Kazakh ornament: what the patterns mean and how to draw them with a child
A child sees Kazakh ornament every day: on rugs, on dishes, on building facades, on a school uniform. Working out what is depicted there is easier than it looks, and it makes a good reason to draw together. Below: the four groups of patterns, a look at the main motif, and three exercises that need nothing but a pencil.
Four groups of patterns
Oyu-ornek, the Kazakh ornament, is usually divided into four groups according to what is depicted.
| Group | What it depicts | Where it turns up most |
|---|
| Zoomorphic | horns, tracks, parts of animals | felt, leather, wood |
| Geometric | rhombuses, zigzags, repeating shapes | weaving and architectural decor |
| Plant | leaves, shoots, flowers | embroidery |
| Cosmogonic | sun, stars, sky and earth | anywhere from dishes to textiles |
The motifs carry dozens of names, and readings differ from region to region. For precise names go to a museum or to specialist literature.
Koshkar muyiz: the main motif
The one that turns up more than the others is koshkar muyiz, the ram's horn: a pair of symmetrical curls found on felt, wood, metal and modern logos.
Its meaning is a good one: fertility, strength, courage, abundance. Researchers put the age of the motif at ten to fifteen thousand years.
It suits drawing because it is built on symmetry: draw one curl, mirror it, and the pattern is there. That is where to start.
Where to see ornament in Almaty
- Museums. The Kasteyev State Museum of Arts of the Republic of Kazakhstan has halls of decorative and applied art where ornament can be examined up close and in the original
- Felt rugs. The natural carrier of zoomorphic patterns, and the horn reads most clearly there
- Metal and wood. Dishes, jewellery, furniture details: the pattern there is finer and the line more precise
- Facades and railings. Almaty has plenty of buildings where ornament is carried onto a wall, a fence or a gate. A free museum on the way to school
Photograph the patterns on a phone: within a month the child has a collection of their own, and will be drawing from their own material.
Three exercises
Ordinary paper, a pencil, fifteen minutes each.
- Repetition. Draw a simple shape and repeat it eight times in a row, holding the same size and the same spacing. Dull right up to the moment the child sees that a band has appeared
- Mirror. Fold the sheet in half, draw half a horn out from the fold, unfold and repeat the other half mirrored. That is koshkar muyiz in simplified form
- Your own band. Invent a motif and build a band from it by the same rules: repetition, symmetry, even spacing. Here the child stops copying and starts composing
What this gives in drawing
Ornament looks like a decorative subject, while it trains things straight out of the academic base.
- Rhythm and repetition. The same thing later works in the composition of any drawing
- Symmetry. The eye learns to compare the left half with the right, which leads directly to proportion
- Working under constraint. Only line, only two colours, only one shape. A constraint forces you to solve a problem rather than decorate a sheet
How those skills work in ordinary academic drawing is covered in how to choose an art studio.
Where this is taught in Almaty
At the ArtMix studio ornament is not a separate course: it turns up inside the children's lessons as a task on rhythm and symmetry. Children's groups from age 5 and from 7, teen groups from 12, adults 16+ on Sundays. A children's lesson runs an hour.
Paint, brushes and palettes belong to the studio; the canvas is bought separately for the particular piece. The order of a lesson is in how a lesson is built, times are in the group schedule, and packages under lesson prices and packages.
The trial lesson in children's groups is free. Check current prices on WhatsApp at +7 707 413 32 05.
How to find us
ArtMix art studio: Almaty, 69A Satpayev Street, corner of Gagarin, 1st floor, office 101. Bostandyk district, with the Satpayev and Gagarin intersection as the landmark.
Lessons run Tuesday through Sunday, and the studio is closed on Monday. The address and map are in studio contacts.
Questions and answers
What does koshkar muyiz mean in Kazakh ornament? Koshkar muyiz translates as ram's horn and stands for fertility, strength, courage and abundance. It is a pair of symmetrical curls, a widely recognised motif, and researchers put its age at ten to fifteen thousand years.
What groups of Kazakh ornament are there? Four: zoomorphic, geometric, plant and cosmogonic. Zoomorphic patterns turn up mostly on felt and wood, geometric ones in weaving and architectural decor, plant ones in embroidery.
From what age can a child draw ornament? From five, if you start with repeating a simple shape. A symmetrical horn works out at around seven, once the hand holds a line.
Where can I see Kazakh ornament in Almaty? In museums with collections of decorative and applied art, on felt rugs, and on the facades of city buildings. No special trip is needed, the patterns turn up on the way to school.
How much do drawing lessons for a child cost in Almaty? A lesson in the children's group costs 5 000 ₸, a pass for 4 lessons is 20 000 ₸, for 8 lessons 26 000 ₸, and for 12 lessons 30 000 ₸. The trial lesson is free, and current prices are worth checking on WhatsApp.
Where is the art studio in Almaty located? ArtMix studio works at 69A Satpayev Street, corner of Gagarin, 1st floor, office 101, Bostandyk district, Almaty.
Where to start
Take a sheet, fold it in half and draw half a horn out from the fold. Unfold and repeat it mirrored. Fifteen minutes, and the conversation about the pattern being thousands of years old happens by itself.
If it turns into something, write to WhatsApp at +7 707 413 32 05 and we will match a group by age. Student work and current setups go up on the studio's Instagram.
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