Biomimicry, or biomimetics, draws inspiration from nature to solve challenges and design new technologies. It’s an exciting way to approach problems, and using 3Doodler 3D printing pens makes it easy to break down the concept into small lessons for students to explore. We’ve pulled together a few examples to encourage students to experiment with biomimicry using their 3D pens in the classroom!

Students can study the Fibonacci sequence with our lesson plan and use their 3Doodler 3D pens to practice building interconnected lines to form a net-like structure and create a working model.

In addition, students can discuss how spiders use different silks for different purposes, and how this translates to using different 3D pen filament types for different structural properties. How would they apply their learning to real-world problems?

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Patterns & Structure: Seashells

Seashells often exhibit spiral growth patterns and can show the Fibonacci sequence but also feature strong, curved layered structures. Studying these patterns and exploring ways to apply them to real-world problems is helpful. For example, students can explore how seashells are formed through biomineralization and how their shapes provide protection and structural support.

Invite students to learn more about shell structure and design by creating models with their 3D pens. It’s an easy way to study the science behind shells and have fun!

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Color, Camouflage & Symmetry: Butterflies

According to the Smithsonian, there are approximately 17,500 species of butterflies in the world. Butterflies come in all sorts of colors, shapes, and sizes. They are beautiful and curious insects with a lot to teach us, from the unique ways they use color to camouflage themselves from predators to their ability to repel water and dirt.

For younger students, butterflies offer an excellent lesson in symmetry. The 3Doodler lesson plan invites students to study the symmetry of Monarch butterflies and create their own butterflies to demonstrate their understanding of the concept.

Older students could have an opportunity to research different butterfly species and identify their unique characteristics. They can connect their learning to real-world applications and identify opportunities for biomimicry. Examples include self-cleaning surfaces to repel dust and debris, aerodynamic design for aircraft, or using color for textiles and technology.

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The post Bio-Inspired Builds: 3D Printing Pens and the Wonders of Nature first appeared on 3Doodler.

Watch the video above to see how Heather Doodles an Octopus with the 3Doodler Start Pen.

Doodling Journey

Heather got her first 3Doodler 2.0 pen from the Kickstarter campaign in 2015, and has been adding her own creative flair to Doodling ever since. In Sept 2016, Heather made her first mask with the 3Doodler Create, which sent her down a year long path of mask making. She has accrued an incredible collection of masks, and has even sold several of them at various events. During that time, she also made mixed media paintings, using the 3Doodler to add 3D elements on the canvas.

Her unique style and daring personality means she is always cooking up new ideas. Currently, she’s experimenting with different techniques with the 3Doodler Start, and learning more about making videos to share how her artwork is made with her audience. “I love how impulsive I can be. I can sit down with nothing and create something real in minutes, “ she enthusiastically shared.

A Seahorse made with the 3Doodler Start Pen

Heather’s Love For The Ocean

Heather is from a landlocked area of Canada, so the ocean, which she could rarely come into contact with, fascinated her. She loved how incredibly beautiful and colorful sea creatures are, which made them amazing art subjects. She carefully studied the different patterns, shapes, and textures of these magnificent creatures, and started making her own.

Mixing Media

The 3Doodler Start pen offers Heather a unique Doodling technique. Because extruded filament takes about 10-15 seconds to harden, Heather finds that she can manipulate the filament by hand, similar to shaping clay. She starts by Doodling the base structure, then adds filament bit by bit, moulding and smoothing with her fingers as she goes. Once the shape is complete, she adds a layer of ink to highlight all the folds and creases to create the skin texture, which really brings the structure to life. Finally, to give her creatures that realistic wet finish, Heather coats them with resin. The Octopus is her favourite amongst the sea creatures, and she plans on revisiting that design. “I have made two large-scale paintings featuring octopuses. It’s my favourite subject,” she exclaimed.

Thank you Heather for letting us interview you and for sharing your amazing work with us!
To see more of her work, visit Heather’s Instagram Page .

The post Hooked On Heather’s Sea Creatures first appeared on 3Doodler.

The entries for the Living World category for our 2016 3Doodler Awards showed us not only the diversity of our community, but also how each person can take different inspiration from the same concept. From the ocean to the air, our Doodlers showed us the best of what the Living World has to offer, and the variety of ways the spirit of each creature can be shown through artistic expression with the 3Doodler.

Under the Sea

Inspired by the hundreds of different fish species that can be found at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, our Living World Award winner Yuval Mor showcased the thriving ecosystem that can be found beneath the waves.

Yuval wasn’t the only one who dove deep to find creative inspiration. Mindy Nam’s wireframe octopus took a more minimalist and abstract approach to capturing the spirit of her subject. With clean lines and the stunning addition of glow-in-the-dark details, Mindy’s octopus shows off the sometimes hidden side of nature’s beauty.

All Creatures Great and Small

Our community of Doodlers showed us that size isn’t what matters when it comes to inspiring subjects. Even the smallest spider, like the one below from Yuval Mor, or this grasshopper and lady bug from Eduardo Pires can be a source for creativity!

But larger creatures can also leave a big impact. We saw many incredible creations inspired by the variety of life on land, like this elephant from Jonathan Breibart with artistic Doodled details.

Fowl is Fair

But our community couldn’t be limited by gravity of course, and many chose to let their creativity take flight with winged subjects.

Diogo Nunes de Sousa chose two iconic birds of the rainforest to celebrate the colorful diversity found with our feathered friends.

And Levittown Public Library showed us the power of creativity in education with a carefully constructed peacock, which they named Rajiv.

Gone but not Forgotten

Our world has been around for billions of years, and has seen creatures that may not be living now but were an important part of the history of life on our planet.

Paul Mahoney chose to take inspiration from the living world of long ago, with this Allosaur which he named “Allie”.

Inspiration is all Around

When looking for your next creative project, simply look to the world around you. From the ocean to the skies, our living world is filled with inspiring animals and creatures both in the present and the past.

Get creative, and find new ways to show the spirit of your subjects!

The post How the Living World Inspires Creativity first appeared on 3Doodler.

Cornelia’s complicated designs and unusual techniques help her create stunning Doodled forms and sculptures, but it certainly doesn’t make things easy. “There’s a lot of trial and error,” she admits.

One of the techniques Cornelia often uses is baking Doodled pieces to give them a glassy surface, an idea she had after a trip to Venice, Italy. “I quite liked the look of Murano glass in Venice and was wondering if PLA could melt in layers too,” she says. “I mean, it melts at 160°-180°C, that’s a temperature my oven achieves.” After some trial and error, Cornelia refined her baking technique to create glassy flowers and decorative pieces.

When it came time to submit entries for the 2015 3Doodler Awards, she knew she wanted to use the same effect on her seahorse. “I first had to Doodle every single plate on its body as a flat piece, and had only a rough guess at what angle they’d be assembled after baking them,” she says. “After baking the pieces I Doodled all the plates and the head together in order to create the two halves of the body, making a nice hollow form.”

"When I finally held it in my hands I was so happy, seeing my imagination take form at last." ShareBut when trying to fit the two pieces together, Cornelia discovered they didn’t fit together the way she had intended. “Every plate was unique and had shaped itself a bit differently when baking,” she explains. “The completed halves of the Seahorse did not have identical curvy lines, with one side being curvier than the other.”

In order to fix the pieces and have them fit together properly, Cornelia used a hot air gun to adjust and bend each shape. “I quite like to use a hot air gun on PLA,” she says. “The heat allows the filament to bend quickly into shape; you can even heat it up until it gets glossy across its surface.”

Working carefully with the seahorse, she had to re-shape each individual plate to fit correctly. “I had to try hard not to destroy any of the pieces either by breaking or overheating them,” she says. “The work was so sophisticated that I was almost exasperated while making it!”

But in the end, it was all worth the effort. “When I finally held it in my hands I was so happy, seeing my imagination take form at last,” she says. She was even prouder when her seahorse was announced as the 2015 Doodle of the Year.

When it comes to her Doodles, Cornelia is methodical in her approach. “Of course I make a draft of every 3Doodled figure,” she explains. “I usually draw the figure from one side view, roughly in its original size. After this, I divide the figure into its parts and plan out each one so that I can first create a skeleton of it, and then subsequently cover up the skeleton.”

This method allows Cornelia to create a frame to Doodle over. “In this way, the figures are all hollow,” she says. And while she uses references for some of her animals and flowers, she says her fantasy forms are all from her own imagination. “I don’t ever use references when making the more fantastical creatures.”

Cornelia feels like she was always meant to Doodle. “I’ve been drawing since childhood and I always loved neat detail,” she says. “So I guess, I’ve been practicing for my entire life.”

The post From Fantasy to 3D Pen Reality with Cornelia Kuglmeier first appeared on 3Doodler.

“I just felt it was lacking depth,” Niki says. “So I decided I would try Doodling the nose to give the piece that depth.”

Niki had been working for a 3Doodler distributer, and was already familiar with how the pen could be used to bridge the line between the second and third dimensions.

The Doodled nose pushed her drawing into a new realm of mixed media art. “I was over the moon with the result!” Niki says. “I had been looking to find ways to combine the 3Doodler with fine art and the final result blended in so well!”

Niki created the nose of the calf with black and white PLA, and added some paint at the end to blend the colors and make the nose look more realistic.

“The calf is looking through a fence, so I found a couple of pieces of wood to put at the top and bottom for the fence and then overlapped the nose over the top of the bottom fence,” Niki explains. The final result was an engaging and entertaining piece which Niki playfully named “Moodle.”

Since the creation of “Moodle”, Niki has explored more animal portraiture with Doodled additions.

“I don’t think I’m going to be able to go back to 2D anymore,” Niki says. “2D-3D is the way forward for me, and I’m hoping it will make my work stand out in a very competitive market.”

Ram-a-Doodle

The post Breaking Free of 2D with Niki Firmin first appeared on 3Doodler.