Pen Plotting

Sources

Pen Plotters

awesome-drawing-robots for a full compilation of drawing machines

Modern

AxiDraw
- Bantam Tools NextDraw 8511 (new supplier of AxiDraw) $700
- pen clip rotation stage

Vintage Plotters

Custom

CNC machines
Robot arm

DIY pen plotters

Drawing Robot- 3D printable, Arduino Uno + CNC Shield + GRBL
4xiDraw
PlotterXY - coreXY plotter made form extrusion, 3D printed parts, and an inexpensive 3d-printer control board.
Writing Machine
IV Projects High-Speed Pen Plotter
PlottyBot - 3D printed XY plotter based on a Raspberry Pi Zero W
ExtruDraw - based on aluminum extrusions

Kuka Pen Tool Parts

.375" OD x 1.5", 1 lb/in, 1 lb max load pack of 12 (first one I ordered) $8.27
.375 OD x 1.5", 1 lb /in, 0.5 max load, stainless steel, pack of 6 $9.01

Pens

Fountain Pens

Lamy Safari Fountain Pen (Extra Fine Nib, Fine Nib)

Fountain Inks

De Atramentis document ink is lightfast (won't fade from sunlight)

Technical Pens

Pigma Micron Ink (~$4)
rOtring Isograph ($20-23 ea, Amazon)
- steel nib,
- refillable ink reservoir - refilled with bottled inks. Rotring's ink is a very dense black and holds lines well.
- I've had issues with the steel nib tearing up the paper in areas where it repeatedly draws on the same spot. As the ink spreads it wents
rOtring Rapidograph pen line ($20-30, Amazon)
- Refill with cartridges. The cartridges have a capillary ink helix so when the cartridge is changed, this is as well. This makes the pen less likely to clog up over time. (Isograph vs Rapidograph)
Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph ($27-$32)
- Has a steel tip similar to the rOtring
Faber-Castell TG1-S
- TG1-S is steel tip
- TG1-J is the "jewel tip", more durable, supposedly more self-wetting
- TG1-H is tungsten carbide tip (H for "hard")
Copic Multiliner SP ($9-12)
- expensive,
- choice of very fine tips, nibs are replacable
Staedtler Pigment Liner (amazon)⭐⭐
Le Pen (amazon)

Markers

Sharpie Ultra Fine Point
Sakura MicroPerm
Tul ultra-fine point
Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen (amazon)
Pilot Gold/Silver Markers
Pilot Parallel

Gel Pens

Metallic

White

Dr Ph. Martin's Pen-White Ink
Uni-Ball UM 153 Signo White
Gelly Roll White
Dan Catt's bleedproof white ink recipe - Will clog pens - use in sacrificial fountain pen:
- 2/3 Dr Ph. Martin's Bleedproof White paint + 1/3 Noodler's Blue Ghost UV ink

Paper

Strathmore Bristol
Stonehenge Paper: made for printmaking
Yupo - waterproof substrate that could be interesting with very wet brushwork

Vector drawing tools

bleeptrack/scribbleplot Processing code for turning images into scribbly vector images
Drawing Bot V3: software made for processing images into vector paths for pen plotting
Turtletoy - various JavaScript drawing algorithms, interactive and open source

Creative Coding for Pen Plotting

There are many creative coding frameworks and tools that produce a variety of types of media. For pen plotting, the focus is mostly entirely on producing vector artwork, from 2D or 3D sources. Here are several tools and frameworks that can be used for this that were suggested by ChatGPT (GPT-4o).

2D Vector Graphics

Processing with PDF/Vector Libraries:
- Language: Java (Processing)
- Description: Processing has libraries such as PDF Export and Geomerative that allow you to create and export vector graphics. These libraries enable easy generation of vector-based PDF files.
**p5.js with SVG Export**:
- Language: JavaScript
- Description: p5.js can be extended with libraries like p5.svg to export sketches as SVG files, making it easy to create vector graphics for the web.
Paper.js:
- Language: JavaScript
- Description: A powerful vector graphics scripting framework that runs on top of the HTML5 Canvas. It provides excellent support for creating and manipulating vector graphics.
Grasshopper for Rhino:
- Langauge: visual node-based programming
- Description: For designers who are exploring new shapes using generative algorithms, Grasshopper is a graphical algorithm editor tightly integrated with Rhino’s 3-D modeling tools. Can be coupled with C# or Python.

3D to 2D Vector Graphics

Blender with SVG Export:
- Language: Python (Blender scripts)
- Description: Blender is a robust 3D modeling and rendering software that can be scripted with Python. It includes the capability to render 3D scenes to 2D vector graphics through its Freestyle rendering engine, which can export SVG files.
**OpenSCAD with SVG Export**:
- Language: OpenSCAD script
- Description: A script-based 3D CAD modeler that can export 2D vector graphics from 3D models. It's particularly useful for creating precise geometric shapes and technical drawings.
Processing with PDF Export for 3D:
- Language: Java (Processing)
- Description: Processing's 3D capabilities can be combined with its PDF export feature to create vector graphics from 3D rendered scenes. By rendering in the 3D space and then exporting as PDF, you can achieve vector-based output.
Inkscape with Extensions:
- Language: Python (for extensions)
- Description: Inkscape is a powerful open-source vector graphics editor that supports a variety of extensions, some of which allow importing 3D models and converting them to 2D vector graphics.
D3.js:
- Language: JavaScript
- Description: While primarily known for data-driven documents and visualizations, D3.js can also be used to create complex 2D vector graphics and export them as SVG. It can be extended to work with 3D data and project it into 2D space.

Art

Simon Kirby
Inconvergent
Michael Fogleman
Martin O'Leary
Arjan van der Meij
Michelle Chandra
Dan Catt (online pen plotting tools)

Pen Plotting Inspiration