Alongside my other work, I use a pen plotter (or drawing robot) that transfers digital images onto paper using a pen, marker, or brush. I create the original image myself, and I use a mix of various digital programs to prepare it for the plotter. This processing stage involves a limited degree of chance, and the plotter produces its own unique pen strokes or line work, depending on my settings. Hence the title co-plotter art.

I want to retain a high degree of control over the image I create. This stands in contrast to generative art, which is also frequently produced using pen plotters. Generative art is created with the help of algorithms or AI. An autonomous system that determines the artwork’s characteristics without further human intervention. While generative art is a fascinating development, what I often find lacking in it is the conscious human act of creation through which an artist can express ideas, thoughts and feelings. This is not intended as a criticism of generative art, but rather as an explanation of why I prefer to use the plotter in a different way.
Sometimes I even use a brush and paint to hand-colour a black plotter drawing.

In 2017, I ended up at Mike Lyon’s website and saw images of an ink pen attached to a CNC milling machine, a machine used to cut shapes out of sheet material under computer control. Instead of a milling bit, you can also attach a pen or a paintbrush. At the time, I built a milling machine using Ryan Zellars’ site V1 Engineering. Specifically, the “Mostly Printed CNC” which has since become quite well-known. You can print the parts for it yourself using a 3D printer, so that is what I did.

The biggest challenge turned out to be creating a suitable image and converting it into code the machine could process. Naturally, the software is designed for cutting or milling wood, but with a bit of tinkering, the right programs, and information from the internet, I made good progress. Each colour requires a separate file, and since the machine is quite slow, a three-colour print measuring approximately 40 x 60 cm could easily take a few hours. Still, the results were encouraging.

After a few years of pursuing other activities, I picked things up again and replaced the slow CNC machine with the faster and more stable UunaTek 3.0 A1 pen plotter. The issue I already faced with my previous machine was the supply of paint or ink to the pen or brush. After all, the brush needs to be dipped into the paint. To address this, LB Allix created a fantastic tool that breaks the plotter drawing into segments and ensures the brush is regularly dipped into a container of paint.

An alternative method I previously used with the CNC machine involves a continuous supply of paint or ink, as shown in the video. For this, I use a ‘Dinkydoodle pen’ (originally intended for cake decorating). I modified the plotter’s pen holder for this purpose, allowing the paintflow to open and close mechanically through the vertical movement of the holder. A continuous supply also works with a custom-made ‘brush’ featuring a foam tip.

But I also often use the plotter drawing as a basis to continue working with a brush in hand.