Mathematically divide a space,
With shape or pattern, body or face,
Repeat it identically again and again,
This is how tessellations begin!

The word tessella is Latin for a small block, as in a mosaic. To tessellate means to make of small blocks, or squares. Now, that sounds pretty boring, until you study just what tessellations have evolved into--a mathematical exercise!

M. C. Escher, or Maurits Cornelis, lived from 1898 to 1972. He was a Dutch artist who came to specialize in patterns that tessellated, or repeated in blocks. But, he took the boring square and looked at it mathematically. If you took some off of one side, and added it to the opposite side, even if what you took was a funny piece, you created a pattern. You were still using the same amount of space, you had just rearranged it! He experimented in rearranging space in very creative ways! His tessellations are the most famous in the world!

With his work, he sparked a whole form of art and math combined into patterns. Now, you can find tessellations everywhere. You can even make your own!

Here are some from Libby Reid and Elliot Leonard from his web site!

Used with permission

Cats

Pirate 2

Tigers

There are even tessellations in quilting! (See our quilt page, also!) These designs, some very traditional, came from Linda Hampton Schiffer, who has a quilting tessellation page.

                                                               Rob Peter to Pay Paul

Spool    Bowties    

So, here's how you make a tessellation without using math! (You can find web sites to show you how to use math, also!)

Cut a square about 4" wide	Cut any shape from one side.	Use a ruler to position it on the other side, exactly across where it came from.
Tape it onto the opposite side	Cut another shape from the bottom.	Use a ruler to position it onto the top.
Tape the piece on opposite where you got it.	Get a piece of paper. Begin in the middle and trace your shape.	Trace the shape over and over, fitting it together as you go.
	Get as creative as you like coloring your creation!

Here's a link to a project page on making tessellations!

To see a tutorial and actually make some online tessellations, go here and click on Tessellation Tutorial! It takes a few minutes to load, but it's worth it!

Here's a ThinkQuest site dedicated to M.C.Escher and his tessellations!