ROMAN MOSAIC WORKSHOPS - Create a Piece of History
Wave pattern - Setting out
 
A very common border pattern seen originally in Greek mosaics and then adopted throughout the Roman empire.
As with all the patterns these are set out using tesserae which are 8mm - 12mm in size. So the actual size of the border, (the measurement from top to bottom in these images) is dependant the size of the tesserae you will use.
Original example of a wave border
Original example of a wave border
Wave pattern 1
Wave pattern 1
1.Section out the width of border that you want.
Put in a horizontal centreline.
Wave pattern 2
Wave pattern 2
2. Mark out a line at the top and bottom 2 tesserae width. (A)
Wave pattern 3
Wave pattern 3
3. mark out your centre section into 4 equal vertical sections. (B)
Wave pattern 4
Wave pattern 4
4. Find the centre of the 3 sections on the left. (C)
Wave pattern 5
Wave pattern 5
5. Mark out a circle in that section. (D)
Wave pattern 6
Wave pattern 6
6. Draw in the wave pattern using those markers. Make sure you don't take the curve down into the bottom band. This needs to be kept clear.
Wave pattern 7
Wave pattern 7
7. Don't make the lines too exact when you draw them in. I've gone a little too deep with the end piece of the wave, (below and to the left of C), you'll see it corrected in the next image.
Wave pattern 8
Wave pattern 8
I've drawn another pattern on the right to give you an idea of the dimensions that I keep in mind when I'm drawing this out.
As you can see there are a number of points at which you have a set amount of tesserae. This isn't a Rule, it just makes it easier to judge the space needed.