This is a simpler tessellation . For when you're feeling like something a little less intense. Or for when it's rainy outside and the paper is feeling especially flimsy. This will do very nicely.  It's a pattern of small and large triangle collapses as well as rhombus collapses.  If you examine the reverse side, it's not quite as easy as it appears. There are a miltitude of very small folds required, but even as small as they are, they're not too hard to pull off.  There no need for a crease pattern for this tessellation . The front view reveals all the shapes rquired and exactly how they connec to one another.  I used regular printer paper folded into a 32 pleat triangle grid. It worked fine. While thicker paper may make the execution easier, a tessellation such as this one really benefits from the translucency of thin paper when you go to take the finished photo.  When I looked at the finished tessellation it reminded me of the old paper chess game that ...

 This is a rather simple tessellation that I recently dreamt up. Open back hexagons with triangle twists a few pleats away. Nothing terribly interesting there. But then I add some six sided pyramids and triangles twisting off of their short sides.  It kind of reminds me of the fold where triangles are twisted on an offset small hexagon. Like in this tessellation , just to name one. But it is different for sure.  The back side of this tessellation is pretty humble as well. Basically just repeating trapezoids connected by triangles.  I have a crease pattern. Need to take a photo of it. Will hopefully upload it soon.  * name of the tessellatino is from the Tool song 'Third Eye'.  Added crease pattern.

 I haven't solved someone else's tessellation  in quite a while. This time around I did. This is Orbits designed by gatheringfolds.  I surprised myself with how quickly I was able to reverse engineer it. It was no trouble at all.  True to her classic form this is a symetrical design that is a mirror image on either side. Knowing her tendency toward such ideas made it easier to figure.  The main components are small offeset hexes with triangle twists alternating front and back and open back hexagons.  It was a pleasant fold that I did with regular printer paper. I even did it on a rainy day and still didn't have any trouble. Loosely spaced twist folds such as this are perfect for when the paper might be a little soggy because of the weather.  There's no need for a pic of the reverse side since it's the same just mirrored.  Depending on your skill level this might be an easy tessellation or it might be an intermediate one. Objectively, I've say i...

 This is a relatively simple tessellation that I recently created. The idea is six sided pyramids with rhombuses twisting off of all of the corners.  Three are close together and connected by small natural triangles. Three are further apart and are connected by larger natural triangles.  Finding a coherent  pattern in a tessellation such as this one can be daunting. All the folds can go in any direction.  So, while it's pretty easy to just fold everything haphazardly, it's a little more of a challenge to come up with and execute a consisent pattern.  But, there are no rules. It can be folded in any way you want. 

 Here's a fairly simple tessellation. It's rhombuses twisting around a small triangle. They twist around it in a different orientation than i usually employ. Even though it's very basic, I kinda like how the wings of the rhombus twists are visible. I thought that was in interesting variation.  As the tessellation pattern is repeated they rotate around large hexagons.  The back view is interesting and a little weird when photographed.  An easy tessellation to practice your folding skills without taxing your mind too much.    Crease pattern included. Filed under: December 2024 Tessellations

solvingorigamitessellations.com  Here's a simple tessellation that yields a pretty interesting result. I was intrigued by it because I don't recall having seen it before. Which kind of seemed strange. Also because I couldn't recall having done it myself either, even though it felt so obvious once I found it.  Maybe others have thought of it and just felt that it was too simple.  It's doubtful that it's truly an original tessellation , but it was new to me. I figured, why not. It didn't take up much of my time.  It's just open back hexagons connected to each other by natural triangles. That's it.  Once you complete it, you wind up with an array of overlapping hexagons that all tuck neatly into each other's various edges. It would make a cool pattern for flooring in a mansion or a museum.  solvingorigamitessellations.com It's a very easy to execute design. Perfect for beginners.  The name is an homage to Fujimoto's Crowding Butterflies des...

Spirals of Doom by solvingorigamitessellations.com  This origami tessellation is a pretty basic one. While I adore the more complex patterns that I can find or interpret from others, if I hit upon a simple tessellation idea that I haven't encountered before, I will feel compelled to fold it. Such is the case with my Spirals of Doom tessellation.  In fact, it's such an unassuming tessellation that I forgot about it for a while. Then I found it a bit later in my google photos and here we are.  Spirals of Doom by solvingorigamitessellations.com Why did I call it Spirals of Doom? Just take a look at the world today. And I live in a barely blue state that is slowly drowning in a sea of red ones. But please, don't pray for me. I'm an atheist.  The basic premise is open back hexagons and rhombuses. The hexagons have natural triangles off of them and then the rhombuses tuck into their tips. I'm sure I drew a diagram before I folded this tessellation, but I don't kno...

created by solvingorigamitessellations.com This is another twist based tessellation that I came up with while actively trying to work on my twist tessellation creation skills.  It's not too complicated, but it's a fairly nifty pattern.  Basically, it's rhombuses and natural triangles around open back hexagons. That then creates 1.5 triangles on the other side. This is the side where the magic of the pattern happens and you get that money shot that makes for a great picture.   created by solvingorigamitessellations.com This is an original tessellation that I recently designed and folded. It's a pretty easy tessellation to fold.  But I think the end result is very cool.  I'm not sure how easy or hard it is to reverse engineer . But you don't have to, if you don't want to. My diagram is available at the end of this post.  created by solvingorigamitessellations.com Filed under: October 2024 Origami Tessellations

created by solvingorigamitessellations.com  I've been attempting to expand my creativity in regards to my original origami tessellations . While I find it pretty easy to design new flagstone and collapse based tessellations, I do not so easily conceive of fully twist based ideas.  Many of my ideas incorporate multiple techniques including twists. But exclusively twist based tessellations do not come as easily. So I have been experimenting with that. Trying to expand my repertoire.  I've solved many twist based tessellations designed by other artists. This provides a good foundation.  created by solvingorigamitessellations.com So, recently, I've created a few new models that are all twists. They're a little simpler than my usual modus operandi. Anyway the Wind Blows is an easy tessellation , but I figure if I hone that skill, I can soon expand to more complicated ideas with them as well.  Some of it, I think, is just the nature of how a person thinks and perceive...

  solvingorigamitessellations.com It's been a little while since I've solved someone else's tessellation . So, I've worked on a few of those.  This first one is 'Barnacles' by gatheringfolds.  I kind of have a love/hate relationship with reverse engineering tessellations. It's fascinating, frustrating, and fulfilling.  This one in particular, gave me no trouble at all. As it shouldn't. It's not anything very tricky. Just some trapezoids around hexagons with a some open back triangles in the mix.  solvingorigamitessellations.com I reverse engineer a lot of her tessellations because she always comes up with ideas very different from anything I would probably think up. She's a master of twist based designs. While I am pretty skilled with flagstones and collapse based tessellations, my twist skills could use some work. And the best way to improve is to learn from those who are more advanced. I also reverse engineered another tessellations of hers j...

August 2024 Origami Tessellations solvingorigamitessellations.com  Here's an upper easy - low intermediate tessellation that creates a pretty neat pattern.  There are only two shapes on the front. Rhombuses and large triangles. There is only one shape on the back. Open back hexagons.  The rhombuses rotate around the hexagons. Then the triangles poke into the rhombuses to facilitate each new repetition.  This is an example of an origami tessellation that is not hard to execute, but that still boasts an impressive finished model.  I used ordinary printer paper and 32 pleat triangle grid. It was a stress-free fold.  Personally, I particularly like the pattern of the triangles. Especially on the back view where they show up as negative space.   solvingorigamitessellations.com My crease pattern is included below. solvingorigamitessellations.com

Origami Tessellations: August 2024 a tessellation by solvingorigamitessellations.com  This is a pretty basic idea that I had. The kind you can do with  ordinary paper even on a moist day. It also doesn't take much time to execute. It's simple, but I like it.  The center is a large natural hexagon that can then be manipulated into six triangle twists.  I added some small hex twists off of the axes of the central triangles. Then repeated the center.  I don't know if this has been done before by someone else. Probably. Like I said, it's pretty rudimentary. But it was new to me.  a tessellation by solvingorigamitessellations.com What I especially like about this tessellation  are the results you get on the reverse side. They're almost more interesting than the front. Depends on your perspective.

solvingorigamitessellations.com  Here's an easy tessellation that looks really cool when finished.  I have the nagging feeling that I've done this one before, but if so, I haven't been able to find the previous version.  It uses just one shape for its foundation. I'm not sure if there is an official geometric name for this shape. I was pretty good at geometry and I don't recall anything like that.  It's a six sided and triangle like shape. Obviously it's not a triangle, as those have only three sides. But when you look at it, it makes you think of a triangle.  I just took that shape and used the cross-grid edges to connect them to each other. In doing so, some large hexagons formed on the other side.  That's it. That's all there is to it.  My crease pattern is included below if you'd like to fold it. 

This is a pretty easy tessellation if you're looking to get a feel for the process.  Open back hexagons have trapezoids collapsed around them. It's a really easy starting point.  Then we just add some rhombuses tucked into the points of the trapezoids.  At that point, the pattern can be repeated.  Large pyramid shapes fill out the remaining gaps.  If you're looking for an easy tessellation to get yourself familiar with some basic techniques of the genre, this one would be a good place to start.  I did draw a crease pattern. I haven't taken a pic of it yet. Will add it later on.  Update: added crease pattern at the end.  But all the shapes are right there in plain sight. There are no tricks or secret sneaky folds. It's a very straightforward tessellation. It shouldn't be too hard for even a beginner to figure out.  If you decide to fold this, leave a comment and let me know!