Basic border knot with vertical breaks, step-by-step drawing tutorial

This drawing tutorial is the third in a short series of lessons to teach you how to draw a few variations of Celtic border knots.

In lesson one, we learned how to draw a simple twist. In lesson two, we used a grid system to draw a basic braid pattern. In this third tutorial, we will build on what we have learned to create a variation using vertical breaks. Breaks introduce a level of complexity to the design that adds visual interest. There are many ways to add breaks to a border pattern, but today’s lesson will show you how to add two simple vertical breaks to the braid we have previously drawn.

Below is a list of supplies you may want on hand (Amazon affiliate links are included), but you certainly don’t have to have all of these supplies to do this tutorial. Just find yourself a piece of paper, a pencil, and an eraser, and let’s get to drawing!

Gather your supplies:

Drawing pencils
Markers
Blending stumps
Eraser
Click eraser
Ruler
Horse hair brush
Grid paper
Sketch pad

Step 1:

Draw a grid of 9 squares across and 2 squares down. Use a ruler If drawing the grid by hand so all the squares end up the same size.

Step 2:

Draw circles at the intersections of each corner and then in the middle of each square. Keep the circles the same size. Small circles will give you a thicker thread, while large circles will allow you to create a thinner thread.

Step 3:

Starting from the left, draw a pair of parallel lines touching the inside edges of the first four circles. Find the set of four circles above that first pair of lines, and draw a second set of perpendicular lines. Return to the first pair of lines and create another pair of perpendicular lines to the side, as shown. This sets up an alternating pattern of lines that you will continue across the grid to create a weave. Ignore any places where you only have three circles for now.

Step 4:

Draw a vertical line connecting the two circles in columns 3 and 7, as shown. 

Step 5:

Erase any lines that cross over those two new vertical lines, looping them back around to link up with the threads as shown.

Step 6:

Sketch in the top and bottom edges of the loops as shown.

​Step 7:

Create the loops at each end of the grid. For this design, there will be a loop at each corner.

Step 8:

Erase any guidelines and trace over the pattern with a darker pencil, creating any stylistic changes you may want.

Step 9:

Add in the shadows for a 3D effect, blend, and add final details. Go over your finished design with markers if desired.

I hope you enjoyed this project and are encouraged to try more designs! 

I created a YouTube tutorial to go with this blog for those of you who are visual learners like myself! You can view the full video tutorial on my YouTube channel here! 

​Related blogs you may want to read:
Basic twist step-by-step drawing tutorial using grid paper
Celtic braid step-by-step drawing tutorial
Basic border knot with horizontal breaks, step-by-step drawing tutorial
DIY chalk-painted tray with Celtic border
A fun DIY project with paint and a thrifted mirror part 2
The Celtic Motherhood Knot, a symbol of love
Celtic Tree of Life
Basic Celtic knot tutorial part 1
Celtic knot tutorial part 2

​Some of the posts in this article contain affiliate links. If you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. I will only recommend products or services I use personally and/or believe will add value to my readers, so there is no conflict of interest.