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I just got an axidraw and I’ve been having a lot of fun with it. Because it can just use SVGs as is, I could plot a “still”[0] from one of my existing generativ

I just got an axidraw and I’ve been having a lot of fun with it. Because it can just use SVGs as is, I could plot a “still”[0] from one of my existing generative pieces[1] minutes after bringing it home. What surprised me is how good some plots look and how “cheap” others come out. I’ve made a few that were fun to watch but the output isn’t nicer than a laser printer. My current thinking is the more “exotic” the pen and paper is, the better. [0] https://imgur.com/gallery/5t4lWRT https://imgur.com/gallery/5t4lWRT [1] https://david.app/projects/geo-clock https://david.app/projects/geo-clock

gilleain 2y ago
> My current thinking is the more “exotic” the pen and paper is, the better. Oh? What makes for 'exotic' materials - like the weight of the paper, cold-vs-hot pressed, and so on?
- foxbarrington 2y ago
  Right, the less it looks like printer ink and printer paper.
  - sleepybrett 2y ago
    same conclusions from me, lean into what makes the tool different than a regular printer, lean into it's imperfection ( improper inkflow, misregistration if using more than one color/pass, ink bleed, how it reacts to a semi-rough surface ). It is also a very performative tool, I've seen some artists using them in that way as well. Using both cartesian and polar style hanging plotters on gallery wall or glass window. Also hanging polar style plotters as a very cost effective way to create very large works.
headcanon 2y ago
Yep, I've been experimenting with metallic gel pens on black paper, the result is pretty nice: https://imgur.com/a/rHHo5c9 https://imgur.com/a/rHHo5c9 The Uni-Ball Signo metallic gel pens have performed pretty well, but can drip on the corner when the piece is done and the arm returns to origin, so you'll want to pay attention to it: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N7SC6SR https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N7SC6SR
- foxbarrington 2y ago
  Love it, going to try them out. What paper do you use?
  - headcanon 2y ago
    Here you go: https://a.co/d/3zuBvyW https://a.co/d/3zuBvyW Looks like its unavailable for me right now, but there are others you can try. For white paper, this has worked very well for me: https://a.co/d/9qoDwML https://a.co/d/9qoDwML
    - foxbarrington 2y ago
      Thanks! Was surprisingly hard to find something that looked good on Amazon. I'm thinking it has to be matte for the full effect. Probably worth checking out an art supply store.
      - headcanon 2y ago
        Probably. Its definitely worth investing in good paper and pens for this hobby. There will be some experimentation tax built in too, I've bought pens that ended up being garbage but there's no way to know that until you try.
- Wingman4l7 2y ago
  You need to run your SVGs through some path optimization! Your Axidraw is doing a lot of unnecessary traveling between lines. Check here: https://github.com/beardicus/awesome-plotters#vector-utilities https://github.com/beardicus/awesome-plotters#vector-utiliti...
  - headcanon 2y ago
    I know, I just didn't bother to do it for that piece since I actually wanted to film the jumping around of the arm as a demo for friends. I do it for other pieces I actually want to optimize using vpype.

gilleain 2y ago

> My current thinking is the more “exotic” the pen and paper is, the better. Oh? What makes for 'exotic' materials - like the weight of the paper, cold-vs-hot pressed, and so on?

foxbarrington 2y ago
Right, the less it looks like printer ink and printer paper.
- sleepybrett 2y ago
  same conclusions from me, lean into what makes the tool different than a regular printer, lean into it's imperfection ( improper inkflow, misregistration if using more than one color/pass, ink bleed, how it reacts to a semi-rough surface ). It is also a very performative tool, I've seen some artists using them in that way as well. Using both cartesian and polar style hanging plotters on gallery wall or glass window. Also hanging polar style plotters as a very cost effective way to create very large works.

headcanon 2y ago

Yep, I've been experimenting with metallic gel pens on black paper, the result is pretty nice: https://imgur.com/a/rHHo5c9 https://imgur.com/a/rHHo5c9 The Uni-Ball Signo metallic gel pens have performed pretty well, but can drip on the corner when the piece is done and the arm returns to origin, so you'll want to pay attention to it: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N7SC6SR https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N7SC6SR

foxbarrington 2y ago
Love it, going to try them out. What paper do you use?
- headcanon 2y ago
  Here you go: https://a.co/d/3zuBvyW https://a.co/d/3zuBvyW Looks like its unavailable for me right now, but there are others you can try. For white paper, this has worked very well for me: https://a.co/d/9qoDwML https://a.co/d/9qoDwML
  - foxbarrington 2y ago
    Thanks! Was surprisingly hard to find something that looked good on Amazon. I'm thinking it has to be matte for the full effect. Probably worth checking out an art supply store.
    - headcanon 2y ago
      Probably. Its definitely worth investing in good paper and pens for this hobby. There will be some experimentation tax built in too, I've bought pens that ended up being garbage but there's no way to know that until you try.
Wingman4l7 2y ago
You need to run your SVGs through some path optimization! Your Axidraw is doing a lot of unnecessary traveling between lines. Check here: https://github.com/beardicus/awesome-plotters#vector-utilities https://github.com/beardicus/awesome-plotters#vector-utiliti...
- headcanon 2y ago
  I know, I just didn't bother to do it for that piece since I actually wanted to film the jumping around of the arm as a demo for friends. I do it for other pieces I actually want to optimize using vpype.