Alexander and I are always on the lookout for interesting new tilings to incorporate into Repper. Sometimes inspiration comes from ancient art, other times from modern mathematics (like our Penrose tilings).

This time, the inspiration came from within.
The spark was a thought: "What would an echoing tiling look like?"

So I started experimenting in code (yes, I'm nerdy like that). The result: two new tilings with layered repeats, creating gorgeously detailed patterns.

Tiling #1: Echo Tile

Like its name implies, this tiling looks a lot like real wall tiles. As with any tiling in Repper, the look depends a lot on the kind of source image you use.

Pattern based on Echo Tile tiling

The beauty of this tiling is that it can take a simple sample and turn it into a rich pattern. By repeating the sample multiple times in slightly different ways, the pattern is diverse yet has a natural cohesion.

This is how a Echo Tile tiling is built up

Tiling #2: Echo Tartan

Echo Tartan is the sibling of Echo Tile and comes with more "cross" repetitions. This creates horizontal and vertical motifs similar to the classic Scottish tartan.

This pattern is based on the same sample as the Echo Tile above:

Pattern based on Echo Tartan tiling

But there is more! Let me show you how to make more variations of these tilings.

Customise your pattern

Both Echo Tile and Echo Tartan come with two parameters that will let you tweak the looks of the tiling, adding another layer of possibilities:

1st parameter: Iterations

Choose how many times you want the tiling to "echo" itself. It's hard to explain, so have a look at this little animation to see what it does:

2nd parameter: Scale factor

The scale factor controls how much of the sample gets cut off from every next iteration. At 100% with the slider all the way to the right, each iteration looks the same. The further you reduce it, the bigger the cutoff between each iteration.

I especially recommend experimenting a bit around the upper range, below 100%. This gives you variation between each iteration, while still getting a lot of detail in each.

More examples

Here are a bunch of designs I made with the Echo Tile and Echo Tartan tilings. We're curious to see what you make; you are very welcome to email me your own personal favorites!

Echo Tile – Single iteration – 30% scale factor
Echo Tile – Quadruple iteration – 60% scale factor
Echo Tile – Double iteration – 60% scale factor
Echo Tartan – Triple iteration – 60% scale factor (plus Duotone effect)
Echo Tile – Quadruple iteration – 100% scale factor
Echo Tile – Quadruple iteration – 30% scale factor
Echo Tartan – Double iteration – 60% scale factor
Echo Tartan – Triple iteration – 70% scale factor
Echo Tartan – Double iteration – 50% scale factor

Now, create your own echo patterns

Excited to try it yourself? Look for Echo Tile and Echo Tartan in the tiling options in the app. Don't see them yet? Make sure you load the latest version by force refreshing the page or closing and reopening the browser tab.

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