Tangling Bruges Lace

I thought I'd do quick "tutorial" on how I drew the Bruges lace on my "Oceans Depth" drawing and hopefully it will help others do the same. Remember that any lace will work, just pick out elements you like and transcribe them to your drawing/tangle.

Don't try to put every element of the lace into your drawing unless you're going for super intricate and want to spend hours upon hours of drawing everything in!

I'm linking to the lace photo I used as my inspiration since I don't want to breach anyone's copyright:

Vintage Lace Making - Lace: Its Origin and History - do a search on "Maline" and it is the second image under that - or click here to load image only.

I decided to use the circle just left of the center as my "starting point." Note the curls of tape coming off the circle, how they start and stop or turn into buds. There are small circles dispersed throughout and the pieces are connected with a netting that has picots on it.

Click on images for a larger version of each.

Step 1: Since I was filling in the top of my drawing, I drew just what was needed to fill in that space, adding details where I needed them or removing them where there was too much. The wavy line at the bottom designates the middle part of the drawing that I'm "adding" to.

Pencil sketch

Step 2: Next, I took my 02 Sakura Pigma Micron pen and outlined the tape. Note how I adjusted the lines as I went along. I also added the circles where the picot netting will connect the different pieces.

Tape drawn in and circles added

Step 3: This step was kinda fun as I drew in the connecting lines between the circles and the curls. For this, I used my 01 Micron pen so it would be a fine netting. Oh, I erased my pencil lines before starting the connecting lines. While I was at it, I went back to the 02 Micron and added the netting inside the center circle and buds.

Connecting threads added and center netting

Step 4: The final step (other than shading) is drawing in the picots. These can be placed anywhere on the connecting lines but they need to alternate on the line, i.e., one on top, next on bottom, next on top, etc. With the 01 Micron (which was used to draw in the lines) and add small teardrop shapes for the picots. Don't be afraid to add more connecting lines if you think an area needs it.

Closeup of picots

Finished Lace

Now, add your color and/or shading!

Try other lace types as well. Once you get the hang of choosing which elements to include and which to leave out, you'll be able to do the same with more detailed lace patterns, like those that include people, animals, flowers, etc.

Check out my post from yesterday to see the original image I posted with the Bruges lace.

Hope you find this little tutorial useful!