Carpet patterns are sometimes painted on small-sized design paper—that is, the ordinary paper with, say, two designs per inch; but before working it is more satisfactory to have them put on large-sized paper, so as to show the exact effect they will have on the cloth, the design-paper giving the pattern full-cloth size.
When painting patterns that are as large or larger on the cloth than they are on the design-paper, much more care and skill are necessary than when the pattern is one that is much larger on the design-paper than it will be on the cloth, as is usually the case; and in consequence of the large size of the checks required for carpet design-paper, it is evident that representations of any small objects—unless those of a very simple nature—cannot be put on it without being greatly enlarged. After the sketch is made the forms should be carefully adapted to suit the paper, so as to give a satisfactory effect on it, rather than be a rigid adherence to the sketch. Natural floral forms should not be attempted unless to satisfy the demands of trade, and when they must be used they should be made on so large a scale as to be fairly represented in a semi-conventional manner. Large wild-floral patterns are frequently to be seen on carpets, but they are rarely, if ever, satisfactory. Persian, Indian, and other geometric or conventional forms that lend themselves readily to a harmonious admixture of colours so that the carpet will, when on the floor, present a rich glow of colour instead of obtrusive masses of floral misrepresentations, are much to be preferred. Dull colouring is not essential to good taste—rather the reverse; but it is less obtrusive and more easily managed, particularly in the hands of an inferior artist. No matter how brilliant the colours are, if properly blended and broken up into masses in proportion to their intensities in the spectrum scale they need not be in the least offensive; but it requires skilful hands to do this.
Fig. 187
The pattern given in our last figure (186) is a simple repeating pattern, so that two pieces of the carpet laid side by side will join correctly together. Another method of arranging patterns so that they will repeat is shown in [Fig. 187]. In this figure it will be seen that the two sides will not join as an ordinary repeat, but if two pieces are taken the right-hand side of one will, if turned round, join against the left-hand side of the other, and two pieces thus joined will form a repeat. This is objectionable in the case of cut pile, which usually has a slope in one direction; and when two pieces are joined, one running one way and the other the reverse, the effect will be that of shaded stripes, somewhat similar to that of a grass field when rolled. Another method of forming repeating patterns is by making what is known as a ‘drop repeat,’ which is shown in [Fig. 188]; though the two sides will not join in against each other, as in an ordinary repeat, if two pieces of the carpet be laid side by side, and one of them drawn a little down, the point A in the figure of one piece will fall in against B and B1 of the other piece, and repeat.
These show the usual principles on which repeats are based, and of course it is for the ingenuity of the designer to form the best arrangements of pattern he can to suit them, or any other method he may think of.
When cutting cards for carpet patterns the usual method of picking out the various colours for each cutting must be adopted by the card-cutter. Refer to [Fig. 186] for the pattern, and to [Fig. 185] for the draft. The order of drawing is green, blue, black, yellow, reds, which gives five rows of holes on the card, and this twice over makes the ten rows; therefore, green would be cut on the first and sixth rows; blue on the second and seventh; black on the third and eighth; yellow on the fourth and ninth; and reds on the fifth and tenth rows. These may be all cut when passing the card once along the cutting machine, giving more than one tramp, if necessary, to each shift of the card index; or the cutter, if not accustomed to this, may pass the card along once for each colour, working two of the punches at each passage of the card, and of course remembering to select the punches which correspond to the colour being read.