Harlequin Pattern
Make a harlequin pattern, the repeating pattern of contrasting diamonds standing on end, at any size and in 2 to 4 colours. Set the diamond by its width and height or by its tip angle, choose a colour scheme, add a gap or outlines, and download a seamless SVG tile, a 300 DPI PNG or a PDF at full size. For a painted harlequin diamond wall, type the size of your wall: the plan counts the whole and cut diamonds, gives the paint area per colour and lists every tape line with its two ends measured from the top left corner. No two diamonds that share an edge get the same colour, and the tile repeats edge to edge (both tested). Nothing is uploaded.
100% private — everything runs in your browser. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Page 1 is the pattern at full size with a 1 in test square. Tick the wall plan for a scaled drawing of your wall, the paint per colour and every tape line measured from the top left corner.
Pattern
Wall plan
Runs in your browser with our own code: nothing is uploaded or saved. You may use what you make here, including commercially, with no credit needed.
How to make a harlequin pattern
- Choose a preset or set the diamond width and height (or the tip angle).
- Pick a colour scheme and the colours, and add a gap or edge lines if you like.
- Download the SVG tile for fabric, wallpaper or the web, or the PDF to print at full size.
- For a wall, tick Plan a painted wall and type its width and height.
- Paint the wall in the lighter colour, mark the tape line ends, tape off every other diamond and paint them.
What you can use it for
- Painted accent walls and nursery walls
- Floors, stair risers and furniture
- Fabric, gift wrap and scrapbook paper
- Costume, jester and circus party designs
- Website and slide backgrounds (SVG tile)
- Quilt and knitting colour planning
The 14 presets
| # | Preset | Diamond | Tip angle | Colours | Seamless repeat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Classic black and white | 2 × 4 in | 53.13° | 2 | 2 × 4 in |
| 2 | Jester red and gold | 4 × 6 in | 67.38° | 2 | 4 × 6 in |
| 3 | Soft nursery | 8 × 16 in | 53.13° | 2 | 8 × 16 in |
| 4 | Navy and cream wall | 12 × 24 in | 53.13° | 2 | 12 × 24 in |
| 5 | Tonal grey | 10 × 20 in | 53.13° | 2 | 10 × 20 in |
| 6 | Three-colour diagonal | 5 × 8 in | 64.01° | 3 | 5 × 24 in |
| 7 | Three-colour columns | 4 × 8 in | 53.13° | 3 | 12 × 8 in |
| 8 | Three-colour rows | 6 × 6 in | 90° | 3 | 6 × 18 in |
| 9 | Four-colour circus | 4 × 6 in | 67.38° | 4 | 8 × 12 in |
| 10 | Squares on point (90°) | 6 × 6 in | 90° | 2 | 6 × 6 in |
| 11 | Tile look with grout gap | 6 × 10 in | 61.93° | 2 + gap | 6 × 10 in |
| 12 | Outlined diamonds | 6 × 12 in | 53.13° | 2 (lines) | 6 × 12 in |
| 13 | Gold lines on charcoal | 8 × 14 in | 59.49° | 2 (lines) | 8 × 14 in |
| 14 | Four-colour pastel | 6 × 9 in | 67.38° | 4 | 12 × 18 in |
Each preset only fills in the fields; change any size or colour afterwards.
Colour schemes
| Scheme | Colours | Repeat | Tile for 6 × 12 in diamonds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two colours (classic harlequin) | 2 | 1 × 1 diamonds | 6 × 12 in |
| Three colours, diagonal | 3 | 1 × 3 diamonds | 6 × 36 in |
| Three colours, columns | 3 | 3 × 1 diamonds | 18 × 12 in |
| Three colours, rows | 3 | 1 × 3 diamonds | 6 × 36 in |
| Four colours | 4 | 2 × 2 diamonds | 12 × 24 in |
In every scheme, diamonds that share an edge are different colours. Diamonds that touch only at a point may match.
Diamond proportions and tip angles
| Height : width | Tip angle (top and bottom) | Side angle | Height for a 6 in wide diamond |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 : 1 | 90° | 90° | 6 in |
| 1.5 : 1 | 67.38° | 112.62° | 9 in |
| 2 : 1 | 53.13° | 126.87° | 12 in |
| 2.5 : 1 | 43.6° | 136.4° | 15 in |
| 3 : 1 | 36.87° | 143.13° | 18 in |
Diamonds across a wall
| Wall width | 8 in wide | 12 in wide | 16 in wide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 96 in (8 ft) | 12 | 8 | 6 |
| 120 in (10 ft) | 15 | 10 | 7.5 |
| 144 in (12 ft) | 18 | 12 | 9 |
| 168 in (14 ft) | 21 | 14 | 10.5 |
A whole number means the pattern ends on a full diamond at both sides when you start at a corner.
Example: a 12 × 8 ft wall with 12 × 24 in diamonds
| Paint | Area | Square feet | Share | Whole diamonds | Cut diamonds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colour 1 | 6912 sq in | 48 sq ft | 50% | 33 | 32 |
| Colour 2 | 6912 sq in | 48 sq ft | 50% | 48 | 0 |
This wall has 32 tape lines, 81 whole diamonds and 32 cut at the edges, starting with diamond tips on the top left corner.
Want argyle rakers or a knitting chart? Use the Argyle Pattern Generator. For square checks, try the Checkerboard Pattern Generator.
Which tool to use
| You want | Use |
|---|---|
| Plain harlequin diamonds, a wall plan or a seamless tile | Harlequin Pattern (this page) |
| Argyle diamonds with rakers, or a knitting chart | Argyle Pattern Generator |
| Square checks, diagonal or isometric | Checkerboard Pattern Generator |
| Four-lobed quatrefoil repeats | Quatrefoil Pattern |
| A stencil from a photo or logo | Stencil Maker |
Also handy: the Stencil Maker and the Poster Tiler for big prints.
More free tools
More pattern and print tools?
Pattern makers and print tools that run privately in your browser, with no sign-up and no watermark.
Frequently asked questions
What is a harlequin pattern?
A repeating pattern of contrasting diamonds, or elongated squares, standing on end. Every diamond touches four others along its edges, and those four are in a different colour.
What size should the diamonds be on a wall?
A common guide is diamonds about twice as tall as they are wide. Divide the wall width by the number of diamonds you want across to get the width. The table above shows how many fit across common wall widths.
How do I mark the lines?
Every edge of every diamond lies on a straight line that runs from one side of the wall to the other. The plan lists each line with its two ends in inches or centimetres from the top left corner, so you can mark both ends and draw or tape between them.
Which diamonds do I paint?
Paint the whole wall in colour 1 first. With two colours, tape around every other diamond and paint the others; with three or four colours, paint one colour at a time and let each dry before you tape over it.
How much paint do I need?
The plan gives the area of each colour, including the cut diamonds at the edges. The areas add up to the whole wall (tested). Check the coverage on your paint can for the number of coats you plan.
What is the tip angle?
The angle at the top and bottom points of each diamond. A square on point has 90°; diamonds twice as tall as wide have about 53°. Set the width and the angle, and the height is worked out for you.
Is the SVG tile seamless?
Yes. The tile is one full repeat of the colour scheme, so copies placed edge to edge join with no seam. Our tests compare the tile with the pattern one repeat over at thousands of points.
How is this different from the argyle pattern generator?
Argyle adds dashed diagonal rakers over the diamonds and makes a knitting chart. This page is for plain harlequin diamonds: sizing by width, height or angle, 2 to 4 colour schemes and a painted-wall plan.
Is it free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit.
Is anything uploaded?
No. Everything is drawn by JavaScript in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.