This set of exercises is due at the beginning of class on Tuesday, January 30th. No coding or other "creative" work is required, but you will need to find time on the weekend to make a plot (apologies).
- 3a: Plotter tool resource immersion (10 points; 20 minutes)
- 3b: Looking Outwards: Generative Plotter Art (20 points; 30 minutes)
- 3c: Reading Response: Skimming Other's Practices (20 points, 30 minutes)
- 3d: Make a Simple Plot! (50 points, 60-120 minutes)
(10 points; 20 minutes) The purpose of this exercise is to help introduce you to resources and communities for computer controlled pen-plotting machines. Note: The focus here is on technical resources.
- Spend 10 minutes browsing the materials on DrawingBots.net, particularly including the special Resources page. This is "the central place on the web to discover the world of drawing robots, get inspiration and talk to other drawing robot enthusiasts." Optionally, check out the affiliated DrawingBots Discord (invite here). There are lists of recommended pens, various types of SVG generators, links to code libraries, etc.
- Spend 5-10 minutes browsing the materials at the AwesomePlotters Repository, "a curated list of code and resources for computer-controlled drawing machines and other visual art robots."
- Spend 2-3 minutes familiarizing yourself with the AxiDraw documentation Wiki, "the central documentation site for AxiDraw plotters from Evil Mad Scientist."
- Now, in our Discord channel #3a-tooling-resources, make a very brief post about a specific technical resource that caught your attention.
- (2 points) Link to the resource,
- (3 points) describe what it is, and
- (5 points) write a sentence about why you found it interesting or potentially useful.
(20 points, 30 minutes) The purpose of this prompt is to develop your familiarity with global practices and international communities of people using code to create art with plotters. You can find this work on the following channels, among other places:
- In the book Tracing the Line, in our classroom (cabinet 1A)
- On Twitter/X, using the hashtag #PlotterTwitter
- On Instagram at #PlotterTwitter (yes) and GenerativeHut
- On the DrawingBots Discord, in the "Gallery" channels
Additionally/alternatively, you may check out work by some recommended contemporary artists. (Note, these are living, 3rd- and 4th generation software artists, generally under 40 years old, as opposed to 1st-generation computer artists who used plotters in the 1960s.)
- Licia He
- Joanie Lemercier
- Iskra Velitchkova
- Michael Zancan
- Jessica In
- Julien Gachadoat
- Frederik Vanhoutte
- Sougwen Chung
- Jürg Lehni
- Lars Wander
- Rev Dan Catt
- LIA
Please spend at least 20 minutes browsing these materials to get a sense of how various people are combining computation and plotter devices. Now,
- Create a post in our Discord channel, #3b-looking-outwards.
- (5 points) Write a sentence or two summarizing the kinds of work you saw, overall. What was interesting to you? What was disappointing? What opportunities did you see?
- (5 points) Identify a specific artwork you liked from the #PlotterTwitter stream. In your post, link to the project's URL, and embed an image or screenshot of the project.
- (10 points) Write another sentence or two, on what you appreciated about this particular project.
(20 points, 30 minutes) The purpose of this prompt is to learn about how various creators think about and describe their processes of working with code and plotters. These articles are essentially introductory technical walk-throughs, with “tips” and suggestions; you will notice considerable diversity in the artists’ approaches. (Note: It is sufficient to skim these articles!)
- Skim: 9 Tips to Execute Generative Art with a Plotter by Tyler Hobbs
- Skim: 300 Days with Plotters by Licia He
- Skim: Pen Plotter Art & Algorithms, Part 1 and Part 2 by Matt Deslauriers
- Skim: Pen Plotter Programming: the Basics by Michael Fogleman
Now,
- Create a post in the Discord channel, #3c-reading-response.
- (20 points) Briefly write a sentence or two about something from one of the above articles that you found interesting and/or helpful.
(50 points, 60-120 minutes)
- Using one of the provided code templates, Generate an SVG of one of the provided "Lissajous" designs. You may choose from one of the following four workflows:
- Using an AxiDraw, plot the Lissajous SVG in black ink on 9x12 or 8.5x11 white paper. Feel free to sign your artwork flamboyantly.
- (50 points) In a Discord post in the channel #3d-make-a-plot, post a photo of your plot.
- Bring your plot to class on Tuesday 1/30.