Art & Music Activities

Manduca Tessellation

by

Patricia Weaver and Sheldon Koester - Drachman School - Tucson, Arizona

You'll need

• a piece of newsprint
• a piece of tagboard
• rubber cement
• white construction paper
• a pencil

Directions

1. Draw a repeating Manduca pattern (remember the different ways your Manduca has curved itself). Make sure each section of the pattern is touching at some point. Try various patterns until you find one you like.
2. The space in between the pattern is called the negative space. What does that space make you think of? Once you decide what will fit in the negative space the best, free draw it in. Try different ideas.
3. Cut out the pattern you like the best. Use rubber cement to attach it to a piece of tagboard. Cut out your tagboard pattern. This will be your tracing pattern.
4. Trace the pattern on a piece of white construction paper. Decide if you will place the pattern the same way each time, or flip it, or turn it over.
5. After tracing the repeating pattern on the white paper, fill in the details on the Manducas and negative space.
6. Teacher: make 4 copies of the original tessellation. Attach the 4 copies on 11 x 17 paper with rubber cement.

Math connection

Tesselations can also be used to teach concepts in Mathematics, such as patterns, angles, and simple geometry. Additional information and examples of insect tessellations can be found on the Web.

http://www.manducaproject.com/
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