This felt worth sharing properly here as well.
I’ve been working on this plotter design for a while, trying to find a balance between something minimal, fast, and reliable, while still keeping it lightweight enough to move around easily. It came together after testing many different approaches and variations, gradually refining it into what feels like a final version.
It’s built from easily available materials, with all the connecting parts 3D printed on my Bambulab H2C, so the system can be scaled up and replicated. Now that it’s in a good place, I’m starting to reproduce it and build towards a small print farm, and I’m also working on a larger version using the same components.
I’m looking forward to starting to make paintings with it and seeing where it goes.
As an architect, I hadn’t really spent time making something like this for a while, and I ended up really enjoying the process—both the 3D modeling and the physical build.
Cherry / Acrylic on canvas / 600 x 800 mm 🌸
My aim is to juxtapose technology with the painting process, with a strong focus on the brushstroke itself. Each blossom, leaf, or branch is painted in its own unique form.
These are the first two works: a Cherry and a Ginkgo, but many more species will follow. I already have a list, but I’m always open to suggestions. 🌲
The sound 🤤
The plotter in the video is one I’ve been developing myself. After quite a bit of prototyping, I’m really pleased with where the speed is at right now and the sound it makes while running is unexpectedly satisfying too.
The piece shown here takes roughly five hours to complete. All parts of this machine are either 3D printed or easily available, which means I can replicate it and eventually run several of them at the same time, producing multiple paintings in parallel.
This has been something I’ve been interested in for quite a while, and finally getting to this point feels like a big step. Each plotter runs on its own IP address and they’re all controlled together using G-code, which opens up a lot of possibilities going forward.
I’ve already reached well over 100 addresses in a few minutes, so that’s it for this year! 🏁
🎄Last year most arrived in January, so I’m on time this year 🦾
