Did you know that the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy was not only a master storyteller, but also a prolific Doodler?

J.R.R. Tolkien was an avid illustrator who took care to bring his storytelling to life with vivid drawings. In fact, for Tolkien, storytelling and illustration were artforms that were deeply interwoven. The characters, world maps, and scenery in his stories were largely influenced by his drawings, which he created as he drafted his famous tales. In addition to his drawings of The Lord of the Rings scenes, he also created pictures to accompany the tales that he told his young children.

Tolkien began painting and drawing very early in his youth, and he continued to make art throughout his life until he passed away at the age of 81. His preferred mediums were watercolor, pencil, ink drawings, and of course, calligraphy pens. His awe-inspiring calligraphy work is central to The Lord of the Rings universe, and is seen in the elegant Elvish language that he created before he even began writing his epic tales.

"“Many children make up, or begin to make up, imaginary languages. I have been at it since I could write.”"-J.R.R. Tolkien Share

J.R.R. Tolkien was also diligent with archiving his work. He kept nearly every doodle he made in a catalog of envelopes, no matter if they were well-thought out drawings or spontaneous scribbles on scrap paper. He would revisit his catalogue of drawings and doodles to gather inspiration as he wrote his stories.

"“Myth and fairy-story must, as all art, reflect and contain in solution elements of moral and religious truth (or error), but not explicit, not in the known form of the primary ‘real’ world.”"-J.R.R. Tolkien Share

In the year 2000, a collection of Tolkien’s artwork spanning about 6 decades of his life was published into a work known as J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator. The book is filled with many of Tolkien’s illustrations that were kept in his personal archive, including depictions of Middle Earth, elvish script, and imagery from the scenes of his tales.

Tolkien lives on as one of the greatest authors of all time, and his books were adapted into some of the most critically acclaimed films to date.

Are you inspired by the works of J.R.R. Tolkien? Share your thoughts with our community on social media!

@3Doodler #3Doodler #NotableDoodler #JRRTolkien #LordOfTheRings

Do you want to bring a fresh design challenge to your students? How about one from an ISTE expert?

You’ve come to the right place! Steven Jones, co-chair of the ISTE STEM personal learning network, has compiled a very special lesson plan that focuses on prototyping. He put the lesson to the test with his students at Hauser Jr. High in Riverside, Illinois with amazing results! We had the opportunity to ask Steven some questions, and he shared some helpful tips for teaching in the classroom.

"“By accepting that failure is part of the learning process on the path to success, students will be more likely to persevere in the future.”"-Steven Jones Share

Thanks for taking the time to meet with us. Do you have any tips for other teachers administering lessons that incorporate 3Doodler pens?

I would recommend that teachers start small and build up to bigger projects. If you are not used to utilizing technology like this, you and your students might become disheartened if you initially try something that is not successful. Try a simple, introductory project first and support your students in becoming familiar with the technology, then the sky’s the limit.

Do you have tips for teachers hoping to create their own mini activities for classroom use with 3Doodler, or EdTech in general?

Think about the purpose of what you want to accomplish at the end. Use technology in a unique way to help achieve a goal. Technology is a tool and tools need good ideas. Once you understand your goal for learning, then it should be easy to create activities that integrate versatile technologies such as 3Doodler pens.

Can you share tips on supporting student engagement from day to day in the classroom?

Don’t be afraid to get feedback from your students. Nobody is perfect. By offering the opportunity for students to share their ideas with you, it is possible to turn good lessons into great lessons. Part of the reason that great lessons are successful is because there is a high level of student engagement due to the incorporation of student input and interests.

Mexican sculptor, painter and textbook anatomy artist, Ricardo Martinez, has been diligently creating a realistic anatomical hand, made entirely with the 3Doodler Create+ pen, 3Doodler filaments, and the new 3Doodler STEM kit.

The joints are movable due to being created with the ball and socket DoodleMold included in the STEM kit. Likewise, the hand is able to be moved despite the layers of tissues and veins on top due to them being Doodled with FLEXY, our flexible filament for the Create+.

We had a chance to catch up with Ricardo to learn about his process making the hand, and he even provided a brief tutorial for you to follow along with, either with your students or at home.

"“…the advantage of a 3D anatomical figure is it that it gives students the opportunity to manipulate the hand, watch the muscles flex, follow the path of arteries and veins, and so on.”"-Ricardo Martinez Share

3Doodler: Thanks for taking the time to meet with us, Ricardo! Can you please give a brief introduction to who you are?

My name is Ricardo Martinez Herrera and I am a Mexican sculptor, painter, and photographer. In my work as an artist I go by Riikc. Since finishing my sculpture studies at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Belgium, I have had the great pleasure of creating dynamic art pieces around the world, including in Canada, Mexico, Belize, and now back in Belgium.

You used to create anatomical drawings professionally for medical use. Can you please share a brief history of your experience doing that?

My experience with medical drawing came long before my formal studies, while I was still living in Mexico. In fact, I feel incredibly lucky that someone decided to take a chance on this aspiring artist from Mexico, with no formal studies, but a real drive to apply himself in the art world.

One of my best friends was studying medicine and he came across a call for proposals from a group of researchers in the department. He passed it along to me, and I submitted an application with some of my past illustrations. The team accepted me almost immediately, and I was brought on to illustrate their upcoming publications. I ended up working with that team of researchers for several months, and my illustrations were featured in their published medical articles, and even a reference book.

The experience left a deep impression on me, in particular because I come from a family of doctors. My family has always been supportive of my pursuit of a career in the arts, but I don’t think they really understood the spectrum of art until they started to see my work published in medical journals and texts. It is easy to overlook how much of our world is underpinned by creative, artistic pursuits like these.

Based on your experience, can you comment on the benefits of learning from 3D anatomical figures as opposed to 2D drawings?

Many students learn best when they can be physically moving and interacting with an object. So, the advantage of a 3D anatomical figure is it that it gives students the opportunity to manipulate the hand, watch the muscles flex, follow the path of arteries and veins, and so on. This is really beneficial for students who may not learn as well through solely a 2D visual resource, like a textbook.

There is also the advantage of using 3D figures to explain systems thinking. Particularly in anatomy, it is important that students can think about how individual parts work, and then relate each of them to their function within the whole system. Even with myself, despite having been working with drawings for years, I found the structure of the hand so much easier to understand when I saw it layered into a 3D model, where you can physically trace each element and see how they are connected.

Ricardo’s Journey Creating the Anatomical Hand

1. Before starting, it was important for me to find the right reference materials. In my case, I was working with The Atlas of Human Anatomy and Surgery, which is not only a solid reference text, but it also contains illustrations that are visually beautiful.

2. From there I began with a pen-and-paper sketch of my own hand to use as a blueprint.

3. I then moved onto the ball and sockets to begin building out each finger joint. For the bones I used white ABS plastic, the standard nozzle, and the smoothing tool to give the bone texture. Once I had built out the general shape of each finger, I used a Dremel and sandpaper to smooth them out, and create a more realistic bone shape.

4. After the bones, I created the ligaments, using white and clear FLEXY plastic and the ribbon nozzle. This connective tissue was one of the quicker elements to create, as it simply reinforced the bones and joints and ensured their smooth articulation.

5. The ligaments were followed by muscles, drawn in red FLEXY plastic using the ribbon nozzle. I chose this nozzle because it creates a flat, sinuous thread that was much closer to the texture you would find in muscles. The challenge with this step is that muscles occur in several layers throughout the hand. This means that while the first layer of muscles might lay directly on-top of bone, there are others that will be on top of nerves, veins, and arteries. This step took a lot of precision.

6. I then drew the nerves in yellow FLEXY using the 0.5mm nozzle. Fingers are some of the most sensitive parts of the body, which means there are a lot of nerves running all the way to the tips of our fingers. This step required a lot of patience and attention to detail to accurately represent the paths of these nerves.

7. Finally, I drew the arteries in red FLEXY and veins in blue FLEXY, using the 0.5, 1, and 1.5 mm nozzles. The diameter of veins and arteries changes as they branch off toward the fingers, so at the base and top of the hand they are much thicker, while in the fingers they become much thinner.

8. Lastly, for educational purposes, you will see that I progressively added layers, but not on all parts of the hand. So the pinky is bone and ligament alone, the ring finger adds muscle, the middle finger adds nerves, and then the index finger and thumb include all elements.

3Doodler: For all of our STEM followers, do you have any advice on making 3D anatomical figures you can share with them?

My main advice is that you don’t need to become an expert on anatomy or sculpture before you start working, and you don’t have to have a full understanding of the final product right from the beginning. Focus more on the function of each element than you do on the form, and eventually you will come out with a useful model.

For instance, if you are unsure what type of material or nozzle to use, take a moment to study the element and its function. Ask yourself questions like, “How does this move?” “Where does this connect,” and “Should this be smooth, coarse, or sinewy?” When you focus on the function, and work one element at a time, the final form will eventually emerge.

Step-by-step for the creation of the hand:

The best way to start is to have a reference of the inner anatomy of the hand:

1. Draw the outline of your hand on a piece of paper.
2. Add bones to your 2D drawing
3. Mark every joint between phalanxes. These spots will require one ball and socket combo.
4. Create all the balls + sockets and join them accordingly. See pic.
5. Doodle the bones in!
6. Once the bone hand takes shape, add all other elements in this order:
    — Ligaments
    — Muscles
    — Nerves
    — Arteries
    — Veins

A list of the plastic colors and which anatomical parts they represent:

Polar white ABS plastic — Bones
Flexy White & Clear — Ligaments
Flexy Red — Muscles
Flexy Yellow — Nerves
Flexy Blue — Veins
Flexy Pomegranate Pow — Arteries

Are you inspired by Ricardo’s anatomical Doodles? Share them with others on social media, and let us know what you think!

Tag Us: @3Doodler, #3Doodler, #3DoodlerEDU

Though revered for his iconic Star Wars persona, few know that the first love of Billy Dee Williams was fine art.

Long before he took on Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back, he was granted the Hallgarten Award scholarship to attend New York’s National Academy of Fine Arts and Design. The truth is, his primary motivation behind his acting career was to fund his art supplies!

"“I am an artist no matter what I do. I live for creativity. I think everyone should. It is the antithesis of being destructive.”" Share

Billy Dee’s journey in fine art has been a lifelong endeavor, and though he has focused more on acting during certain periods, he has considered himself an artist first and foremost. In fact, he once created 120 paintings over a two-year period.

Most of his paintings are made with acrylic paints on canvas, applied with both a traditional paintbrush and an airbrush. He has also explored experimental art, creating custom 3D canvases that incorporate ceramics and neon light.

"“I was in the National Academy of Fine Arts and Design, on a scholarship. I was – still am – an artist. They were looking for an actor for ‘Take a Giant Step,’ and a producer liked my look and asked if I could act. I said, ‘Yep!’ Then I got into acting more or less just to make money for paints and canvases.”" Share

Billy Dee has had numerous art exhibitions in a variety of fine art galleries around North America, and has had originals on display at the Smithsonian Institution, the Schomburg Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Liss Gallery in Toronto.

Williams has shared that some of his biggest inspirations in the field of art are the well known Mexican muralists José Clemente Orozco and Diego Rivera.

"“I don’t want to find myself ever locked into what people think I should think or do. In my art, and acting, I have a universal vision of things, an international vision. Bigger and broader and beyond. ‘Bigger than life’ is always on my mind.”" Share

He has expressed admiration for their paintings, and that they give the viewer “a sense that reality was much more than life.” Billy Dee has communicated that he himself wants his artwork to express this expansive quality.

Billy Dee’s works evoke powerful emotions in the viewer, telling larger-than-life stories through abstract compositions and vibrant color schemes. You can view an online gallery of Billy Dee’s artwork for purchase here.

Are you inspired by the artwork of Billy Dee Williams? Share your thoughts with our community on social media.

Tag Us: @3Doodler, #3Doodler, #3DoodlerEDU

Picture Mexico City, 1907.

A baby girl was born with the name of Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón, or Frida Kahlo for short.

This child would go on to be one of the most influential female artists of all time, and her endurance would be an inspiration to the world for ages to come.

"They thought I was a surrealist, but I wasn’t. I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality."-Frida Kahlo Share

Frida Kahlo’s paintings largely draw on Mexican culture and the unfiltered human experience. Art historians often describe her work as being influenced by surrealism, or sometimes magical realism. Her life is a testament to creativity, and how art is a powerful tool of catharsis through the journey of life.

Frida faced unique challenges from a very young age, being diagnosed with polio as a child, and then having the misfortune of being in a bus accident at the age of 18. These events caused her a whirlwind of physical and emotional pain, in addition to medical challenges and dozens of operations throughout her life. During her recovery process she took up her childhood pastime of painting, even though she was in a body cast.

Frida found freedom through art, channeling the challenges of human experience into pure creativity. She spent the majority of her life painting, drawing, and sketching. She is most well known for her self-portraits, which comprise 55 of her 143 paintings.

"I paint self-portraits because I am the person I know best. I paint my own reality. The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other considerations."-Frida Kahlo Share

Frida Kahlo has become one of the most renowned painters in human history, being the first Mexican artist to have a painting sell past the million dollar mark. Her self-portrait titled Roots was sold for over 5.5 million dollars at Sotheby’s in 2006, and another titled Two Nudes in the Forest (The Earth Itself) sold for 8 million dollars in 2016.

A rare occurrence for artists, Frida Kahlo achieved celebrity status during her lifetime. Little did anyone know her reach would extend to the edges of the planet shortly after her death at age 47. Frida’s creative vision, perseverance, and strength will go on to inspire and empower women, artists and dreamers across the face of the earth. The deep and rich expressions woven within her paintings will continue to influence global art culture for aeons to come, and her legacy will encourage humans walking the journey of life to find freedom through art, no matter the circumstances.

Are you inspired by Frida Kahlo? Let us know how she has influenced your life on Twitter!
@3Doodler #3Doodler

Hugo, born in France in 1802, is considered to be one of the foremost French authors, and his most famous works include The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Misérables. Les Misérables was adapted to a musical and went on to be the 9th most profitable Broadway musical of all time.

"“There is nothing like a dream to create the future.”"-Victor Hugo, Les Misérables Share

And in the spirit of his own words, Victor Hugo Doodled his dreams onto paper and influenced the future of art. In fact, the co-founder of Surrealism, André Breton, declared Hugo as a forerunner of the Surrealist movement because of his Doodles. It is even said that Pablo Picasso himself owned some of Hugo’s drawings.

Despite the thousands of Doodles that were drafted in his lifetime, few know that Hugo was an artist at all. His unique creations were made with different techniques, and he often used the nib and feather of his quill for his Doodles.

Victor Hugo’s achievements are recognized around the world today, and his portrait has even been featured on French currency. In addition to this, a mosaic at the Library of Congress was crafted in Hugo’s memory, and there is a statue in his honor across the road from Museo Carlo Bilotti in Rome.

Inspired by Victor Hugo’s literary achievements and Doodles?

Share your thoughts with us on social media! @3Doodler #3Doodler

 
"“Notre-Dame de Paris is, in particular, a curious specimen of this variety. Each face, each stone of the venerable monument, is a page not only of the history of the country, but of the history of science and art as well.”"-Victor Hugo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame Share

How do educational technologies shape the leaders of tomorrow?

Brittany Ballou, elementary school educator, knows she is helping students prepare for jobs that don’t even exist yet. She believes it is her job as a teacher to set her students up for success in their futures, and bringing technology into her curriculum plays a significant role in that.

In this Teacher Spotlight, Brittany gives us the inside scoop on her experience with techy tools in the classroom, and how these tools are having a positive impact on learning amongst her students.

Thanks so much for taking the time to meet with us, Brittany. Can you please tell us about yourself, your school, and some of your goals as an educator?

I am a K-5 STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) teacher at Grange Hall Elementary School of Chesterfield County Public Schools. I had the privilege of helping establish the STEAM program in the fall of 2017, and prior to that I taught 5th grade as well as 4th and 5th grade gifted math and science.

"My classroom is best described as organized chaos where students are laughing, learning, and building!" Share

I believe in ditching the worksheets and focusing on inquiry learning as students explore through project based education. Students are tasked with a problem in which they develop a solution by going through the engineering design cycle.

Students work collaboratively to create plans, build prototypes, test, improve, and present their findings, as well as reflect on the whole project. This approach to learning also gives students an opportunity to see how their knowledge and skills can be applied to a multitude of careers in STEAM fields.

What notable benefits have you found using the 3Doodler Start pens with your students?

I have found numerous benefits through adding 3Doodler pens into my classroom, most notably being that it bridges the gap between all ability levels. Students are highly engaged when using the technology, no matter if they have no prior experience with 3D printing, nor if they have used a variety of 3D printing tools. The easy-to-use pen allows me to differentiate lessons for my gifted students, students with Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs), and multiple learning types.

In fact, the first time I used 3Doodler pens I was blown away at how quiet my room was. To me, quietness in a classroom is a bad thing because it means students are probably not engaged, collaborating, or they are laboring over a test of some sort. However, in this situation it was quite the opposite. Students were so engaged with their 3D pens that they didn’t have time to be bothered to talk with their teammates! It was such an eye-opening moment in my classroom as I saw them grow as learners who could work hard both individually and as a group.

What subjects have you used the 3Doodler Start pens in?

I strongly believe that 3Doodler pens can be used across all subject areas! Personally, being a STEAM teacher, I tend to focus my lessons in math and science. The 3Doodler pens provide an avenue for me to seamlessly integrate the arts in with them.

"I want students to see that what they are learning in school is not isolated by subject matter, but all interconnected, just like their future careers." Share

Can you give some examples of lessons you have administered that integrate 3Doodler pens?

My favorite lesson that used 3Doodler pens was my Food Chain Project. In 4th grade we reviewed all the parts of a food chain before students got into groups and began researching food chains of their own. They were given the following problem.

“The kindergarten teachers want you to teach their students about different food chains. Can you make 3D animals that will attach to pencils that you can use like puppets to teach the students about the flow of energy?”

As a group they conducted research and determined what food chain they wanted to make. Each student was responsible for a different animal in the food chain. They drew their animal and traced it with the 3Doodler pen. Once they finished Doodling their animal, we turned it into a pencil topper by hot gluing the animal to a pipe-cleaner, which wrapped around their pencil. Students wrote scripts to record videos in FlipGrid, so the kindergarten teachers could show their students.

I have had 2nd grade students Doodle snowflakes and turn them into jewelry, I’ve had 3rd graders make and test bubble wands, and my 5th graders built dream catchers. I love how 3Doodler pens are so versatile and provide students of all grade levels with an opportunity to learn the basics of 3D printing!

What other EdTech do you use in the classroom?

I’m constantly trying to look for the newest EdTech to enhance my students’ learning experiences. I currently have the following technologies incorporated in my classroom lessons: 3Doodler pens, Wonder Dash robots, Sphero SPRK+, Lego WeDo 2.0, iPads, Osmos, green screen materials, Ozobots, WowWee Coji robots, 3D printers, Botley robots, Code and Go Mice, and Breakout EDU kits.

How have other educational technologies enhanced learning amongst your students?

Beyond 3Doodler pens, I created 2nd grade lesson plan reviewing the concept of digital and analog clocks. To get students moving beyond a worksheet, they received multiple clocks that needed to have their times matched. Afterwards they used Code and Go Mice to code the mouse to “pick up” the times at the end of the maze. This easy lesson combined a multitude of curriculum standards, including elapsed time, coding, collaborating with others, and problem solving. This type of lesson occurs all of the time in my classroom with the EdTech we available.

How do you feel that EdTech is impacting the students of today for the jobs of tomorrow?

We are fortunate enough to teach in a time period where technology is abundant. I constantly tell my parents that we are helping students prepare for jobs that don’t even exist yet, so it is our job as teachers to lay the groundwork to prepare them. For example, while I am by no means a coder, I fully feel that it is my responsibility to teach my students how to code. I feel lucky enough that the EdTech exists that will teach my students and me at the same time!

Before I received 3Doodler pens, I had no previous experience with 3D printing. 3Doodler pens taught my students the basics of 3D printing through a hands-on experience that I would never have been able to teach otherwise.

"When we moved onto TinkerCad and printing with our 3D printers, they gained a better understanding on how the design process worked on the computer." Share

I now have students who want to seek careers that use 3D printing, which would not have been the case without these experiences.

Would you like to share any successes from your classroom?

Since my instruction is guided through the engineering design process, students always create plans before they build. Oftentimes students feel confident in either the planning or building stage because they see themselves as either more artistic or more hands-on. The 3Doodler pens allowed me to transform this singular thought process for many of my students. For example, students who classified themselves as “bad artists” saw their plans transform into 3D masterpieces. The students no longer looked at themselves as unable to draw, but rather saw themselves as being capable of creating a plan and build.

I also teach some students who have limited vocabulary and tactile skills. The ergonomic design of the 3Doodler Start pen gives them an easy grip to be able to print on their own. Even though they are not able to describe their plans in detail, they are able to print exactly what they plan. The details are clearly shown in their final product!

Please be sure to follow Brittany Ballou on Twitter to keep up with her classroom happenings!

@ImagineerSTEAM

Dr. Erin Harmon, Ph.D., is a professor of Biology at Sage College in Albany, NY. In her Anatomy and Physiology lab, she instructs students to explore the human body through innovative hands-on learning – and her primary tool for doing so is the 3Doodler Create+ pen!

We had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Erin about her teaching modality, and here is what she had to say.

What prompted you to start using 3Doodler Create+ pens in your college laboratory activities?

The first time I heard about 3Doodler pens, I was fascinated by the technology. It was only a little while before I came up with a way to incorporate it into my classroom. I quickly realized that it was ideal for teaching students in my Anatomy and Physiology lab how skeletal muscle attaches bone.

Can you please describe, in detail, the technique that you’re using with students in the Anatomy and Physiology lab?

"In my classes I ask students to work together in pairs to draw a series of muscles on a plastic skeleton. The details of this lab were recently featured in Course Hero’s Best Lesson Series."-Dr. Erin Harmon Share

In my classes I ask students to work together in pairs to draw a series of muscles on a plastic skeleton. The details of this lab were recently featured in Course Hero’s Best Lesson Series.

Each group of students is given a 3Doodler Create+ pen, a Wellden half-size skeleton, and approximately 1 strand of PLA plastic per muscle they are creating. Along with these materials, students are given a list of muscles and their origin and insertion points. With the skeleton as a base, students use the Create+ pens to draw muscles on the skeleton. Deeper muscles are drawn first, while more superficial muscles are drawn later. The PLA plastic adheres nicely to the Wellden skeleton, but can be easily removed at the end of lab, and re-used by other students.

We found that it takes approximately 2 hours for students to Doodle 12-15 muscles.

What advantages has this modality provided, as opposed to other methods you have used in the past?

The 3Doodler Create+ pens bring skeletal muscle anatomy to life for students. Students taking Anatomy and Physiology at The Sage Colleges are expected to learn the origin and insertion sites for 40-50 muscles. A given muscle will attach to a set of bones in at least 2 places, and many muscles attach in multiple sites. Historically, the hardest part of this lab for students is learning all these sites of attachment.

In the past, we have had students research and give presentations on subsets of muscles. We also had labs in which students drew muscles on 2D paper skeletons. While this engaged students somewhat, we were limited by the 2-dimensional nature of paper, as many muscles and their bony connections are best appreciated in 3D. I’ve heard of teachers having students build muscles on 3D skeletons using colored tape or clay. While I have not tried these methods myself, I imagine that each of these materials have their drawbacks.

With the 3Doodler Create+ pens, it was very easy for students to draw muscles on skeletons in 3D. The technology allowed students to appreciate how muscles overlap with each other. Additionally, by drawing out the muscles, students are able to better visualize the consequence of individual muscle contraction on skeletal movement to the rest of the system.

What are the impacts it has had on your students’ learning experiences?

Using the Create+ pens makes for engaging and memorable lab time.

Students are excited to use this new technology to draw muscles in 3D. Many students have said that they will “never forget” some of the muscles they Doodled. That was my exact hope – that by visually and mechanically engaging students during their learning process, it would solidify the memories of the muscles.

What was the feedback from the students on learning in this new way?

I had a lot of positive feedback on this lab.

At first, some students were apprehensive when I told them they were going to be drawing muscles (particularly science minded individuals, those that do not consider themselves very artistic). However, the pens are very easy to use, and students caught on quickly.

The first year we tried this lab, we bought just a few pens, and students worked in groups of 4. The main feedback I got that year was that students wanted more pens! The following year we did just that. We added more pens and skeletons to the lab to allow students to work in smaller groups.

Students found this muscle lab to be very engaging. One student wrote that “this method helped my classmates and me visualize the muscles and their locations more easily.” Another student called it “the most memorable lab [of the year].” That sounds like success to me!

How can you see other teachers benefiting from using this technique?

This is a great lab, and it was very affordable. After our purchase of the pens and skeletons the first year, the only subsequent yearly costs are the inexpensive plastics.

Could you recommend some tips and tricks to other educators on how to get started in the classroom using a technique like yours?

The detailed step-by-step instructions of this lab (including muscles to draw and their recommended order) are available on Course Hero. In combination with the Create+ pens, we recommend the Welden half size skeletons for their size and anatomical detail.

We’re seeing exciting advancements with 3D printing in the field of medicine. Do you feel like what you’re doing helps prepare students to enter into an ever-evolving medical setting?

I see benefit from this skeletal muscle lab for my all my students, especially those in physical education, exercise science, or those entering programs for advanced degrees in physical or occupational therapy and medicine.

I believe this is a great foundational lab for these students because it prepares them to better understand what is happening inside their bodies and muscle systems. It is also invaluable for their advanced study of human muscle and how skeletal attachment relates to movement.

We’ve gone down the rabbit hole…

And what did we find?

The secret Doodles of Lewis Carroll.

It turns out that the Alice in Wonderland author was an artist in more ways than one.

Lewis Carroll, born as Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, was indeed an avid Doodler. In fact, his original handwritten manuscript of Alice in Wonderland (1864) was riddled with Doodles of the story’s iconic characters.

When Lewis Carroll decided to publish his tale of Alice’s adventures, he brought on Punch magazine’s John Tenniel to illustrate the final publication. Carroll was quite invested in the specifics of how Wonderland was portrayed, so he played an influential role in Tenniel’s creative process.

Though it was Tenniel’s illustrations that made the final cut, Carroll’s original Doodles set the unique tone for the whimsical world of Wonderland.

"“Who are you?” said the Caterpillar. This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, “I—I hardly know, Sir, just at present—at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.”"-Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland Share

We want to see your fairytale Doodles.

Share your creations with us on social media!

@3Doodler #3Doodler #WhatWillYouCreate?

Ekaterina Vladimirovna is a self taught artist who hails from Moscow, Russia. Her 3D pen sculptures are breathtaking, featuring webs of textures that create forms evocative of classical sculpture.

In addition to her accomplishments with the 3D pen for art, Ekaterina also integrates the 3Doodler pen into her homeschooling curriculum. In this interview, we discuss Ekaterina’s journey with the 3Doodler pen, the artists that influence her, and her experiences with 3D pens in at-home education.

Thank you for taking the time to meet with us, Ekaterina. Can you please introduce yourself?

Thank you for featuring me! I’m a stay-at-home mom with four children, and I am an at-home educator of mathematics and physics. My only artistic background is in interior design. At home, when I’m not homeschooling, I devote all of my free time to creativity. The 3Doodler pen is a much loved tool in our household.

Truly, you are a testament to the achievements someone can make in a short time just by reviewing our tutorials. Can you share more about your artistic process, as well as your inspirations?

I recently took up sculpture and learned how to Doodle with a 3D pen in about 6 months. I studied all of the 3Doodler tutorials and videos available on the 3Doodler website and YouTube, even before I got my 3D pen. By the time I picked up the 3Doodler pen, I already knew how to use it! My technique is to study first, then create. When I first held the 3Doodler in my hands, I immediately fell in love with the metal body, interchangeable nozzles, and also the foot pedal. 3D pens are powerful creative tools, and for me they are ideal for creating sculptures.

My inspiration is fueled by many wonderful 3Doodler masters, such as Heather Baharally, Grace DuPrez, Connie Doodles, Marc Buhren, Rachel Goldsmith, Kalpten Donmez, and Eden Saadon.

Do you have any suggestions for people new to Doodling?

For new users, I would recommend reviewing the Getting Started videos, and exploring the Hot Tips, which have great techniques for your projects. I personally studied all of the tutorials I could before I got my 3D pen, and reviewed them again once I was using the pen in real time. Practice Doodling with stencils to get used to the pen as an art medium.

For those who have an idea for a specific project, I suggest you imagine in detail how your Doodle will look once completed, then Doodle your dream into being. Create a custom stencil for your project, then build it up in 3D. Most importantly, look at the works of art that inspire you and learn from those pieces. Analyze the colors, shapes, and proportions.

Can you share some details about your experience using 3Doodler for at-home education?

For many reasons, my family chose homeschooling. I have been teaching my younger sons for 3 years. We are very pleased that this has become popular in Russia.

We have to meet various regulations for homeschooling, and the educational institution we homeschool through provides us with the necessary textbooks and online tests. I have the opportunity to regulate the pace of learning, which is fantastic.

We began using the 3Doodler pens about 7 months ago in our mathematics activities. Recently we studied area and perimeter, and used the 3Doodler lesson plan on that topic. We’ve also used the Doodle Place Value lesson, as well as the Comparing Numbers with Doodle Gator lesson.

Now the gator is hanging on our study board!

I highly recommend using 3Doodler pens in at-home education because they are great tools for keeping students engaged with the subject matter. 3D pens really make learning fun!

Does Ekaterina’s art and homeschooling inspire you? If so, you can find more of her creations on her website and Instagram.

So, you want the low-down on current classroom experiences with EdTech?

In honor of National Teacher Day, we are thrilled to launch our new Teacher Spotlight series. This ongoing series will highlight exemplary teachers in the field, and give you a glimpse into their tech-savvy classrooms. Ellen Peterson, middle school technology teacher, helps us kick off the series by sharing her classroom happenings.

"As a technology teacher, it is my goal to develop my students into creators versus consumers. I want to give my students the tools and skills they need for real-world problem-solving. It is as simple as that!" Share

Can you please tell us a little about yourself, the school you work at, and a brief vision of your goals as a teacher?

I currently teach middle school technology, and for the last 12 years before now I have been a science teacher. I teach in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, in a small, rural school district. My school, Smithfield Middle School, draws a wide range of students. I also work with the Verizon Innovative Learning program for rural girls during my summers, which offers girls the opportunity to learn about 3D printing, coding, entrepreneurship, augmented reality, and virtual reality. It was through this program that I became a fan of 3Doodler technology.

Our district is making changes to our programs that support students being college, career, and life ready. In doing so, we are developing our Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, which encompass engineering, mechatronics, computer science, and more. With this push into real-world application of technology skills, my classes have been given the opportunity to expand and make use of tools like 3Doodler pens.

As a technology teacher, it is my goal to develop my students into creators versus consumers. I want to give my students the tools and skills they need for real-world problem-solving. It is as simple as that!

What notable benefits have you found using 3Doodler pens in the classroom?

Most notably, I have my students’ attention! That’s a difficult achievement with middle school students. I start my 3D printing unit with 3Doodler pens. I want everyone to see that making things is possible, even if you aren’t “good at math” or are “not an artist” and “can’t” use computers to design things.

Even before the introduction to how to use the pens, student ideas are flowing. It doesn’t matter if you are a nerd or a jock, a great student or a below average one, etc. Everyone can use 3Doodler pens to create something. My students especially like to chat while they are working. I overhear them sharing ideas and user tips while they create. For stretches of 30-60 minutes, they forget about their phones and social media and just talk and create. I then encourage them to share their ideas and get feedback. I’ve not had a student yet who was not engaged in the process.

What subjects have you utilized 3Doodler pens in? Can you give some examples of lessons you have administered that include using 3Doodler?

I have used 3Doodler pens to reinforce my science content. We’ve “invented” our own organisms and given them adaptations to suit their environments. Using 3Doodler pens, we’ve made models of those organisms, then written “scientific journal articles” about the discovery of these creatures, classifying and identifying them as real scientists would do.

I have used 3Doodler pens in my summer program as a precursor to 3D printing and design with software and printers. Girls in the program were asked to create, prototype, and mock-market a telecommunication device of the future. Though several groups worked solely with the 3D printer, most groups chose a hybrid of technology, using the 3Doodler pens to create what they could not accomplish with the software.

I’ve shared my 3Doodler pens with the History teacher that was on my teaching team. He taught the History, and I taught the students how to use the pens. The kids then used the 3D pens to create “action figures” of historical characters, writing about events like the trials and tribulations of pioneers on the Oregon Trail.

We’ve even used the 3Doodler pens to create “costumes” for our Ozobot and Edison robots to enhance our learning.

You mentioned using Ozobot and Edison robots. What other EdTech do you use in the classroom?

I use anything I can get my hands on! In my classroom, I have two 3D printers, desktop computers, iPads, 3Doodler Creates, various coding robot platforms (VEX IQ, Meet Edison, Ozobots, Sphero, micro:bits), electrical circuitry (with copper tape, LEDs, batteries, etc.), 360 cameras, and a Full Spectrum laser cutter.

Though the bigger pieces have been funded through my school district, a majority of my materials are funded through alternative sources. Funding is slim so I spend a great deal of time and effort securing alternative funding through Donors Choose or grants when I can.

How have 3Doodler pens and other technologies enhanced learning in your classroom? How do you feel that EdTech is impacting the students of today for the jobs of tomorrow?

Above all else, I believe that engagement is key, especially with middle school-aged students. They are so difficult to impress and convince to learn. In their digital world, if it doesn’t do something really cool, RIGHT NOW, it isn’t worth giving it a second look. Most of the tools I have and use are chosen to do that. I find myself constantly looking for the next “thing” to capture their attention. Only when I have their attention can I help them develop skills like creative thinking, problem-solving, and communicating.

The days of learning facts and figures to help you in your daily life, including employment, are long since gone. I believe that adaptability and the ability to learn will be paramount in the jobs of tomorrow. Technology is evolving so quickly that I doubt programming languages that I can teach my students today will be still in use by the time they are employed. What I hope is that I can ignite a passion for learning and discovering how to use tools to solve problems that will take my students into the future.

Are there any classroom success stories you’d like to share with our community?

I have one student that sticks out most in my head. I had the incredible fortune of being able to teach him for two years in a row due to my changing grade levels. Although he is a smart, capable young man, he hasn’t always been successful in a traditional school setting. Because I had him for two years, he was pretty familiar with the tools and technology available in my classroom.

Towards the end of the second year, our class was working on a project, readying it for presentation in a day or two. A plastic part of our display broke somehow, and we could not get a replacement in the limited time we had left. I sat down at the table for a minute to think about what we could do to remedy the situation. Without missing a beat, he said, “Can’t we just use the 3Doodler or the printer and make a new one? It would probably only take about an hour.”

Please be sure to follow Ellen on Twitter to keep up with her classroom happenings!

What characters bring fire to your winter? 3D pen sorceress, @connie__doodles, has channeled her magic into spell-binding creations that celebrate your favorite stories!

Connie has ascended to the throne of Power Doodler over several years, her quest having started in the earliest days of 3Doodler. In fact, she won some of the very first Doodle-Offs with 3D pen fan art.

"I’ve been creating fan art ever since I was a child, starting with drawing Disney characters. I learned so much of what I know now from copying my idols’ works. For me, achieving their expertise and skill has been a goal of mine since I was a young child. Though I’ve never quite reached it, I’ve never stopped trying, and that has taught me so many lessons." Share

Check out the galleries and videos below to see Connie’s collection of 3D pen fan art.

We want to see your fandom Doodles! Share them on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram for a chance to win a 3Doodler Pen Set.

To enter, share your fantastic fan art with the rest of the Doodle-verse and use the tags below. The winner will be announced on May 11th!

@3Doodler #3Doodler #3DoodlerFanArt

Spring is around the corner and the terrain is being reborn! As the leaves unfurl into Spring, 3D pen artist Heather Baharally has been creating beautiful blossoms in celebration of the coming season.

We were able to speak with her about her creative process and her personal connection with this special time of year.

"I love when the snow melts and you can smell the earth in the air. I love when the lilacs, maydays, cherry and apple trees all blossom at once, and the winds carry their scents and cause a ‘rain’ of pink and white petals. It is a magical and brief time of the year." Share

Can you explain some of the benefits of working with 3D pens as a 3D art medium, as opposed to other 3D mediums you may have worked with in the past?

3D pens are a ‘quick set’ medium, the plastic cooling and firming rapidly after release. It is a very fast media, with no waiting time for baking (clay) or drying time like paint. The plastic is reworkable with heat at any point, unlike baked clay or paper mache. The transparent and metallic plastics add a beautiful range of shine and sparkle.

Plastic filament is not like any one media. Rather, it takes on aspects of different art mediums, and can be used in similar ways as many types of media! From clay to pen, and even to icing, 3D pens and plastics can take on the forms of so many other mediums, and do so quickly! Doodles can be reworked and refined, or left raw. You can always find new techniques with the plastics, with endless refinements of the process to explore. Inspiration surrounds the creative processes with 3D pens!

Why did you select the colors you did for the flowers, and how are those color combinations evocative of springtime?

Bold, bright, contrasting colors catch the eye and generate excitement! I love colors that evoke feelings of heat and sunlight. They are true to nature, and embody the realistic recreation of natural shapes and patterns.

Describe your process with making the flowers, and the differences between working with the Create+ and the Start.

I like bright, high contrast patterns. Dynamic flowers appealed to me. Tiger lilys can always be found in my mother’s garden. Picking subjects that have an emotional connection to me inspires better workmanship. I draw the petals flat, adding layers of color and detail. I observe how the line of my plastic abstracts the line of a petal’s veins in nature. I attach the petals together while drawing the core of the flower, adding pistil, stamen and stem.

"With Doodled flowers, the colors stay vibrant all year round. The transparencies can create beautiful reflected lights when touched by sunlight. The addition of LEDs allow the flowers to share their blooms at night." Share

While Doodling layers onto petals, it makes them warm and sometimes shapeable. If they are too cool, I use a heat gun for reshaping PLA, as the plastic holds its structure well! I can bend and fold the Doodled PLA and it will retain its lined texture. Through pinching, rolling, and holding the curves in place, I can mimic natural shapes. Start plastic must be warmed at a lower temperature because it is designed to melt with less heat. It responds more like clay when heated. It must be handled delicately, but takes to smoothing well when heated lightly and in small sections.

Can you offer any tips or tricks to readers who are using 3D pens to create?

Let the line be a line. Allow for the bumps and wiggles to exist, and celebrate the ‘mistakes’! They make the work natural. Create in variety. In the case of flowers, play with the size and width of the flower petals. Practice slow lines and fast lines. Don’t draw too much in one place, and allow for filament to cool to avoid warping, unless that’s what you want to achieve of course! Add layers to give projects more detail. Every time you add a line you are adding volume. Leave room for your shapes to grow as you add the layers of detail.

Do Heather’s Doodles ignite your inspiration to create?

Share your springtime Doodles on social media and connect with our community!

#3Doodler @3Doodler #WhatWillYouCreate?

Want to create some of your own springtime Doodles? See our flower tutorial here!

Welcome to the visionary 3D art of Marc Bühren. Hailing from Germany, Marc is a 3Doodler pen master that pushes the boundaries of what is possible with 3D pen artwork. His 3-dimensional installations, comprising tessellating geometric patterns and awe-inspiring imagery, are made by hand with the 3Doodler Create+.

From hanging trees that transport the viewer into abstract forests, to arrays of ocean fish and bird wings that open up the dimensions of nature, Marc’s installation art is truly magnificent to behold. We had a chance to connect with Marc to hear more about the exhibition.

"I worked on the artwork until the day the exhibition was set up. It was six months of hard work, but it was absolutely worth it!" Share

“At exhibitions, it is always very exciting how the visitors react to and interact with the artwork because the installations invite them to circle around, to kneel down or to stand on their tiptoes to catch more visual impressions. It is an exhilarating and emotional experience for me and for the visitors.”

Reflecting on this latest project, Marc noted that “Working with 3Doodler pens for the exhibition at the Maschinenhalle Scherlebeck Art Gallery was a big challenge for me. I had great ideas and have never worked with 3Doodler pens on this scale before.”

About Marc

The 44-year old contemporary artist, Marc Bühren, has been drawing and painting all of his life. Since he found the charcoal of his father as a three year old he has always been drawing.

In elementary school his aspiration of having a career as a painter was born. As a teenager, he completed a training in classical watercolor painting, and after graduation he studied communication design at the University of Wuppertal. Since 2008 he works as a full time artist at his studio in Dortmund. He teaches painting and drawing in his studio, at schools and at other institutions. In April 2017 he started working with 3Doodler pens.

Marc’s extraordinary masterpieces are truly amazing to witness. Does his work inspire you? Share your 3Doodler creations on social media to spread the inspiration.

We came across Dina’s work on Instagram at the beginning of this year and we had to reach out to find out more! We know artists who have made amazing stop-motion short clips with the 3Doodler, but Dina is the first we’ve come across who is bold enough to make an entire short film with this technique! And, it is looking absolutely stunning.

3Doodler: Dina, thanks for taking the time to speak with us. We’d love to get to know you better. Could you tell us a bit about your background?

Dina: Hello, my name is Dina Velikovskaya and I am an animation director. I was born in Russia in a small town near Moscow and I graduated from the University of Cinematography in 2011.

Upon graduation, I was very lucky that my first film did well in a festival, which helped my work gain some recognition. Since then, my films have been screened at Film festivals around the world, and have won many awards. This year I was super happy to be invited to become a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures.

Wow, congratulations! That must have been really exciting for you. So do you only make stop-motion animation?

Dina: I was always interested in experimenting with different animation techniques. During my studies, I mixed video and animation, paper cutouts, stop-motion animation and puppet animation.

Could you tell us more about ‘Ties’? What inspired the story?

Dina: I moved to Berlin recently, which inspired me to create my new film, ‘Ties’. The story is about moving away from your parents’ home. Since I moved to Germany, I have become very concerned about my parents. Me leaving was a big change for them. I imagine that there is a connection between a child and her parents. This connection can be ‘broken’ once it’s stretched out over many kilometers.

My main character is a young woman, who walks away from her parents’ house. Once she sits down in a car and drives away, the catastrophe unfolds in the house. A tree, a phone, and many more objects disappear, until finally, even the parents are in danger of disappearing.

I’m sure many people can relate to that story, especially at an emotional level. We can’t wait to see the final creation! How has the 3Doodler been adding value to your creation process?

Dina: Thank you! I can’t wait to finish it too, haha. What I like the most about this film is the possibility to experiment with a new technique for animation. I love that I can use the 3Doodler to combine the freedom of drawing with the physical 3D models that you need for stop-motion animation. Drawings that cast shadows and are in a real physical space create a very unusual effect that’s quite new in the stop-motion world.

We agree! You get the best of both worlds with this technique. And we love your drawing style! It works really well with the “strands” effect that you can get with drawing with the 3Doodler. Actually, how did you get the idea to use a 3D pen in your work?

Dina: Initially I wanted to do an unusual hand-drawn film, then my husband, who is a director as well, and co-producer of ‘Ties’, had the idea that the story might be better told if the characters and objects were made out of wire, which “disappear” frame by frame.

He suggested trying a new technology to draw each frame. “How about a 3D pen?” he said. I turned that idea down immediately. I’m not that crazy! Many questions popped into my head. How would I draw animation with a 3D pen when I’ve not used one before? How would I draw each frame so it does not look too different from the last? How would I fix frames in the same position?

But you know what? The idea stayed in the back of my mind. And I started to think about how to solve those problems. Not long after, I found myself making ‘Ties’ with the 3Doodler and some wires.

I’m not a film expert but your creation certainly caught my attention – I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up going viral! As you know there are a number of 3D pens in the market. Could you tell us why you chose the 3Doodler?

Dina: Sure. So after I decided to make ‘Ties’ with a 3D pen, my husband and I did some research and read many articles that compared 3D pens. As we understood, they are all different, and the decision was a hard one. The main factor that made us choose the 3Doodler was that you are the original creators of the first 3D pen. We had a feeling that it must be good, and we were glad to support the original.

Thanks for choosing to use our product. We are very proud knowing that professional artists like yourself use the 3Doodler as the tool behind such amazing work. How’s your experience so far? And how’s using the 3Doodler pen in animating compared to other tools you’ve used in the past?

Dina: What I like about the 3Doodler is that it’s very easy to work with. There is only one button, and I don’t have to fiddle around with speed and temperature settings. The pen is very comfortable to hold, and it doesn’t matter if you’re left or right handed (I’m a left hander so I appreciate this a lot). I animate with 12 frames in a second, so my film is 7 minutes long which sums up to 5040 frames in total. This means that comfort and pen ergonomics are extremely important to me because I have to work many hours in a row as an animator.

Compared to other tools, I like that the 3Doodler is left hand friendly. Also, I like that I can open the maintenance cover to clean the inside of the pen if necessary. One more thing – I’ve found that the 3Doodler filament runs thicker than other 3D pens I’ve tried, which makes it easier to draw in the air.

5,040 frames!? That sounds crazy! What’s your creation process like?

Dina: It’s fun to make 3D art or draw a 3D object, but creating an animation with a 3D pen is a lot more complicated…and very, very challenging.

First, the animation is drawn digitally on my computer. Once I’m happy with it, I will cover the computer screen with glass, fix a sheet of transparent paper to the glass, then outline with the 3Doodler. After I’ve outlined a sequence of drawings, I pin each of them onto a foam surface to take a photo of each frame. I also draw the setting with a 3D pen, like a tiny kitchen and all the objects inside it.

That sounds intense. It really requires a lot of hard work and dedication… We know you’re still working on the film. Where do you hope to take it once it’s done?

Dina: I hope to be done with shooting toward the end of the year, and aim for a premiere in the spring of 2019. I will probably enter about 200-300 festivals, covering the big ones but also smaller events. I am hopeful that the combination of a personal story with a unique animation technique will help the film get featured in film festivals, and maybe even garner some attention on the Internet too!

We wish you all the success, Dina. We hope to talk to you again when you’ve completed your film!

Who is Cornelia Kuglmeier?

Cornelia (or Connie for short) is no stranger to the 3Doodler community. Crowned the “2016 Doodler of the Year”, Connie has created so many stunning 3Doodled pieces that we have lost count of exactly how many there are. In October this year, Connie took her hobby a step further and hosted her very own exhibition in Germany, titled “Metamorphosis”.

Why Metamorphosis?

Butterflies have always fascinated Connie. As an Art teacher, Connie has an exceptional eye for beauty and details, and Butterflies had always been one of the themes she wanted to work on. Being delicately small, it’s easy to overlook the extraordinary beauty of these creatures. Connie decided that she wanted amplify this beauty for the world to see, and so, “macro” became the theme of her exhibition.

Connie’s exhibition spanned over 3 storeys with a red thread leading through the exhibition. It was a perfect layout for telling a story. And what better story to tell but the magical transformation of a humble caterpillar to a majestic butterfly?

Take a walk with me

1/F: The Caterpillar Room

Welcome to the Caterpillar Room. Here you’ll be greeted by a giant caterpillar with plants that it feeds on, such as dandelions, nettles, daisies, and so on. The supersizing of the caterpillar and the dandelion head gives you a closer look at some astonishing details of its short-lived beauty, details which normally go unnoticed.

DANDELION HEAD: Made of Nylon and PLA plastic using the 3Doodler PRO.
CATERPILLAR: Made of ABS for the structure and PLA for the details using the 3Doodler Create.

2/F: The Cocoon Room

This floor holds the second stage of the Metamorphosis cycle – the cocoon! Drawn completely free-hand, the fine strands perfectly illustrate real-life cocoons spun from layers of silk. The incompleteness of the cocoon hints that this is merely a temporary phase, to hide the mystery of the transformation. A beautiful butterfly swarm and a wall decorated with daffodils adds to the natural habitat scene. Now slow down, take a look around and enjoy the view.

COCOON: Made of Silver ABS plastic using 3Doodler Create.

3/F: The Butterfly Room

Finally we are at the most stunning part of the exhibition, the Butterfly Room! These three gorgeous species are the Peacock butterfly, the Swallowtail, and the White Admiral. You can also see a huge swarm of majestic butterflies flying across the room in the background. Take a minute to appreciate the mesmerizing beauty and colors of these creatures.

BUTTERFLIES: Made of PLA plastic using the 3Doodler Create and the Nozzle Set (mainly the ribbon tip).

“I felt very proud and uplifted – and am still feeling very proud weeks after. The exhibition opened during an event called “Art Night” and the place was packed with people looking at my work. It was overwhelming (but in a good way) standing amidst that crowd and seeing the reactions on their faces. I couldn’t help but also eavesdrop on their conversations about my work (shhh…don’t tell anyone!).

Without the encouragement from my family and friends (including you guys at 3Doodler!), I would never have dared to set this exhibition up. Never. "Because when you are showing your art, you’re also showing yourself. That’s a very personal thing to me, and seriously, I was scared out of my wits!" Share

It’s a very different experience when complete strangers approach you and tell you how much they like what you do, ask you how you made it, and tell you that they’ve never seen anything like it. I also loved hearing people tell me which is their favourite piece – it seemed like every piece in the exhibition was someone’s favourite!

I definitely want to keep this work up and am looking for my next exhibition space already! I’m constantly looking for new ways to use the 3Doodler pens and have not yet failed to find something new to do with it.”

When you think of fashion, the first thing that pops up in your mind probably isn’t 3D printing.

Although technology and fashion may seem like an unlikely pair, Eden Saadon, a young and talented textile designer from Israel, has used 3Doodler, the world’s first 3D printing pen, to challenge convention and push forward innovation in the world of fashion.

"It is like a magical moment when the drawing transforms into an article" Share

Styles and trends constantly come and go in the fashion industry, yet the materials and techniques used to create those styles often remain stagnant. By combining the functional versatility of a 3D printing pen and her passion for fashion, Saadon has been able to add a personal twist to her textile creations. “It is like a magical moment when the drawing transforms into an article, and gets a new meaning,” she says.

Eden’s Doodling journey began last year when she came across an Internet commercial for 3Doodler. She states, “The simplicity of producing a 3D structure demonstrated by the little girl in that commercial struck me. I ordered that pen and started experimenting with it.” Some of her first projects include Doodling a glove and a bra, where she utilized the 3Doodler Create’s ability to create a small article of clothing that could maintain shape, have flexibility, and fulfill a functionality.

"produce surfaces that had textile qualities, such as draping, movement, flexibility, and lightness" Share
From those first few projects, she later fell in love with FLEXY, which is a specific plastic from 3Doodler that allowed Eden to “produce surfaces that had textile qualities, such as draping, movement, flexibility, and lightness by drawing a 3D structure of varying density.” These discoveries were incredibly exciting as she realized that she could apply the techniques that she learned from her classes and integrate them into her art creations. A few examples of the techniques Eden has used are lace knitting, embroidery, and Jacquard weaving.

However, this was only the beginning.

Over the course of approximately 1 year, Eden used her talent and creativity to create an entire collection of delicate lace feminine garments titled “Flexy Black,” which was inspired by the name of the 3Doodler plastic she used to develop the designs (FLEXY).

Her work has not gone unrecognized.

With leaders of the industry interested in her work, Eden has been presented with numerous opportunities, such as being invited to exhibit her designs at New York Fashion Tech Week, participate in New York Textile Month, and even have her designs published in the September NYTM grand publication.

The novelty of Eden’s designs comes from the fact that 3D printing pens are able to create and design the fabric seamlessly (no pun intended!). There are no stitches, and the garments are truly personalized and custom-made for the user, without the need for a layout.

In addition, fashion designers using 3D printing pens are able to comfortably explore bold ideas and trends due to the versatility of the pen. There are countless design possibilities that can be made with the 3Doodler Create, with the huge variety of plastics available, such as Glow-in-the-Dark and transparent, all of which may be more difficult to replicate when using traditional fabrics. From a practical standpoint, users can Doodle on any extra features to the design even at the last minute..

Though for Eden, she says she is just getting started. Eden’s next project is Doodling shoes for the NYFT Week Running show; in addition, she will start trying out the 3Doodler PRO and experimenting with different PRO plastics, such as wood, metals, and other materials, to integrate new materials into her designs.

"Practice and research on new designs for hours every single day. " Share

“This is a fantastic opportunity for me to get exposure in this great production,” she states.

Her advice for beginning Doodlers is “Don’t give up. Practice and research on new designs for hours every single day. Find some nice picture you would love to see come to life!”

From being a young graduate in Israel exploring the beautiful nexus of fashion and technology to being a recognized textile artist presenting in New York, her story inspires us to think outside the box (or fabric, in this case) and challenge convention. In transforming something from plastic to fantastic, Eden is a fierce living example of the endless possibilities that are possible.

Downloadable database of Eden Saadon’s designs

Click download to take a closer look at the details of Eden Saadon’s beautiful designs:

Don’t let the possibilities end with fashion. Check out how to use your creativity for college dorm decor by clicking here. Let Eden’s story touch and inspire you to dream unlimitedly and create boldly.