Celtic Knotwork Designs

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Beginner's Book
Review: After wrestling with the venerable George Bain, I turned to this book to get a handle on Celtic knotwork. Sheila Sturrock breaks down the framework of knots into simple, basic shapes, allowing the reader to start making decorative knots within minutes of picking up the book. It proved to be a good starting point for me.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Beginner's Book
Review: After wrestling with the venerable George Bain, I turned to this book to get a handle on Celtic knotwork. Sheila Sturrock breaks down the framework of knots into simple, basic shapes, allowing the reader to start making decorative knots within minutes of picking up the book. It proved to be a good starting point for me.

Rating:
Summary: An different construction concept, beautifully illustrated.
Review: Bain is great for inspiration once the basic construction methods are mastered. Meehan is excellent for one familiar with geometric pattern construction. But Sturrock is outstanding for freehand scribblers and those interested in visualizing the development of a Celtic knot. If you are in the market for a first book - try Sturrock. Next is Meehan, then Bain. The reverse order might well scare away a potential Celtic illustrator before getting started.

Rating:
Summary: The queen of hearts....
Review: CELTIC KNOTWORK DESIGNS by Sheila Sturrock is a nifty little book. As complex as the Celtic knots appear, it all comes down to this, they can be reduced to curved and straight lines, the most important combination being the "small hearts". Sturrock says there are four basic hearts and she provides examples of each displayed against a grid. Almost anyone can create the grid as it consists of lines of dots applied with a ruler. These dots are then used as the basis for organizing the hearts, parts of hearts and straight lines that makeup the most complex design. The only other thing you need to study are the anima elements in the zoomorphic designs that also are based on hearts, parts of hearts and lines.

One needs the following for making Celtic knotwork: the materials listed by Sturrock, patience, imagination. Not everyone may be a gifted needleworker, but those willing to work at it will be able to master this straightforward art. I am using this book to instruct young girls.

Rating:
Summary: Detailed and Easy to follow
Review: If you want to learn to draw Celtic knotwork, you need this book. It explains in detail and excellently detailed color diagrams how to plot the points for many different kinds of knotwork. From simple two-strand braids all the way up to interwoven animals, it is simply gorgeous and comeletely easy to understand. I can barely draw a straight line, yet I can use this book to create intricate designs for t-shirts, jewelry, embroidery and more. I've even had a couple friends who are tattoo artists borrow it to improve their techniques.

Rating:
Summary: Detailed and Easy to follow
Review: If you want to learn to draw Celtic knotwork, you need this book. It explains in detail and excellently detailed color diagrams how to plot the points for many different kinds of knotwork. From simple two-strand braids all the way up to interwoven animals, it is simply gorgeous and comeletely easy to understand. I can barely draw a straight line, yet I can use this book to create intricate designs for t-shirts, jewelry, embroidery and more. I've even had a couple friends who are tattoo artists borrow it to improve their techniques.

Rating:
Summary: A good explanation of how to do complex designs
Review: If you're looking for a good book that explains how to do a variety of celtic knots, from the simple to the complex, this is it. It makes everything clear, even for a beginner. It provides a wide variety of design suggestions, with short, but effective, explanations on how to execute them.

I've never done this type of artwork, but was looking for creative design ideas to embellish a dress collar-- this book was all I needed.

Rating:
Summary: The best book on Celtic knotwork I've read.
Review: Sturrock's process for building celtic knots centers on common patterns inside the knot, like hearts and loops. Using the process she outlines here, it becomes very easy to visualize and construct original knots to fit areas of any size.

Besides offering a simpler method of knot visualization, Sturrock also discusses methods of translating knotwork to other forms of craft.

Rating:
Summary: Create your own original Celtic knotwork design
Review: This book is for people who would like to be able to design Celtic knotwork for quilling, parchment craft, woodcarving, painting, counted cross-stitch, or needlepoint (to name a few examples). It allows you to design beautiful frames, invitations, carved boxes, greeting cards, pillows--let your imagination run wild! I used this book to design watercolor frames.

The author divided up her chapters according to the knotwork design's basic construction unit, e.g. small loops, hearts, fish, corner motifs, etc. There is also a chapter on "Creating Your Own Designs" and one on "Using Knotwork Designs in Other Crafts."

All of the illustrated patterns are based on angles of 45, 90, and 180 degrees and are plotted on a dotted grid, which makes them fairly easy to resize and replicate on graph paper. All you need in addition to the graph paper is a pencil and the ability to find a quiet spot and concentrate on your design.

The many colored illustrations are beautiful, and the knotwork diagrams are easy to follow if you give them the attention they deserve! The author has also written a handbook on Celtic knotwork, and one entitled "Celtic Spirals and Other Designs."

Rating:
Summary: Create your own original Celtic knotwork design
Review: This book is for people who would like to be able to design Celtic knotwork for quilling, parchment craft, woodcarving, painting, counted cross-stitch, or needlepoint (to name a few examples). It allows you to design beautiful frames, invitations, carved boxes, greeting cards, pillows--let your imagination run wild! I used this book to design watercolor frames.

The author divided up her chapters according to the knotwork design's basic construction unit, e.g. small loops, hearts, fish, corner motifs, etc. There is also a chapter on "Creating Your Own Designs" and one on "Using Knotwork Designs in Other Crafts."

All of the illustrated patterns are based on angles of 45, 90, and 180 degrees and are plotted on a dotted grid, which makes them fairly easy to resize and replicate on graph paper. All you need in addition to the graph paper is a pencil and the ability to find a quiet spot and concentrate on your design.

The many colored illustrations are beautiful, and the knotwork diagrams are easy to follow if you give them the attention they deserve! The author has also written a handbook on Celtic knotwork, and one entitled "Celtic Spirals and Other Designs."