ILLUSTRATOR

TESSELLATION CREATION

Project Description: Students will follow an image/text based tutorial to create a shape that can be tessellated. (Tessellations: are patterns made up of shapes that line up edge to edge without creating gaps or overlaps. Tessellations are also called tilings.)

Learning Targets:

• Students will follow technical directions to complete a project. • Students will use the Pen Tool to create a complex polygon. • Students will join anchor points of two lines to enclose a vector path. • Students will utilize the draw inside option to enhance the appearance of their illustration.

Open the Project Template File: Tessellation Template.ai

Step 1: One the left side of the document are three different shapes. This tutorial cover utilized the square polygon as the template for this tutorial. Using the Pen Tool (set the stroke color to black with no fill) select at the top left corner. Moving your mouse along the top line of the square, click, each time you click your mouse a new anchor point will be created. Curved lines are also a possibility in this tutorial. Straight lines were used for simplicity sake.

Create a random path along the line. Be sure to begin at the top left corner and finish at the top right corner of the box provided. (Zoom in to be as exact as possible. This step is critical to the success of the final product.) Using the Direct Selection Tool, (White Arrow) anchor points and lines may be altered to get a desired look by selecting and dragging to the appropriate location desired.

Note: With the creation of the path you will see a new Sub-layer displayed in the Layers pallet.

Step 2: Using the Selection Tool (Black Arrow), hold Alt and drag to duplicate the path. You may also Copy (Cntl C ) and Paste (Cntl V) the Path to get a second copy. You should see two sub-layers in the layers pallet that labeled <Path>.

Step 3: After duplicating the initial path, go to Window > Transform. This will bring load the Transform Pallet to the program window. The Transform Pallet can be use for a variety of purposes. Use this window to rotate the paths. The bottom left flippy gives you the ability to rotate a specific number of degrees.

While selecting the duplicated line segment with the Selection Tool, Select the flippy (down arrow) in the Transform Pallet. Select the rotate option, and scroll down to 90 degrees. This will rotate the line counter-clockwise. Make sure to match up the two anchor points where the line segments intersect. Be sure to zoom in to see that the points are overlapping.

Step 4: With the second line segment rotated, lock the two <path> sub-layers in the layers pallet. Select the Pen tool. Make sure there the color pallet displays “no fill” and a “black” stroke color. Lock the two paths that were created for the top and right side of the shape, this will allow you to create the third path without joining to the second path on the side. Using the Pen Tool, begin drawing a new path starting in the bottom right corner. Make sure to start on the corner exactly, and end in the bottom left corner exactly.

STEP 4. IMAGE 1

STEP 4. IMAGE 2

Step 5: After completing the path that extends across the bottom of the square, Copy and Paste the path so you have a duplicate of the path. You should see two sub-layers in the Layers pallet that say read <path>. Note: you should have a total of 4; two should be locked from previous steps in this tutorial.

Using the <Transform Pallet> rotate the path 90 degrees (counter clockwise). Make sure the endpoints of the path are directly over the corners of the square.

STEP 5. IMAGE 1

After rotating the path, view all the sub-layers. The four paths should seem to join in each of the four corners of the square template. These four paths will need to be “joined” in the corners to create one single path that can be filled in with color.

STEP 5. IMAGE 2

<Paths> for the top and right side are currently hidden.

Step 6: Joining paths together - Begin by unlocking the sub-layer paths that make up the polygon that was created. Using the <Direct Selection Tool> (White Arrow) draw a box around the two anchor points in the top right corner over the cyan template square. The two anchor points will turn blue when selected.

STEP 6. IMAGE 1

Once selected, Right Click, with the menu expanded find <Average>, select it.

STEP 6. IMAGE 2

After selecting <Average>, select <Both>, this will move both anchor points to directly overlap one another. The two points might move a little in any one direction. Do your best to see that the anchor points to not move to far from the corner of the square template.

STEP 6. IMAGE 3

Repeat the selection process by using the <Direct Selection Tool> (White Arrow). Draw a box around the two corner points.

STEP 6. IMAGE 4

<Right Click> find <Join>. The two paths will be then joined at the junction of the two selected points. This operation will meld the two <path> sub-layers into one single <path> sub-layer. Make sure to only select two anchor points to join, if more than two anchor points are selected to be joined an error message will appear.

STEP 6. IMAGE 5

STEP 6. IMAGE 6

To check to see if the two lines have been joined, select one of the paths using your <Selection Tool> (Black Arrow), both paths will be selected if joined.

STEP 6. IMAGE 7

Looking at the <Layers Pallet> there was originally 4 <path> sub-layers, you may notice that there are only 3 remaining, this is due to the joining of the initial 2 paths into one.

Repeat the joining process for each of the three remaining corners. Once finished all four of the original paths will be combined into a single path in its own sub-layer in the <Design Layer> of the <Layers pallet>.

It is very important that all corners are joined. Second, do not move or shift any of the anchor points from the tessellation shape that was created. Any modification made to the shape at this point could alter the ability for the shape to link to like shapes in the next stages of this tutorial.

STEP 6. IMAGE 8

Step 7: Creating the Tessellation. With the shape completed, either <Copy> and <Paste> the symbol to the center of the document, or drag the completed shape to the Art board using the Selection Tool (black arrow). See Step 7. Image 2

STEP 7. IMAGE 1

Using the <Transform Window> center the shape to the middle of the Art Board. (X = 4.25” Y = 5.5”). This completed shape will be the focus throughout the remaining steps this tutorial.

STEP 7. IMAGE 2

Step 8: Using the Selection Tool (Black Arrow), hold Alt and drag to duplicate the path. You may also Copy (Cntl C ) and Paste (Cntl V) the Path to get a second copy. You should see two sub-layers in the layers pallet that labeled <Path>.

STEP 8. IMAGE 1

If the <Transform Window> closed you will need to open the <Transform Window>. Go to <Window> <Transform>. This will open the <Transform/Align/Pathfinder Pallet>.

Step 9: While selecting the duplicated path with the Selection Tool, Select the flippy (down arrow) in the Transform Pallet. Select the rotate option, and scroll down to 90 degrees. This will rotate the line counter-clockwise.

STEP 9. IMAGE 1

STEP 9. IMAGE 2

STEP 9. IMAGE 3

Move the path so that it sits adjacent to the original path. Make sure that the lines of the each of the paths match up as close as possible. Be sure to zoom in to see that paths are overlapping. Viewing in outline mode will give you the greatest ability to match up vector lines of each shape. <Ctrl Y>.

STEP 9. IMAGE 4

***Repeat the duplication and rotation process to complete the creation of the tessellation. It is very important that there is a lot of attention paid towards the assembly of the shapes in this tessellation. Failure to align the shapes will drastically affect the overall outcome of the finished product.

STEP 9. IMAGE 4 (Shape 3 added to tessellation)

STEP 9. IMAGE 5 (Shape 3 rotated 90 degrees in the tessellation)

STEP 9. IMAGE 6 (Shape 4 added to tessellation)

STEP 9. IMAGE 7 (Shape 4 added and rotated in this tessellation)

STEP 9. IMAGE 8 (Shape 4 added to tessellation)

Step 10: Adding color: A minimum of 6 shapes will need to be linked together in the tessellation design. (This example only illustrates 4 interlocked shapes) Using either the color Pallet or Swatches Pallet, fill each of the paths with a fill color of your choice (minimum of 2). The stroke color may be removed if desired

STEP 10. IMAGE 1

STEP 10. IMAGE 2

STEP 10. IMAGE 3

Layout: When linking the shapes together, be creative in the grouping of the shapes. Experiment with where the different shapes touch each other. Understand that it is okay if one shape does not have to directly inter-lock with the rest of the shapes in this exercise. Feel free to rotate the entire arrangement of shapes to get a different look.

Step 11: Draw Inside: Using the <Selection Tool> select the item that you wish to decorated on the inside of the shape. At the base of the Toolbar select the option to Draw Inside. A series of totted line corner signifiers will appear to designate that the shape is in the Draw Inside Mode.

STEP 11. IMAGE 1

STEP 11. IMAGE 1

Element displayed is currently in the <Draw inside Mode>. Notice the dotted lines that boarder the corners of the path selected.

The Draw Inside option may be nested underneath the Draw Normal option if the tool bar is elongated one strip. Click and hold to access the tool.

STEP 11. IMAGE 2

STEP 11. IMAGE 3

Adding a decorative fill to the shape while in the draw inside mode: To access the Bristle Brush Library go to <Window> <Brush Libraries> <Bristle Brush> Bristle Brush Library. Using a variety of brush options and colors paint one of the interiors of the shapes created in the Tessellation. To get a layered effect in the colorization of the object, continually vary the colors used in when painting.

STEP 11. IMAGE 4

STEP 11. IMAGE 5

Add detail to the colorization of the object as you see fit. Have fun with it. Take your time as you paint. Know that you can delete the strokes that you paint as the color builds up using the <Selection Tool> (White Arrow). Take your time and color in one to the best of your ability.

Draw inside Mode: Painting the interior with a bristle brush.

Note: Once the object is selected and the “Draw Inside Mode” in place, deselect the object before selecting a brush to paint inside. Not doing this will apply the brush stroke to the exterior of the shape which will eliminated the clean edge that is displayed in this example.

STEP 11. IMAGE 6

Once completed:

The Illustrator file will need to be submitted as either a JPEG or PDF. To change the Illustrator

file to a .jpg format you will need to Export the file. Go to <File> <Export>. Change the file type

from .ai to .jpg.

PDF files will be able to be saved via <File> <Save As> and modifying the file type to PDF. You

may need to uncheck Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities.

Export/Save As: FirstInitialLastName_Tessellation.jpg FirstInitialLastName_Tessellation.pdf

***Open the file once saved to verify that the document previews correctly.