Part VI: Twelve Point plus Eight Point Star Tiling

Islamic Geometric Ornament:

Construction of the Twelve Point Islamic Star
The tilings of the twelve pointed Islamic star studied so far have been simple. The entire pattern was developed
by extension of the parent 12 point star. The common and appealing historic pattern shown here is different.
Still, it is not terribly complex. How are two perfect Islamic star patterns constructed to blend seamlessly?
Alan D Adams, Holland, New York, 6 June 2013. License: Creative Commons -Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) Text, photos and drawings.
This construction depends on an eight point Islamic star. Only a short introduction is needed. The basic
structure and layout procedure of the eight point Islamic star are absolutely identical to the 12 point star. Only
the polygon changes. A circle divided into 16 parts is required. The 16 divisions are drawn with two polygons,
exactly as for the 12 point star. For the eight fold star, The tiling polygon is usually a square. Two squares are
inscribed in the major layout circle by simply connecting intersections. Vertices and intersections are connected
by radii and inter-radii.
The two divided circles above are identical for our purposes. The polygons can be drawn inside or outside of
the basic layout circle. Drawing them outside is a bit less crowded.
The star will tile in the square tiling polygon circumscribed around the basic layout circle. Four arms of the star
will meet the polygon at points (a). As for the 12 point star, a minor layout circle is drawn from point (o). Point
(o) lies on the tiling edge at the next inter-radius from (a). The radius of this minor layout circle is (o a). The
bisector is constructed as for all previous examples; more construction details are found in appendix II.[Link]
This will be a parallel arm star, so the ends of the arms follow the layout octagon. As before, points (g), (b) and
(c) are defined by the minor layout circle. Each decisions here is taken to maximize symmetry in the tiling as
for the 12 point star. Layout is transferred around the divided circle with circles though points (b) and (c).
The arms are drawn in as before; connecting the circles through (b) and (c) yield the star polygon. Extending
these lines inward, to intersect each other, and outward, to intersect the layout polygon, gives an exact parallel
arm star which will tile with the best possible symmetry. If the ends of the arms are extended to intersect the
tiling polygon, as usual, one of the most common infinite tilings of Islamic art results. This is the best
symmetry eight point star in the most commonly encountered proportions
The eight point star deserves, and will have, its own chapter later. For now, the question is how does one
integrate the two layouts below, the eight and 12 point stars? The layouts are extremely closely related. The
same decision, to maximize symmetry, has defined the proportions of both eight and twelve point layouts.
They do differ in an important parameter. The external angle of the eight point star is 135, of the 12 point star
150. They cannot be connected arm end to arm end as they are drawn here. One star must be chosen to set the
angles at the ends of the arms. In almost all historic patterns, the smaller star is a parallel arm star; the parallel
arm star defines the end angles.
An external angle of 135 for the 12 point star, to match the 8 point star arms, will yield a tapered arm 12 point
star. That taper in the 12 point star will be set by the minor layout circle and its bisector. This decision is taken,
again, to preserve the best possible symmetry in the minor five point star formed by the tiling.
The key to the layout is
recalling this: recalling that the
five point star is formed by
tiling.
Half of the star will belong to
the 12 point layout and half
will be defined by the eight
point layout. If all arms of the
minor five point star are to be
of the same length, the two
minor layout circles are
identical.
They map onto each other
exactly, as shown here. The
figure will tile in a square
centered on the 12 point star.
A quarter eight point star will
appear in each corner.
The diagonal red line will be
the common side of the layout
octagon of the eight point star
and the layout dodecagon of
the 12 point star.
The questions to address are; how is this layout drawn to a specific size? What is the separation of the centers
of the eight and twelve point stars?
The basic layout circle of the 12 point star does not have an obvious relationship to the tiling polygon, the red
square.
For both the basic layout circles and the layout polygons, dodecagon and octagon, no obvious size relationship
is found. They are in fact in a ratio of approximately 1.54586 : 1.
The length of the sides of the layout polygons must be equal, but that is not helpful for layout
The starting point must be what is known to be fixed. That fixed definition is the structure just constructed
here. The minor layout circle. It seems odd, but it is the key to constructing the figure.
The triangle defined by points (o12), (e) and (o8) contains an enormous
amount of information. This triangle is useful since distance (o12-e) is one
half of the repeat dimension of the pattern. This would be used to scale the
layout for a defined space.
Since the layout centered at (o8) defines an eight point star, we know that
angle (a o8 e) is 45 and that the blue layout inter-radius is its bisector. A
layout defined by bisecting these angles is simple.
Drawing a divided square and it diagonal is easy. The repeat spacing is
determined and a layout square is drawn. [See App. I] Points (o8), (o12)
and (e) are obvious. The angle at (o8) is easily bisected as shown. [See App. II]
The next step is not quite as obvious but is equally simple.
The three radii and inter-radii from (o12) trisect an angle.
Trisecting an angle exactly is not generally possible, but this
case, trisecting a 45 angle is exact and easy. This is one
eighth of a 24 fold divided circle, which has been
constructed here many times. It is not clear what size to
make the layout for this 24 fold division step, so size is
ignored for the moment. Any convenient size layout circle
is used. The usual two staggered hexagons are used to
divide the circle and the radii and inter-radii are drawn.
An interesting result is produced. Point (o) is defined
without further effort. The point is defined uniquely by the
definition of the eight fold and twelve fold divisions of the
circle. No other information is needed
Several things are known now. Point (o) lies on the tiling
edge of the dodecagon and octagon. It can define the
common side of the layout polygons.
The common side defines both the layout circle and octagon
for the eight fold star and both the layout circle and the
dodecagon for the twelve fold star.
Point (o) on that shared side also defines the minor layout
circle. That circle has an equal radius, (o a) on both the
eight and twelve fold star.
The decision to make the eight fold star a parallel arm star
completely defines the pattern and the layout can be
completed easily from here.
Two complete Islamic star layouts are being defined simultaneously, so there will be numerous steps. They are
not difficult. The red circle from (o12) through point (o) is used to transfer the layout for the eight point star
to the remaining radii in the left figure. The two layout lines from point (o8) to that layout circle define the
shared side, (s s). The basic layout circle for the eight point star can now be drawn; it is defined by the shared
side as shown. The minor layout circle is then drawn at point (o).
Two bisectors are now needed. The arms of the eight and twelve point stars have different relationships to the
shared side. A bisector for the 12 point star and a bisector for the eight point star are drawn in the right side
figure to points (k) and (k) respectively. They are defined by the common side (s s) and the inter-radii of the
eight and twelve point layouts which define point (o). The required sides for the octagon defining the ends of
the eight point star can be drawn in and the definition of the arms can now be laid out below.
Note that only the quarter circle is needed to construct the eight point stars with this layout method.
The layout of all four eight point stars can be filled in. The parallel arm eight point star defines the tapered arm
12 point star by extending the arm end to cross to the 12 point star bisector. This defines the arms of the 12
point star completely.
The intersections of the 12 point arm layout are transferred around the radii with the usual layout circles and the
star polygon is completed by connecting the inside layout circles on the radii and inter-radii. The point of
intersection of the stars is transferred around with a new layout circle; this circle is the same as the base layout
circle of the 12 point star which would usually be drawn as step one. It was determined after the common side
is constructed in this case.
The star polygon sides are extended inward to intersect and outward to the layout circle. The ends of the arms
are completed to the base layout circle for the 12 point star. The figure is almost completely defined. Only the
extensions of the ends for eight of the arms need to be determined.
Two of the extensions on each side intersect the tiling polygon exactly; this results from the strict geometric
definition. Two of the extensions need a further layout circle.
These two remaining extensions should intersect the extended arms of the eight point star. Due to the partial
layout, these need one more arc to define them. Circles from point (o8) as shown define the intersections of the
extended arm of the eight point star and the arm of the 12 point star. Adding this final layout line completes the
figure.
The layout of this composite tiling is complex, but no step is
difficult or introduces any new complex ideas. The construction
order seems surprising, driven by the small corner stars. This is
by far the easiest and most accurate layout. The geometry of the
interaction of the two stars is allowed to define the layout.
This is a general method for constructing several cases of figures
with two stars of different symmetry. The intersections of the
divided circles define the layout. Tiling rules only allow some
cases, but 7 plus 28, 8 plus 16, 9 plus 12, 12 plus 8, 14 plus 7, 18
plus 6 and 30 plus 5 symmetry stars are all possible using this
method. The peculiar case of the composite 9 point star plus 12
point star tiling will be dealt with in the next chapter. [Link] Both
12 plus 18 and 12 plus 16 can then be derived.
Most cases will not be addressed in this series of chapters. See
A.J. Lees notebooks for details on other cases.
(See reference 1b, p12 ff. in the introduction.)