Submitted by: Barbara Rhodes, retired art teacher
Title: Creating Tessellations
Ages: 10 - 18
Instructions:
Create a full page of tessellations in pencil lines. Use one of the three methods listed below. Finish them in color using colored pencils, colored paper as shown on the videos below, colored markers, crayons, watercolors, tempera paint, acrylic or any other color media that you have at home. You can use more than one media if you think it will make your design look better. DO NOT FOLD YOUR PAPER. Try not to get any creases in your paper.
Materials:
Colored Markers
1. Mark out a LIGHT grid on your paper using three inch (7.5 cm) grids. You can do this with your ruler. Take a 3 X 3" (7.5 x 7.5 cm) index card and start in the left upper corner of your paper, lining up the edges of the index card with the edges of your paper. Trace along the right and bottom edge of your index square. Slide the square to the right, lining up the left edge with the right edge of the first drawn square. Trace along the right and bottom edge of your index square. Continue doing this until the squares cover the paper in a grid formation with all the squares lined up correctly.
2. Draw a wavy line from the top left corner to the top right corner of your index card square.
3. Draw a wavy line from the top left corner to the bottom left corner of your index card square.
4. Cut along these lines ending up with 3 separate pieces
5. Arrange these pieces back in their original position.
6. Slide the top piece down to the bottom edge and line up the flat edges and tape them together.
7. Slide the left piece over to the right edge and line up the flat edges and tape them together.
8. Line up the right original straight edge and the bottom original straight edge of the index card form with the top left grid and trace the outside edges of the form with pencil onto the paper.
9. Slide the form horizontally and/or vertically until it lines up. Trace and continue in this manner.
10. Once you have filled your paper with the forms see if you can create an object from this repeated shape and bring it out in your coloring and detail lines. If not, then color it in a very creative way that will enhance the repeating design.
1. Mark out a LIGHT grid on your paper with the use of the 3 X 3 (7.5 x 7.5 cm) index card you received and a pencil. Start in the left upper corner of your paper, lining up the edges of the index card with the edges of your paper. Trace along the right and bottom edge of your index square. Slide the square to the right, lining up the left edge with the right edge of the first drawn square. Trace along the right and bottom edge of your index square. Continue doing this until the squares cover the paper in a grid formation with all the squares lined up correctly.
2. Draw a wavy line from the top left corner to the top right corner of your index card square.
3. Draw a wavy line from the top left corner to the bottom left corner of your index card square.
4. Cut along these lines ending up with 3 separate pieces
5. Arrange these pieces back in their original position.
6. Rotate the top piece counterclockwise so the straight edge of the top piece fits against the straight edge of the right side of the index square and tape them together.
7. Rotate the left piece clockwise so the straight edge of the left piece fits against the straight edge of the bottom of the index square and tape them together.
8. Line up the right original straight edge and the bottom original straight edge of the index card form with the top left grid and trace the outside edges of the form with pencil onto the paper.
9. Rotate the form horizontally and/or vertically until it lines up. Trace and continue in this manner.
10. Once you have filled your paper with the forms see if you can create an object from this repeated shape and bring it out in your coloring and detail lines. If not, then color it in a very creative way that will enhance the repeating design.
1. Mark out a LIGHT grid on your paper with the use of the 3 X 3 (7.5 x 7.5 cm) index card you received and a pencil. Start in the left upper corner of your paper, lining up the edges of the index card with the edges of your paper. Trace along the right and bottom edge of your index square. Slide the square to the right, lining up the left edge with the right edge of the first drawn square. Trace along the right and bottom edge of your index square. Continue doing this until the squares cover the paper in a grid formation with all the squares lined up correctly.
2. Draw a wavy line from the bottom left corner to the bottom right corner of your index card square.
3. Draw a wavy line from the bottom right corner to the top right corner of your index card square.
4. Cut along these lines ending up with 3 separate pieces
5. Arrange these pieces back in their original position.
6. Flip the bottom piece over and slide it to the top so the straight edge of the top side fits against the straight edge of the bottom piece of the index square and tape them together.
7. Flip the right piece over and slide it to the left side so the straight edge of the right side piece fits against the straight edge of the left side of the index square and tape them together.
8. Line up the right original straight edge and the bottom original straight edge of the index card form with the top left grid and trace the outside edges of the form with pencil onto the paper.
9. Flip the form so it lines up with one of the drawn edges. Trace and continue in this manner.
10. Once you have filled your paper with the forms see if you can create an object from this repeated shape and bring it out in your coloring and detail lines. If not, then color it in a very creative way that will enhance the repeating design.
This video explains the three different types of tessellations that are on this page:
See more pages on tessellations on IAD:
