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
All this talk about sharing space between characters in a tessellation has made me think of the word “symétruc”, which I coined a few years ago in a discussion with Jeff Weeks, American mathematician and KaleidoPaint app programmer. My original intention was for a word better than the French “pavages”, or “dallages”, which to me aludes to floor tiles, patio stones or asphalt pavement, rather than graphic art. Tessellation can be used in French, I’ve since found out. Continue reading
On the theme of ‘multiple sharing’ (as with ‘Mountain Biker’), are you familiar with the work of Raoul Raba in Zoo Mathématique? He has occasional examples. As a concept, there are not too many artists using this idea in their tessellation work. The premise of ‘economy’ is a pleasing one. Continue reading
Yes, another mountain biker. But this one drawn in symmetry system P6, that’s one 6-point rotation, one 3-point rotation and one 2-point rotation. Have a careful look at those bike wheels. They are being shared by multiple bikers. Bike Sharing, very popular these days.
This tessellation was done using the Pg symmetry system. Two parallel glide reflections with a few lines snaking from one to the other. In the sketch below, the thicker lines delineate the two characters, the guy and the dog. Not that many lines. The thinner lines add details to the shape. If you want to know an easy way to create this type of nested shape, have a look under the Techniques menu, and choose the symmetry group you would like to use. Continue reading
This will be my last#cellphonezombie tessellation, I hope. Getting it out of my system. This tessellation is done using the P4g symmetry group – a four point rotation within a mirrored box. Don’t like mirrors in symmetry, it creates a very rigid personage. But in this case, it might suit the occasion, the last fraction of a second, before impact, as the cellphone user realizes that there is something going on in the world around him. Could be a sign post on the sidewalk, a bench, the curb, another zombie, a missing manhole cover (I did watch a lot of Bugs Bunny), a vehicle… you decide! Continue reading
Yet another tessellation about #cellphonezombies! Contemporary topic. This tessellation seen from a low wide-angle view, we can see a truck’s tire coming from behind our character, and above the roadway disappearing far behind him. Yes, busy, mesmerized by his cellphone, oblivious. What a weird word. Oublie-vie-ah. Forget-your-life. Continue reading
Clocks back one hour tonight. Spring forward — Fall Back. This symmetry design is built using a simple glide reflection all the way along the line. Resting dogs, using their buddy’s butt as a pillow. Continue reading
Just in time for tonight’s episode of Marketplace on CBC.ca — “Addicted to Your Cellphone?” A third tessellation, this one in symmetry group P6, one 6 point, one 3 point and one 2 point rotation. Tiny feet for the sidewalk and dangerous street crossings. Big bulging eyes from staring at the screen for too long. Continue reading
Seems #cellphonezombies are in the news quite a bit these days. Either in remote areas, small villages or in the dense jungle of big cities (Honolulu), a new phenomenon, a dangerous practice, far worse than distracted driving, you have no seatbelt! Walking around while looking at their cellphone’s latest bleeps, people seem unable to just ignore their techno addiction and focus on the world around them. Continue reading
One Tessellation a Day, for 30 Days! Ya, right.
I thought maybe it would be a cool idea to challenge myself to do a tessellation a day for 30 days. Maybe in a few decades when my teacup is not overflowing.
I must point out the difference between a tessellation and a pattern, as in cloth, tiles or wallpaper. They both use the same symmetry rules for filling space. But in the case of tessellations, your aim is to reduce negative space, empty areas, to zero. Where every single square inch is used up by a recognizable figure. Continue reading
The size of the audience for this type of art-form is microscopically small. When you start talking about your tessellation passion, someone inevitably says, “Ah ya you do that stuff”. From decades ago, “oh ya, I remember your drawings”. Other than family and friends putting up with your gushing obsession, you’re lucky to have a handful of patrons. Math teachers, grade school kids, and a few geometry nerds don’t constitute a large client base, lol. Continue reading
It has taken a while for me to let go of the expensive Adobe Photoshop, to complete my tessellations. Quite a bit of research and testing to figure out which iPad app was the best for my purposes. Pixelmator wins on all fronts. It does what no other single app accomplishes, Continue reading
Below is the original OmegaBoy sketch, drawn four and a half years ago already. Since I found the KaleidoPaint app, I’ve come up with about one nested shape a week, that’s over 250 tessellations, fully interlocking designs. It must be an obsession! Still much to learn. Never stop learning. 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
Tessellations by Francine Champagne 