This week’s project started with a doodle that’s been appearing twice in my sketchbook recently: long continuous lines of connected dots. I thought it would make a nice pattern, so I created one, but I wasn’t completely convinced. I did notice that it was accidentally my fourth (!) pattern featuring some kinds of dots/circles connected by lines, though (see my aboriginal-inspired pattern, the one that looks like a messy subway map, and even the one inspired by a painting), so I may revamp those at one time to create a cohesive mini-collection. I thought it was the hand quality that I didn’t like, so I re-created the original doodle in Illustrator and started playing with colors and textures, until it struck me: I did actually like the doodle just as it was, no pattern necessary.

So here it is, in my two favorite versions, mocked up as posters. To see the main steps from doodle to pattern to finished image, see below!

The version below features a page from a 19th century grammar book I inherited from my grandfather.

This was the first time that doodle appeared in my sketchbook, the whole page is one continuous line:

Oh, hello, continous line of connected dots, here you are in my sketchbook again!

This is what it looked like as a basic repeat pattern. Not bad, but not that exciting either.

What about a vector version in Illustrator ?

I was afraid the colored version would look a little bit too close to this previous pattern, the subway map one.

So in the end, I kept it simple. From simple to complicated to simple again. AS ALWAYS.