Chapter 3 | DECORATIVE RIBBONS
Drawing a decorative ribbon is drawn in about the same way as a waving flag. In art history, such a decorative ribbon usually contains a name or saying. Painters liked to make them squirm to make them look rich and also to show off how well they could draw. The ribbon held here by a Cupid, a love angel, might well bear the name of someone the artist is in love with …
Exercise 1: copy one or more of the following decorative ribbons. The top ribbon still looks very flat and stiff, but towards the bottom they become more and more flowy. Follow steps 1 to 3 for each ribbon.
Step 1: First draw the continuous winding ‘S-line’. Sometimes that S-line is at the top, sometimes at the bottom.
Step 2: Draw the vertical lines exactly where the sway line changes direction and where the ribbon ends on the left and right. Make sure the ribbon stays the same width everywhere.
Step 3: Finish the ribbon. Make the bends nice and round, so no sharp corners. If you like, write a name or saying in beautiful letters on the front of the ribbon.
If you prefer coloured ribbons, use slightly different colours for front and back.
Exercise 2: Draw the following mirrored ribbons. Start again with the S-line, which runs from top to bottom here (or from bottom to top if you like). Make sure that the sides are straight, otherwise the ribbon will appear convex.
Sometimes a decorative ribbon is part of an emblem/brand, such as that of the famous English football club Liverpool. The decorative ribbon reads EST.1892. EST is the abbreviation of ‘established’ and means that the club was founded in 1892. Another example is the intricate logo/coat of arms of London’s South Bank University, which incorporates even more ribbons.
Exercise 3: Design your own emblem with a decorative ribbon for something or someone that is important to you, for example a name, person, animal or club.
EXTRA: The last exercise in this chapter is for drawing puzzlers. The next two ribbons twist around themselves and each other and there is no continuous S-line! In this case, it is useful to first draw two vertical guide lines so that the width remains the same everywhere. The example on the right is painted on brown cardboard. In color, it is important that the ribbons have a clear front and back.
