Three of my prints are being shown at the Stadt Galerie in Brixen, Italy, till the end of the month. Gelbe Karte, Prissy Groovy and Cool, and Snowflakes. Andrew Crompton, David Hop, Hans Kuiper, Francine Champagne, Alain Nicolas, Fathauer Robert, Sam Brade are the artists representing the “Beyond” part of the show. All tessellations are part of the collection of Federico Giudiceandrea.
The FC Schalke 04 boys finally made me proud. They didn’t show any intimidation at playing the Bayern team. I am celebrating their performance with a tessellation of Schalke players. The ever polite Benedikt Höwedes, the powerhouse Sead Kolasinac, Gerald Asamoah a past icon of the club, and the referee, disciplining the ever-diving Robben, that’s the one dramatically grabbing himself in fake pain. Keep it up Boys, don’t stop! Continue reading
Sometimes, I find it difficult to spend hours tweaking a single outline for a tessellation. I’d rather sketch freely to come up with some ideas. This was the only way to do it, before the edit line/fill function came along in KaleidoPaint. My drawings were messy and close to impossible to change without adding more of a mess on top. Sometimes it was easier just to start over on a blank page. The trick I had found Continue reading
This tessellation is built using the Pgg symmetry group. A grid of two different perpendicular glide lines with two different two-way (180*) rotation points in the middle of each rectangle. Sounds like a lot to take into account, when planning the drawing, but it’s not that difficult. Continue reading
Totally enjoying the “realign” function in KaleidoPaint. Not only does it unskew the symmetry’s grid, but it also sets the grid to the same view. This is what makes it possible for me to share short animations of my tessellation processes. Continue reading
I’ve chosen a pattern from an Islamic geometric design as inspiration to get started for this tessellation. Looking at the photo, we can see four mirrors intersecting at ninety degrees to form a box. In the centre, a four way rotation point. Continue reading
My first ever tessellation, redrawn from scratch, to show the series of steps required to achieve a successfully nested shape.
The original image was a pencil sketch from years ago. Before Windows 3.1 and way before the iPad. And I could not afford an Amiga computer, even less the first Mac. So cardboard, pencils, scissors and lots of graph paper it was. Continue reading
Constant compromise. Coming up with a tessellation is an excercise in seeing both sides of the coin. A long process of shifting the needs on both sides of the line and allowing the other side to use available space, without loosing sight of your own purpose, your own needs. Finding a crack somewhere, nudging a line, inserting a limb in a space between. Give and take. Just as in life. Elle philosophise. Continue reading
This symmetry group was the first one with which I completed a successful tessellation, the Frogs. Way back in 1988, in the dark ages. Symmetry group P4g. Head to head, elbow to elbow, feet to feet is how I decipher these nested shapes. A very simple technique, Continue reading
Took a while, but I finally came up with a tessellation I like, to represent this Pmm symmetry group. I’ve named it “Gelbe Karte”, yellow card. This tessellation is built with five characters, Höwedes, Asamoah, Kolasinak, the Ref, and the one receiving a yellow card for excessive simulation (diving), Robben. About time Arjen gets a card.
Finally got around to creating a “Cheat Sheet” for starting a tessellation. A page of my own. Sometimes I need to physically mime my ideas, so hands are a good base to use here. Often it is difficult to decide which group to choose to accomplish a certain design. Continue reading
This tessellation is built using the Pm symmetry group – two alternating parallel mirrors, without any glides or rotations. Makes for a stacked look to the nested shapes. One vertical mirror down the lady and the other down the dog and shampoo bottle. Always wondered how HairStylist cut their own hair, awkward to cut your own, probably dangerous too. Well, I figured it out. “Let me cut my hair for me”. And it’s always nice to bring Fifi the dog with you to the Salon. What do you think Tina? Continue reading
Along with symmetry group Pmm, this P4m group is my least explored. Only 5 attempts at creating tessellations. Again, I just don’t like the mirrors. I will have to test myself a bit more, one of these days. Continue reading
Indeed, not my favourite symmetry group. Most nested shapes that try to fit into this system feel constricted, weird, rigid, way too symmetrical. There is barely enough room to create recognisable figures within a sliver of a triangle, 30-60-90 degree (orange shape). And all of this surrounded by 3 mirrors. Ug. Continue reading
