Design and create your own Delft tile
Delft tiles are a distinctive style of blue and white ceramic tile first made in the 1600s in the city of Delft, Netherlands. Traditionally they are hand painted and feature agricultural, nautical or mythical scenes.
The tiles were originally made to brighten and beautify dark and sooty fireplaces but remain popular to this day in many areas of a house.
Before starting to design your own tile, why not put “delft tile” into a search engine and look at the image results for some inspiration? Will you go for a traditional style or perhaps make something very modern but in the traditional blue and white?
You will need:
- White paper
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Blue pencil or pen
- Thick cardboard
- Scissors
- Sticky tape
1. Once you’ve done your research it’s time to start sketching your ideas.
2. Most Delft tiles have a matching motif in each corner, so why not start by planning those? How large will they be? Try a few designs before deciding which one to go for.
3. Next, think about the central scene. Will you copy a reference image, draw from real life or use your imagination? Again, try a few variations in pencil until you are happy.
4. To make the tile 3D you’ll wrap it around some thick cardboard. Use a ruler to help you draw a small square on the cardboard before cutting it out.
5. When you are happy with your ideas it’s time to draw the tile itself. Use the pencil to lightly draw around your cardboard square onto a fresh piece of white paper.
6. Lightly sketch your ideas from 2 and 3 onto the square using pencil.
7. Grab your blue pencil or pen and go over the whole design.
8. Lay your tile drawing carefully over the cardboard square and fold the edges over to the back, securing them with sticky tape.
