The simple symmetrical shape of an owl makes them prime candidates for making a tessellation.
Tessellations are small, symmetrical drawings that fit into each other snugly when placed next to exact copies of themselves. Tessellations can stretch into infinity. Making your own tessellation, including an owl tessellation takes a lot of work. You must draw your owl on a piece of paper but must take great care to make sure you draw it in a specific way. Each aspect of the owl must be mirrored to work as a tessellation.
Instructions
1. Draw a small, curved line facing upward to represent the top of your owl's head. Make it about 1 inch long. Hold your pencil against your compass as you draw to create an exact curve.
2. Turn over your compass and move it 2 inches to 3 inches down your paper. Draw a curve of the same length as your head line but with the angle mirroring the top and facing downward instead. This line is your foot line.
3. Place your compass against the left end of the top line and the bottom line. Trace upward about 3/8-inches of the way up the length of your owl body. Draw a straight line to the left about 1/2-inch long perpendicular to the body.
4. Draw a line at a 30-degree angle to your last line and draw it until it comes back to the original curve line. This is your wing. Connect your wing to the top line to finish the left side.
5. Create a mirrored right side by reversing the curve of the line of the left side. Keep the lengths and angles of the lines for the wing the same measurement, but draw the wing to the left instead of the right.
6. Decorate your owl body and face with your pencils. Create eyes, a beak and tufts of feathers. Cut out the owl with your scissors when you are done decorating.
7. Put your tessellation piece in a copier and make multiple copies. Color these copies different colors and then print them out. Fit them together on your construction paper and glue them to the paper to finish.
