Color in Tessellations  Shodor > Interactivate > Discussions >
Color in Tessellations  Mentor: Lines and shapes aren't the only
factors that cause optical illusions. Color also affects how our
brains perceive images. Tessellations, in particular, can take
on very different appearances based on how they are colored.
Even in the black and white picture below, if you look closely,
you will see that the small white squares appear brighter than
the larger ones.  Student: Yes, I see that. Why does it happen?
Mentor: To begin with, color has three properties we need to
learn: hue, value and contrast. Hue means the name of the color,
and value refers to how bright or dark the color is. Contrast is
how much the colors in an object are set off from each other.
Student: How would hue, value and contrast be important for
tessellations?  Mentor: Using color in tessellations can make a
tremendous difference in how they appear. To experiment with
this, design a shape starting with a rectangle in the
Tessellation activity