Basic Approaches to Two Tessellation Styles

I’ve been asked how I do my tessellations.  To address this I’ll explain two approaches and include a picture of a tessellation that utilizes the approach. 

1.  One way is to deform paper as I am making pleats/folds or after I have created a flat pattern I push the paper in so it is 3 dimensional.

2.  Another approach is to create patterns and then treat them as a flat sheet of paper and overlay another treatment.  I didn’t start designing these tessellations this way, but discovered it along the way and now use it almost exclusively.  To hold the tessellations as I work I clamp them.