You can make art with code and make a living from it. Start looking at generative and algorithmic artists for some inspiration. Owning one of these pen plotters (look at the axidraw and next draw) helps too.
I've been following this acquisition closely, as the new machines look great. There are some new homing features, along with upgraded servos. They appear to be in the assembly phase at the moment and are still targeting "spring".
Plotters fit so well with generative art. I highly recommend considering purchasing one! In fact, I learned about them on HN in 2018, and now using them to make art is my full time job.
I’m so glad you picked up on that! It was my goal to encourage folks to let their curiosity lead them through the experience. I was quite surprised seeing a few people sit down for 20-30 minutes straight just to use the app… my thought was the plotters would be the center of attention. Others even asked if I could release the app for them to use later, which I would love to do at some point.
Thank you! That was actually close to my first idea for this installation. I wrote some code to re-imagine a raster image as a vector, but I couldn't find a way to keep the detail while also keeping the drawing time below 10-15 minutes. That's how I arrived at the MIDI idea.
If you compare against the new hobby plotters -> sure those are somewhat crappy. I am a bit surprised about how much they cost. Those plotters are essentially using the same parts as low end 3d printers, but have half the axis, no heaters, and simpler controller controller boards. Considering that Ender3 goes for $150-$300 why do something like Axidraw or iDraw are closer to $500-$1000? I guess pen plotters now are much smaller niche compared to 3d printers and the effect from efficiency of scale is much bigger than I expected even if most parts are widely available.
But if you look at the commercial pen plotters that were made for doing actual work like HP 7475A - those things fly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe9VWvtvNtg It's mostly vintage models, but you can still occasionally pick them up on ebay and other marketplaces for a price that's comparable or better to the new hobby ones. There are also new vinyl cutters that you can attach a pen, but since the main requirements are different they aren't as fast.
This and social media and almost always the worst possible representation of an artwork. Crunched, cropped and compressed into an inferior version of itself.
We’ve forgotten how to appreciate digital artworks.
Axidraw's are pretty much plug and play, and the software support is outstanding with plugins for Inkscape along with a CLI and Python API. There's also Vpype, another piece of FOSS software that can make SVGs plotter friendly.
I believe the new Axidraw (teased on the Bantam Tools website and called the Nextdraw) has better honing capabilities. Seeing as how Bantam tools specialized in CNC mills, I suspect we'll see further improvements too.
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