Islamic Artist Make Islamic geometric patterns, and learn the arts behind them

Points, steps and a grid

Make your own Islamic art: a geometric pattern maker

Choose the number of points, how far each line jumps, and the grid. Every pattern is drawn live, and it is yours to keep.

Drawn live in your browser · save as SVG or PNG · yours to keep

How it works Draw by hand

Pattern maker

An eight-pointed star

How it works: points are spaced evenly around a circle and each is joined to the one “step” places along. Eight points with a step of three gives the classic eight-pointed star; repeat it on a grid and the stars meet to form a pattern. See it step by step.

Islamic art in numbers

  • 5 classic stars to start from, from the khatam to twelve points The pattern maker’s presets
  • 8 scripts of Arabic calligraphy explained Our calligraphy guide
  • 2 ways to save your design: SVG to print, PNG to share The pattern maker
  • 0 pictures taken from other artists Our about page

Learn the craft of Islamic art

Geometry as art

The same idea in tile, wood, plaster and stone. Walk into the great mosques of Isfahan, Fez, Cairo or Córdoba and you see stars and polygons that repeat, interlace and seem to go on for ever, built from a few simple steps: a circle divided into equal parts, the points joined in a fixed rhythm, the result repeated on a grid.

The pattern maker above does exactly that.

See where you can give, country by country, with every pound shown.

Using your pattern

Print it, cut it, colour it.

  • SVG prints at any size, or cuts on a craft cutter.
  • PNG makes a phone wallpaper, a card or a poster.
  • Printed patterns make calm colouring pages for children and adults.

For ready-made wallpapers in the same style, see Islamic Wallpaper.

Islamic art questions people ask

Why are Islamic patterns geometric?

Islamic art in mosques has long favoured geometry, plant-like arabesque and calligraphy over images of people and animals. Geometry also lets a small design grow to fill any space, from a box lid to a dome.

What is the eight-pointed star called?

The star made of two overlapping squares is often called the Rub al-Hizb or khatam; the sharper star made by joining every third of eight points is the classic eight-pointed star of many tile panels.

Can I use my pattern commercially?

Patterns you make with the maker are your own to use as you like.