This Mountain Biker #tessellation drawing was done before Windows 3.1, before the Mac, before iPads! But after the dinosaurs. 1997. It was the inspiration to do a complete periodic drawing covering the plane, rather than a line group as shown below. Sometimes these drawings take time. Tessellation ideas are a dime a dozen — completed artwork is more rare. Continue reading
These ocean-side tessellation topics are dear to my heart since we moved to the Island, a decade ago already. The weather is wonderful, winter and summer, those year-round hikes — local, beautiful, plentiful, varied. Continue reading
I had a quick look through all of my #tessellations from the past years and came up with a list of 30 “Family-Friendly” topics. Most of these are from the animal kingdom. Safe topics for the kids. And many kids encounter the art of tessellations either through their art class or their math class in grade school. They relate to the art style quite well. Continue reading
Updated 2023-11-02:
Since M.C. Escher started popularizing “nested shape” tessellations, many artist have dabbled in the field. Some show a passing interest, yet still create with a very deep understanding of the rules of symmetry. Others can’t get enough and create constantly in this art form.
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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
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
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.
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
The Android version of KaleidoPaint is finally finished and publicly available. I would like to share this spectacular and free app with the group Broug Atelier for Islamic Geometric Design.
If we look at what M.C. Escher used as topics for his tessellations, and do a quick search around the planetary neighbourhood… there is definitely an evolution and expansion that has occurred since his lifetime. Escher used to incorporate birds and fishes, reptiles, Continue reading
I’m just a kid that still likes to draw. From early on, in the crib, with any available medium. Fortunately back then, oil-based wall paint was easily washable. Continue reading
A challenge to help my Nephew understand the basic rules of tessellations for a math class. Wish I had been fortunate enough to get an opportunity like this when I was a teen. La leçon est en français à part de ça! Continue reading
You may wish to save your KaleidoPaint drawings other than by emailing images of them or saving them to your Photos folder on your tablet. In this case, you need to save the actual dot TXT file, a file that gives written instructions to your tablet, on how to recreate your drawing. Continue reading
