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Noticing zigzag patterns in a photograph

Follow repeated changes of direction, then see how their size and placement relate to the whole portrait.

Yenra Photography · Published October 17, 2026

A zigzag invites your eyes to change direction again and again. Its points can form a broad band of color, a small decoration, or the boundary between adjoining shapes. Following one of these paths is an enjoyable way to discover a pattern within a familiar photograph.

These Colossalcon East 2017 portraits move from the blue-and-yellow pattern of Kaymm's Lucy Heartfilia costume to a different zigzag in Ichigokitty Cosplay's Sonic costume. The teaching order is a new editorial arrangement. Begin with the complete photograph, then choose one small path to follow.

Follow a repeated change of direction

In the opening portrait, blue and yellow bands turn repeatedly across the costume. A separate blue zigzag appears above them near the neckline. The repeated points give you a clear path to follow within the larger portrait.

Start at one end of a band and follow it through two or three turns. Notice the short sloping sections between the points. You can describe what you see with ordinary words: up and down, a sharp turn, a wider point, or two colors meeting.

Now let your attention return to the face and the whole frame. The pattern is one part of the portrait, with hair, bows and the surrounding background contributing other shapes. Moving between a small detail and the complete picture helps you enjoy both.

Find the pattern within the whole outfit

The wider Lucy Heartfilia portrait shows the pattern within the full outfit. The roof, railing and path add longer lines around the figure. The zigzag occupies less of the picture, giving you a chance to notice how a small pattern remains recognizable in a larger view.

Compare the width of the bands with the size of the person in each photograph. Then look at the lines nearby: the railing extends through the setting while the costume bands make short repeated turns. Different kinds of lines can share a frame without doing the same visual job.

For your own experiment, find an everyday patterned fabric or object and try a wider and a closer framing. Keep both pictures long enough to compare them. Ask what the wider view contributes and which part of the pattern catches your attention in the closer one.

Look for a zigzag edge between shapes

The Sonic portrait offers another way for a zigzag to appear. Alternating teal and dark triangles meet along a strip hanging from the costume. Their adjoining edges create the repeated changes of direction; you can follow the boundary between the colors.

Compare that mainly vertical path with the bands across the first two portraits. The photographs share a type of shape while giving it a different direction, scale and place in the outfit. Recognizing a connection like this can make an archive feel newly interesting.

Look for a zigzag in another photograph you already have. It might be printed on clothing, formed by an edge, or created where two shapes meet. Keep the full frame in view and write one sentence about where the pattern sits. One clear observation is a worthwhile discovery.

Look back with curiosity.

• Where does the line change direction?
• How does the pattern sit within the whole picture?
• Can adjoining shapes create a zigzag without a separate drawn line?

Keep exploring

Noticing repeated motifs in a portrait · Noticing patterns around a portrait · Following lines through a photograph

Browse the complete Colossalcon East 2017 gallery. Follow a photograph into its original neighbors and see what else catches your attention. A repeated shape, a colorful setting or a shared detail may begin another discovery.