Exercise 6. Tessellations: Geometric Patterns
By Jacqueline Andes

This exercise will be done with a grid system called a Tessellation. The word comes from the Latin "tessella." It is the small, square stone or tile used in ancient Roman mosaics. Dutch artist, M.C. Escher, used a grid system to create an overall pattern using triangles (three sided), quadrilateral (four sided), pentagon (five sided), hexagon (six sided), septagon (seven sided), octagon (eight sided), nonagon (nine sided), and decagon (ten sided) figures. Escher http://www.worldofescher.com/gallery created incredible spatial illusions. Check out examples of his work to give you an idea of how exciting tessellations can be.

Materials:

• A hard pencil such as an H
• Eraser
• Paper grid
• Ruler
• Colored pencils, markers or crayons

Instructions:
Choose one or more of the above-mentioned shapes. All of the shapes are geometric. Keep the design fairly simple the first time trying this exercise. It is best to think of each large box as being separate from the other. Therefore, whatever is done to a large box, is done to all the large boxes.

1. Using a grid paper of 1/2" boxes, outline four boxes across to form four larger boxes of two inches each. Create four two inch boxes horizontally, and three vertically. There will be twelve boxes in all.
2. Draw a geometric shape inside, or outside the large box. Remember, any line drawn in one large box must be drawn in the box next to it, and under it. If you put a triangle on top of the first box covering two, 1/2" smaller boxes, it must be on all boxes.
3. Repeat all the chosen geometric shapes in/on all the large boxes. It must be in the same place in each box.
4. When the drawing is complete, color in all the boxes. Whatever color used in the first large box, it must be repeated in the next large box, and so on.

Compare the Patterns:

1. How do the geometric and organic shapes work together?
2. How did it look before the color was added?
3. Did the color change the "feel" of the design?
4. Why did you choose the colors you used?

Check out Tessellation Tutorials it's great!
http://mathforum.org/sum95/suzanne/tess.intro.html

Keep experimenting with line. Want a challenge? Check out http://www2.evansville.edu/studiochalkboard/draw.html or http://www2.evansville.edu/drawinglab