Did you notice the difference between Rumi and Floral designs?

In Ottoman Illumination Art, there are Rumi and pure floral designs. Rumi can be designed with flowers or just Rumi elements. There are more steps in a Rumi design but only when painting your artwork will you notice its beauty. Personally, I love the combination of Rumi and flowers in a painting.

How do you know the difference?

It’s easy!

First, detect all elements used in the design. Most if not all islamic illumination paintings include florals.

Second, search for any other elements.

How does the Rumi motif looks like?

Rumi motifs are said to be parts of an animal (mostly birds). At first, when you look at the motif you won’t notice as much but later it’ll make more sense. Drawing and designing a full Rumi design takes more time than pure floral designs. Just like floral design, only when painting will you notice the beauty of a Rumi pattern.

The way to draw each motif and designing processes are completely different between Rumi and Florals. When composing an Illumination Pattern, you can design either a pure Rumi or Floral pattern. At the same time, you can mix the two motifs together and come up with a beautiful painting. Remember, if you’re learning this art, start with a simple floral design. Rumi is considered more advanced than florals. So it’s better to learn and understand how to compose a full floral painting before learning about Rumi. As for painting, you have several painting techniques which you can choose from.

A book I recommend for studying Rumi design is: Rumi Cizim ve Teknikleri by Sabiha Bayhan Koc (It’s Turkish though).

Also, I have few videos which you can check in my Youtube channel to draw a Rumi motif and the painting process for other Rumi designs.

And here is my online courses page if you wish to learn this art at your own pace: