and natural terminals must be taken advantage of near enclosing lines so as to avoid any appearance of mutilation. When such forms as branches or leaves approach or cross, they should always do so at decided angles; their points or extremities should never be directly opposed to other details or to margins. The main growth should be clearly discernible, and the direction of the stem lines evident even when clothed with foliage.
Grouping and Massing
It must be borne in mind when designs are based on natural forms that the mere rendering of a natural attitude does not in itself constitute a design. In the case of plant forms, flowers and leaves should be grouped and massed, primarily with a view to the composition of a harmonious whole. Sometimes interest may be added by introducing animal forms in keeping with the general environment.
Interest in design depends on the massing and emphasis of detail, because, if a plain or uniform surface be completely covered with detail equally distributed, with no regard to mass or emphasis of parts, it is obvious that the result will again be uniform—the only difference being that a certain texture is imparted to the surface, and this, though not undesirable in a wallpaper, is not consonant with the nature of a panel.
Division of Area
The massing of detail should be as simple as possible and to some extent should be guided by the scale. One expedient in panel designing is to draw within the area, whether it be square, rectangular or any other shape, a circle or oval to control the predominant detail in contrast to that which is to be less conspicuous.
No. 215. Phases of Elaboration of Simple Shape.
Large areas may be sub-divided into several masses, but the grouping of these must be controlled by the general shape. When dealing with borders a suggestion was made that the undulate stem could follow the lines of adjacent circles, and this device is the basis of most of the scrolling growth lines that are characteristic of Renaissance ornament.