Madonna Yoder’s Advent of Tessellations is back for a third year of folding fun.
Also called tiling, tessellation is the process of covering a surface using geometric shapes with no overlapping. The technique of origami tessellation creates detailed, repeating patterns by folding a piece of paper, making a grid of crease lines and arranging a pattern along that grid.
Yoder’s company, Gathering Folds, teaches the art of tessellations and walks participants through each project.
This year’s challenge has the same format as previous years, with 25 video tutorials being released on a daily schedule, Yoder said. The grids needed are slightly different this year, many using a “hybrid hexagon twist,” which can be used to create floral motifs.
“I’ve been working on this technique over the last two and a half years, and perfecting it within the last year or so,” Yoder said.
As in past years, free tutorials will be released daily from Dec. 1 to 25 on Yoder’s website and YouTube channel. All of the patterns are new and become increasingly difficult as the days go on. Since the patterns are arranged to build skills as one moves through them, not much folding experience is needed to get started.
To complete the challenge, you will need 25 sheets of paper cut into the shape of a hexagon.
“Preferably, a paper that folds back and forth well on the same line and stays crisp after folding many times,” the Monroeville resident said.
Yoder advised that Skytone is the best paper to use because it’s crisper than origami paper. Skytone is available for purchase on Yoder’s website, along with cutting templates and folding tools.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate has been busy this past year.
In July, she traveled to Melbourne, Australia, for the Origami in Science, Mathematics and Education three-day conference, which consists of talks on math, history and design, engineering and education.
Yoder published two peer-reviewed papers there, as well as a third paper at the Bridges Math/Art conference in Virginia. All three papers can be read on her blog.
Yoder traveled to Lyon, France, in October and was a special guest at the Ultimate Origami Convention, which is “geared toward a higher level of folding.”
Yoder was juried into both the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Society of Artists; her tessellations will be part of both venues’ holidays shows.
In December, Yoder will have pieces on display at the Murrysville Community Library and a piece at Monroeville Public Library’s Gallery Space, courtesy of the East Suburban Artists League.
Over 1,000 people have signed up for Advent of Tess this year. Once registered, participants receive daily email reminders and have access to tutorials. They can also share their creations on social media and have access to a private group discussion.
For more information on the Advent of Tessellations, or to view Yoder’s blog and tutorials, visit her website at: Gatheringfolds.com or youtube.com/c/gatheringfolds.