A Qashqai Creation with Grace Du Prez

Over the past few weeks, we have featured artists who have used the 3Doodler as a creative outlet, made works of fine art, and even high fashion. Grace Du Prez went beyond anything attempted before when she led a team of 11 artists in creating a life-size Doodled Nissan Qashqai – the largest Doodle ever made.

Grace Du Prez Grace Du Prez

Grace Du Prez is not new to Doodling. “I first started using the 3Doodler about 3 years ago when I was commissioned by Maplin Electronics to make a hat for Ladies Day at Ascot,” she says. “I then got in touch with 3Doodler directly and made a few pieces including jewellery, a vase and some lampshades.”

But her latest project was bigger and more complex than anything Grace – or anyone else – had ever done before.

Grace was contacted about an ambitious new idea – to use a 3D pen to create an entire car. The project would be to Doodle a full-size Nissan Qashqai. “I was really excited as nothing had ever been made this size before and it sounded like a really fun project.”

"Nothing had ever been made this size before" Share

Based in London, Grace assembled a team of 11 artists and designers from the UK, and students from Kingston University. But before they could begin, they needed a plan.

“The initial conversations were mainly about feasibility and trying to estimate how long it would take,” says Grace. “We then had to plan all the logistics of how to make it and what the design would be.”

Stitching It Together Stitching It Together

With multiple artists, there were many different visions and ideas to consider, and different elements that had to be decided. “In the beginning planning stages, we discussed how it could be made and what the surface might look like. There were lots of meetings to discuss the different options,” Grace explains. “The whole planning took a couple of months.”

When it came time to start constructing the car, Grace showed the team how to use the 3Doodler. As Grace teaches regular workshops for how to use the pen, she was able to get the team Doodling quickly.

But when 11 artists are working on the same project, everyone needs to be on the same page. “Everyone had a slightly different style of Doodling – just like everyone’s handwriting is different,” Grace explains. “So to keep it consistent across the whole car we would get everyone to swap places every so often.”

  • Nissan arafed 3D drawing: man & woman by car
  • 3D pen art showcases Nissan cars in a unique style.
  • Nissan car with number plate 3D pen art.

And it was crucial to have open lines of communication throughout the project. “At the start of every day we would all have a chat and make a plan for which bits we were going to do,” Grace says. “We started off getting all the key lines, which were quite thick to give a bit of structure and support and also highlighted the design features of the Qashqai. Then we could start filling in the bigger areas with more of a web-like surface.”

No one had ever before attempted making a structure of this size using a 3D pen. “That was the biggest challenge for me; as it had never been done before, there was a little element of the unknown,” says Grace. “But that just added to the excitement of it.”

"Seeing the Doodled car next to the real life Qashqai really shows what an amazing achievement it all was" Share

And Grace and her team were prepared for the challenge. “I was always confident as we had planned it really well and thought of every eventuality,” she says.

Working 800 hours over 17 days, and using over 8,000 strands of PLA and ABS plastic, this massive-scale project moved from concept to reality. “Seeing the final video for the first time, I was so proud of the team and how hard everybody had worked,” Grace says. “Seeing the Doodled car next to the real life Qashqai really shows what an amazing achievement it all was.”

The completed Doodled Qashqai is being transported to the Brand Innovation Centre in Barcelona, where it will be on display to the public.

“Working on the Qashqai in a team and creating something large scale as a group was a great experience,” says Grace. “I feel like now we have done this anything is possible so I’m looking forward to what the future has in store!” back to top image

See more of Grace’s incredible work here.

Creating Fine Art and Fashion with Erica Gray

Our 3Doodler Community is as diverse as they are creative. This month we’re featuring members who have inspired us with their body of work, incredible projects, or in the way they have brought their imagination to life using the 3Doodler.

Erica Gray’s futuristic creations combine fine art and high fashion into wearable sculptures – each with a focus on 3D technology.

ERICA GRAY ERICA GRAY
"It has been great to be able to form ideas and play with concepts in a spatial environment." Share

Erica’s artwork refuses to be neatly categorized. “The fusion of technology, fashion, the analogue, the digital combinations as well as a dash of animalistic imagery inspires much of my new work,” she explains.

Each new project Erica embarks on shows a new side of her futuristic creativity. A part-time graphics illustrator and sculptor from Australia, Erica got her first 3Doodler from our first Kickstarter campaign.

“Over time my spatial skills and confidence with the 3Doodler have grown allowing me to explore new structures and formation in my work,” she says. “It has been great to be able to form ideas and play with concepts in a spatial environment, and have it stay in place and be able to analyse it as an object rather than a series of sketches.”

Big Bang (to Being) Bra Big Bang (to Being) Bra

Erica’s work often combines 3D printing and design technology with hand-drawn 3D pen additions, as seen in Big Bang (to Being) Bra. This computer drawn and conceived bra combines digitally processed 3D printing with hand-sculpted additions made with the 3Doodler.

“It was a collaboration with my partner Zoran Zivanovic,” Erica explains. “He did all of the 3D printed parts, and I did the freehand Doodles, and we even added lighting to it. It was a fun project to work on.”

While the entire piece is mixed media, Erica says the majority is 3D technology. “And you can reprint it when it wears out,” she adds.

Erica is no stranger to large-scale wearable pieces made with a 3D pen.

“My first 3Doodled piece, Crystal Matrix, is my favorite,” she says. “It was a large piece to start with, and I went through an array of emotions whilst making it – mostly worry that it would never get finished, followed by a tremendous sense of satisfaction that it was indeed complete, and came out how it was designed to look.”

Now Erica is putting the finishing touches on her latest piece, Future Relic, which she will exhibit in a Fashion Technology display at the Telstra Perth Fashion Festival next month. “Over the last few years I have worked very hard establishing my professional art career,” says Erica. “In these last years, I have relied heavily on the 3Doodler to produce my sculptural and wearable works.”

Future Relic Future Relic
"The 3Doodler is also a great way of prototyping an idea in real-time." Share

For Erica, the combination of structural results with freehand design is what draws her to the 3Doodler. “It’s the combination of great materials and ease of use which has made my 3Doodler one of my favorite go-to art tools,” she says. “It is also a great way of prototyping an idea in real-time – this doesn’t balance right, cut it away. Redo that part, perfect.”

Erica says when it comes to Doodling, go big. “Get totally immersed, and don’t be afraid to start your project at a large scale,” she says. “Working in plastic is very forgiving, and any little imperfections can easily be trimmed out and reworked.”back to top image

Mixed Media Creations with Ilma Wasty

We’re continuing our series of features focusing on our talented and creative 3Doodler Community members. From hobbyists to professionals, these Doodlers have taken their imagination off the page and into the world around them to create incredible bodies of work.

Ilma Wasty Ilma Wasty

“My first attempt at Doodling was almost accidental,” says Ilma Bushra Wasty. The 28-year-old recently completed her MA in Interior and Spatial Design at the Chelsea College of Art at the University of Arts in London.

Ilma recently finished a large-scale mixed-media project for her MA in interior and spatial design, combining the delicacy of Doodled pieces with industrial concrete. Her final project, titled Revealing the Pattern, combined delicate patterns made with the 3Doodler and concrete rocks, steps and tiles.
"Like the pen or pencil, the 3Doodler was a new tool to draw and express." Share

“I got my 3Doodler when I came to the UK for my masters,” says Ilma, who is originally from Pakistan. “I had intended to use it for recreational purposes.”

But in the first unit of her masters program, Ilma explored new concepts and mediums. “Like the pen or pencil, the 3Doodler was a new tool to draw and express,” she says. “I do not view the 3Doodler as one art form, but rather as a tool which can be customized according to needs.”

“The first thing I Doodled was tracing out a small cup. This was not very successful, as it was my first attempt,” she admits.

But Ilma improved quickly, and found that skills she had gained as a child helped her when controlling a 3D printing pen. “The 3Doodler for me is a drawing tool, which allows me to draw a pattern that is 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional at the same time,” she says. “The way the plastic extrudes reminded me of henna pattern making when I was younger and I would draw patterns on other people’s hands.”

This bridge between traditional culture and modern life became the basis of Ilma’s final project in her MA. “Revealing The Pattern is inspired by old rundown buildings in interior Sindh, Pakistan,” she explains. “It had stemmed from a desire to develop a personal spatial expression rooted in culture.”

For this project, Ilma wanted to make craftsmanship a key feature of the final installation. “I used the 3Doodler to highlight the importance of hand craft and a contemporary interpretation of a very traditional craft from the Islamic patterned tiles,” she says.

“These tiles are proposed for an outdoor environment, where the cement has the opportunity to weather like at the seaside,” explains Ilma. “The pattern, therefore, reveals over time rather than being immediately visible.”

It’s this same sense of patience that Ilma says is the key to working with the 3Doodler. “Patience goes a long way,” she says, “but the beauty is also in the mistake. Doodles do not need to be perfect. Each mistake makes the particular object unique and beautiful.”back to top image

Creating a New Dimension with Matteo Magnabosco

To celebrate the creativity we see every day in our Community, we’re bringing you a series of stories featuring Doodlers who inspire us with how they’ve used the 3Doodler.

These Doodlers are from all over the world, with different styles, backgrounds, and creative concepts. But they all have one thing in common – they use the 3Doodler as their artistic outlet.

This week we head to Verona, Italy with 19-year-old Matteo Magnabosco.

Matteo Magnabosco Matteo Magnabosco

Matteo picked up his first 3D printing pen less than a year ago when he bought the 3Doodler. He knew right a way it was the creative medium he had been looking for.

“I saw a video on Facebook about the 3Doodler,” he says. “I was so impressed, at Christmas I bought it.”

“For me, drawing has always been a hobby,” says the 19-year-old from Verona, Italy. “Before the 3Doodler, I drew on paper with pencils.”

Working with the 3Doodler allowed Matteo to bring a new dimension to his careful line work. “My first drawing with the 3Doodler was an abstract line that intersected and formed three faces,” he remembers. Soon he was exploring all the possibilities that came with working in 3D.

"I chose to use the 3Doodler to be able to give shape to my designs." Share

“Drawings on paper cannot be used for other purposes,” Matteo explains. “The 3Doodler allows me to use my drawings to create useful items for everyday life.”

Matteo enjoys bringing his drawings off the page. “I chose to use the 3Doodler to be able to give shape to my designs,” he says.

Matteo especially enjoys creating Doodles in one strong color, like black or red. He makes sure to go slowly and carefully, to create clean and neat lines making his Doodles look like prints or drawings brought directly off the page.

“I’ve tried to practice a lot, and have gotten quite good results,” he says.

His meticulously detailed Doodles, from people to animals, are recreated by his own imagination mixed with things and characters from real-life interactions.

"Drawings on paper cannot be used for other purposes. The 3Doodler allows me to use my drawings to create useful items for everyday life." Share

“I am inspired by the things I see around me,” he says.

“My favourite thing I have Doodled is a woman who is smoking and in the smoke there is the face of a man,” Matteo says. “To do this drawing, I spent two hours.”

Matteo says this particular Doodle was an expression of his own thoughts on love and obsession. “When a woman is in love with a man, and when a man is in love with a woman, they are seen everywhere,” he says.

Matteo says that he hopes to bring his love of art and Doodler into a future career. “I’m still a student,” he says, “but I hope my work can tie together design and information technology.”back to top image

Getting Creative with Tanner Lamm

For the next few weeks, we will feature members of our community with a creative passion who have made the 3Doodler a part of their lives – whether as an outlet for creative energy, use as an artistic tool, or to create large-scale projects as part of a brand collaboration.

Every day at 3Doodler we get members from our Community posting or sending us the incredible artwork they have created. Whether on our Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook feed, or sent directly to us, we love seeing the creativity in our Community.

This week, we’re featuring Tanner Lamm, a longshoreman from Everett, Washington.

Tanner Lamm Tanner Lamm

“About four years ago, I got rid of my TV and became quite the YouTube nut,” says Tanner. “While on YouTube, I came across a video using the original 3Doodler. I instantly fell in love with the tool and needed to have it.”

The 35-year-old longshoreman from Everett, Washington donated to the 3Doodler Kickstarter campaign to get his first 3Doodler pen. “After messing around with the pen a little, I got straight to work and loved it.”

As with any new art medium, the 3Doodler took some getting used to. “I think I started with a few stick figures to get the flow down, then I made a small tree – which kinda fell apart,” Tanner admits.

But once he got the hang of things, Tanner’s imagination and his artwork took off. “I see inspiration everywhere and have more ideas than plastic strands to use,” he says.

"I love to Doodle because it allows me to pull my drawings off the page and into the real world." Share

From wriggling octopi inspired by his work as a longshoreman, to geometric trees emerging from intricate skulls, Tanner has used his 3Doodler pens as an outlet for his creativity and imagination. “I love to Doodle because it allows me to pull my drawings off the page and into the real world,” he says.

“My favorite Doodle so far is my Hang Glider Island,” he says. “It’s a big purple tree on a floating island with tiny wooden platforms for tiny hang gliders. It also has bigger hang gliders that fly around the island on fishing string.”

Hang Glider Island Hang Glider Island

“My inspiration was my love for drawing trees and my old paragliding days,” Tanner says. “It took me about 20 hours to make, and I used about 75 strands of plastic.”

Tanner says that when Doodling, it’s what’s inside that counts. “The best tip I can give is to make sure to pay attention to the inside structure of your Doodles,” he explains. Using a 3D pen is similar to 3D printing in this regard. “The bigger your Doodle, the more important structure becomes.”

As he continues to expand his creative work, Tanner plans to bring his Doodles to the next level with mechanical moving parts. “I want to see about getting some Doodles to move through wind power and cranks,” he says.

“The 3Doodler has been great for me,” he says. “I’ve used it no differently then if I were using a pencil. It feels like I’ve pulled my drawings right off the paper and then have the option to make them into so much more.”back to top image

Going PRO

With the release of the new 3Doodler PRO, we’ve taken the 3Doodler to the next level. More control, new advancements, and a wider range of materials make the PRO ideal for professional use in prototyping, art, and design.

Here are three creative professionals already exploring how the PRO can help them take their concepts further.

DYLAN BLAU

Co-Founder of #AllNaturalVines, freelance filmmaker and animator

DYLAN BLAU DYLAN BLAU

Dylan was studying Economics when first discovered Vine – and used it to clear his mind during finals. Three years later, and this past-time has become part of Dylan’s career as an animator with extraordinary stop-motion Vines. Dylan now works full-time on stop-motion animation, motion graphics, 2D cel animation, and 3D animation to create unique & stunning visual results.

“I’ve always been fascinated by platonic solids. In a lot of my videos, low poly paper craft shapes are used as part of the sets. What intrigued me with this project in particular was the ability to be able to see every edge and connecting point of the shape, since all that’s needed to hold it together is the wireframe.”

“With this project I wanted to show the very foundation of the PRO pen.”

“It is just as you expect, drawing in 3D space. By transitioning from a flat square to a cube, the goal was to illustrate that with the PRO pen, you literally ‘lift your imagination off the page’. And by implementing more and more complex shapes as the video goes on, the viewer realizes that the things you can create go beyond just the basics.”

"You can never get the same organic and crafty feel with computer generated imagery, that’s where I grab the PRO pen and turn my design into a piece of art." Share

“I like to draw on stencils first, which allows me to get the most accurate representation of the designs. Thanks to the ability to mold and weld the material with the tip of the PRO pen, edges and corners can easily be achieved, turning flat Doodles into 3D objects.”

“Usually it helps if I create a mockup in 3D software. You can never get the same organic and crafty feel with computer generated imagery though, and that’s where I like to grab the PRO pen and turn my design into a piece of art that you can actually grasp.”

“With speed and temperature adjustments right at your fingertips, the PRO pen is highly customizable, making it the most advanced 3D drawing experience yet.”

JONATHON HARRIS

Live artist, installation artist

Jonathon Harris Jonathon Harris

Jon Harris has been performing his own work for twenty years across 4 continents. Taking inspiration from the cultures around him, his own experience and the views and actions of others, he weaves together stories and images that are as unforgiving as they are emotive. The human form is always centre to Jon’s work, even when physical people are not present.

Jonathon is currently showing his exhibition “The Original Memory/The Final Act” from 25 August – 2 October 2016 at The Art Gallery of Ballarat.

“This exhibition is about revisiting fragmented memories and walking the fine line between fact and fiction. It really does depend how you remember it.”

“With voices recorded twenty years apart and on different continents, this is the original memory and a memorial – and at its center is a life-sized, hand drawn 3D drawing of the human form attached to a string of written and spoken thoughts.”

"I wanted to create a 3D drawing using my own 2D drawing style. The 3Doodler enabled me to do this directly onto a cast of the human body and not miss any detail." Share

“I wanted to create a drawing and shell of a human being that is both solid and fragile at the same time, using unexpected and emerging technologies. I wanted to create a 3D drawing using my own 2D drawing style. The 3Doodler enabled me to do this directly onto a cast of the human body and not miss any required detail. Once the cast was secured, different versions were made/drawn with the pen – enabling me to plan how different parts of the drawing could be joined and made whole.”

“Drawing the figure was a slow progress with 56 hour of drawing and 949 strands of black plastic, but with careful planning, the drawing began to come together and inform the piece as a whole including its environmental and performative elements.”

“The 3Doodler’s creativity and its innate pushing of boundaries allows me to blur the line between drawing and sculpture.”

  • 3D pen art: Man's body with red lines.
  • Close up of a face in a net, 3D pen art.
  • Wire 3D pen art with hanging paper pieces by Jon.
  • Close-up of 3D pen sculpture with person.

WENDY FOK

Creative director and founder of WE-DESIGNS LLC and Resilient Modular Systems, PBC.

Wendy Fok Wendy Fok

Wendy’s designs draw on inspiration from mathematics, tying in principles from architecture, digital media, and design. Her design installations have been displayed around the world in Singapore, Paris, London, Dubai, Toronto, Shanghai, Athens and more. Wendy’s work aims to incorporate art and interactive spaces into city planning and architectural design.

“My work focuses on an exploration of geometric structures and how they can be applied spatially in sculptural installations or other various projects. This particular design takes pyramids and prisms and gathers them at a focal point, so that the angular prisms eventually form a circular structure.”

"The PRO is most useful when integrating finer details into a sketch model, and visualizing how the design could fit into a landscape or architectural setting." Share

“My design process relies on continual feedback. There must be a back and forth between mediums: paper, digital, glue, 3D printers, or whatever else. There is constant interaction between the objects at hand and the digital form, and I feel that the relationship between mediums, tools, and techniques are integral to the process of design and creation.”

“The PRO pen is especially useful in this communication between the digital and material. Most of my designs are first made in my sketchbook. Ideas are then transferred between the sketchbook and the computer and sometimes re-iterated through other forms of model making materials.”

“The PRO pen is most useful when integrating finer details into a sketch model, and visualizing how the design could fit into a landscape or general architectural setting.”

“Simply, the PRO allows the ability to build in 3D space that a traditional fountain pen or digital plan does not.”back to top image

Design. Elevated. Introducing the 3Doodler PRO

In 2013, we made the world’s first 3D printing pen a reality. In 2015, we upped our game with the 3Doodler 2.0. In 2016, we aimed higher with the 3Doodler Create, and introduced a new generation to the wonders of 3D art with the 3Doodler Start.

Now we’re taking 3D printing pen technology to the next level, with the world’s most advanced 3D printing pen designed specifically for creative professionals.

Note: The all-new 3Doodler PRO+ has dropped! Get the most advanced 3D pen here.

The 3Doodler Pro The 3Doodler Pro

Designed With Professionals In Mind

As the first professional-grade 3D printing pen, the 3Doodler PRO is a unique and versatile prototyping tool.

Modular Prototyping Modular Prototyping

Its wide range of materials and applications makes it perfect for architects, engineers, designers, artists and other creative professionals.

Bring designs and ideas off the page to create models and prototypes that can help enhance concept development and aid in communicating vision and direction.

“What really makes the PRO so unique is how the device and materials come together to answer the needs of professionals,” says 3Doodler CEO and Co-founder Maxwell Bogue. “When we started the 3Doodler journey back in 2013, we had world-leading architects telling us ‘I want to do this’.”

“With new materials like polycarbonate that dream is a reality. The high-performance PRO can be used for the most advanced purposes to bring concepts to life, and become an integral part of the creative process.”

More Materials, More Design Options

Along with 3Doodler’s extensive range of PLA, ABS, and FLEXY plastics, the 3Doodler PRO introduces a range of new materials to expand design potential.

Wood filament Wood filament

Metal
Made from real bronze and copper, the metal filaments create sturdy and heavier structures that can be polished or sanded for more shine.

Wood
Made from real wood fibers, these filaments can make both delicate and heavy-duty creations that can be sanded or stained in a variety of finishes.

Nylon
The nylon filament has a fabric-like feel, and can be dyed into different colors with fabric dyes.

Polycarbonate
This rigid filament has a high melting point, and so structures created with polycarbonate can withstand high temperatures without damaging.

Polycarbonate filament Polycarbonate filament

Total Control At Your Fingertips

Speed / Temperature Dials Speed / Temperature Dials

The 3Doodler PRO gives you complete creative control and the ability to fine-tune your work as needed while creating.

With adjustable dials, you control both speed and temperature and the LCD display ensures you always know exactly what temperature you’re using. The built-in, high-speed variable fan also gives you control over how quickly materials cool.

A revamped drive system keeps the PRO going longer even under intense use and is designed to handle the wide range of 3Doodler materials.

All of this encased in a sleek carbon-fiber shell.

3Doodler Pro Vase Design Series 3Doodler Pro Vase Design Series
At A Glance
  • Can handle ABS, PLA and FLEXY along with new range of wood, copper, bronze, nylon, and polycarbonate filaments

  • Temperature dial allows for adjustment from 100°C to 250°C

  • LCD display showing desired temperature and indicators for each level

  • Dial-controlled variable speed settings between 10% and 100%

  • Side switch adjusts cooling fan: Off, Low, High

  • Larger and more advanced drive allows for wider range of materials, and for prolonged intensive use

  • Carbon fiber shell

  • Priced from US$249.99

The 3Doodler PRO is available now from our dedicated website. See more PRO designs and concepts by following 3Doodler PRO on Instagram.