Symmetry and radial design
Art & Design · Key Stage 2 · The School
Mirrored across a line
REFLECTIVE SYMMETRY means one half of a design is the exact mirror of the other half. Fold a design in half along its line of symmetry and the two sides match perfectly. A butterfly's wings are a natural example.
Repeated around a point
RADIAL SYMMETRY means a design repeats evenly around a central point, like spokes on a wheel. Turn it and it looks the same at several angles. A flower or a snowflake usually shows this kind of symmetry, not the mirror kind.
Spotting which kind is used
Ask two questions of any pattern. Does folding it in half along one line make the two sides match? That is reflective. Does turning it around its centre make it look the same again and again? That is radial. Some designs use both at once.
Draw one simple shape, such as a leaf, in the corner of a square of paper. Trace it. Rotate the tracing paper a set amount around the centre point, such as 60 degrees. Trace the shape again in its new position. Rotate again, trace again, six times in total. The single leaf has become a radial pattern, repeating evenly around the centre like the petals of a flower. Colour each repeat the same way and the pattern reads instantly as deliberate, not accidental.