We looked through various examples of his work and learned and reviewed key vocabulary which will help us with our understanding of artistic concept and method.
Writing in our own words and using drawings helps us to develop meaningful comprehension.
Observing Escher's work every week, we have been working on a series of exercises to slowly develop a complex tessellation.
The first exercise was simply cutting and taping of abstract shapes on a small paper, and tracing it to make it tessellate.
Some students were able to use their creativity to turn these abstract designs into figurative ones.
The following activity was similar, except there was no cutting or taping involved - only drawing and folding. Instead of tracing the outside of the shape, we traced using carbon paper.
Then students were given time to develop simple drawings into more creative and thoughtful designs.
They were allowed to use observation by looking up images of animals on their iPads, and encouraged to make many drafts in order to not get stuck or blocked. And to always keep documentation of their progress.
