fine art - 3Doodler

Artist Spotlight: Anela Ming-Yue Oh

Posted on June 21, 2023June 21, 2023 by Vicki Grisanti

Anela Ming-Yue Oh is a multidisciplinary artist who loves curry and the ocean! Anela partnered with 3Doodler on our latest guest artist feature to share her approach to 3D artwork.

She uses materials that have a life of their own such as clay, paper, and fiber, with her 3D pen creations. Anela recently completed a year as an artist in residence at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. She will be traveling to Malaysia as a School of Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University Traveling Fellow in 2023.

Finding Artistic Inspiration

Anela relies on her imagination and also draws from the resources around us to inspire her creativity.

“For me, I draw strength to move through the world from my identity as mixed race-Malaysian-Chinese, lessons from the natural world, and people close to me who have passed on,” said Anela.

In this piece, Anela uses the 3Doodler 3D pen to speak to Malaysian batik, a lost wax process where wax is painted or stamped on fabric and then dyed. She also incorporated a plant from both sides of her mixed-race heritage: okra. It’s a plant that Anela believes both her white Southern family members and her Malaysian-Chinese members would have intimately known through food.

“A huge part of using vibrant colors for me is being unapologetic in taking up space,” said Anela. “As an Asian American you are often viewed and shaped by culture to be as small and unobtrusive as possible.”

The bright color in this piece represents reclaiming spaces as an active agent in the world. The colors draw from the traditional Malaysian dress she grew up with and family members who wore such patterns and colors as batik sarongs.

Surprising Ways with Mixed Media

“As an artist who is mixed race dealing with world building I believe it is important that my work reflects a meeting of materials, soft fiber and hard plastic or ceramic meeting in ways that create beautiful complexity,” said Anela. “This interdisciplinary approach reflects the strength and commonalities between the different worlds I inhabit every day.”

She started this project using the 3Doodler Pro+ to draw the central okra stalk element and the other floral patterns. She continues to create until she has enough in varying colors and styles to lay out the design. Next, she begins the papermaking processes to transform the PLA drawings.

“I work with a fiber called overbeaten abaca which is a plant fiber that I beat for 8 hours in a machine called a hollander beater,” said Anela. “I use it because it is extremely strong and connects seamlessly to the 3Doodler drawings.”

She used a papermaking tool called a deckle box to “pull” the sheet using the unpigmented abaca to create the base sheet of paper. Then, she dips each 3D drawing into a pigmented abaca container before placing it on the base sheet. Finally, she removes the abaca base sheet once the 3Doodler designs are placed.

Experimenting & Creating in 3D

During her undergraduate program, Anela used the 3Doodler Pro+ in a metals class and fell in love with the process. The objective was to use the 3D pens to think through modeling before casting. Anela found herself making rings and other jewelry directly with the pen and ABS material.

“I found it very accessible to start working very creatively,” said Anela. “I was building three dimensional forms, flat forms and building them up, and ended up making forms combining those ways of working with the pen that were used in my thesis show.”

She explains that it’s essential to use materials that spark excitement. Trying out new materials encourages the imagination. A new technique may transform an artistic approach.

“I think a huge part of any artistic practice is joy and experimentation,” said Anela. “When you integrate different materials it provides endless problem solving and opportunity to play with how the materials work together.”

Anela advises budding 3D artists to experiment and play. She finds that the more you experiment and add new tools and skills to your toolbelt, the more you will find the things that resonate.

“It took me quite some time to figure out how the 3Doodler Pro+ would function in my larger practice in a meaningful way,” she said. “Now, I’m working with clay in similar ways due to my experience with the 3Doodler pen. I can’t wait to see how all of this learning keeps expanding the relationships between my materials.”

Experiment and play with your 3D pen. Test different materials to see what works best for you. Take inspiration from Anela’s unique approach to art and her tips. Share what inspires you and tell us about it at @3Doodler or #3Doodler #WhatWillYouCreate.

Finding Inspiration Through Street Art, 3D Glasses, and a Mexican Artist

Posted on April 19, 2023April 19, 2023 by Vicki Grisanti

Street art is created in public locations and is usually unsanctioned. Still, it covers a wide range of media and is generally more connected with graphic design than graffiti art, according to Tate.

3Doodler took inspiration from this art form in our latest collaboration with artist Ricardo Martinez. Creating this street art design, Ricardo took inspiration from 3D glasses, engraving, and a late Mexican artist.

3D Glasses & Pop-Culture

Ricardo admits that inspiration for his latest piece initially took a lot of work to find. Although the ideas were there, they took time to coalesce into a design.

“I knew I wanted to create an anaglyph. I kept thinking about 3D glasses that had one red and one blue lens,” said Ricardo. “The images were layers and when you viewed them through the glasses, your perception would change making the image pop off the page or the screen.”

Joseph D’Almeida experimented with anaglyphs, a Greek term meaning again and sculpture, in the 1850s and is often credited with inventing a new way to view 3D. Anaglyph uses a motion or still picture in which two composite images, usually one red and one blue, are superposed one over the other to produce a three-dimensional effect when viewed through correspondingly colored glasses.

The Power of Love, released in 1922, was the first movie to use anaglyph technology and require the audience to wear 3D glasses. It grew in popularity, and more films were released in the 1950s. One of the more well-known films of the time was Creature From The Black Lagoon in 1954.

A more current example of the technique that Ricardo referenced is this Daily Motion video that shows street mural art with two designs in one, depending on how you view it.

Late Mexican Artist Inspires Modern Design

Despite having chosen his technique, Ricardo struggled to find inspiration for the piece itself. As he attempted different designs, nothing looked quite right. Ricardo wanted to create a transparent image with plexiglass panels. He started with a heart, but the idea refused to take shape.

Ricardo looked for a piece of art or another idea to inspire his design. He decided to focus on a Mexican artist he greatly admired, Saturino Herrán. Born in Aguascalientes, Mexico, on July 9, 1887, Herrán attended the Academy of San Carlos in 1904. His artistic career flourished from 1912-1914, inspiring the Mexican modernist movement.

“I’ve always admired Herran’s figurative art,” said Ricardo. “He is not really well known and I wanted to pay tribute to him using new technology. It felt especially powerful given I’m working with a drawing that is easily 100 years old and reviving it in a modern way.”

The work that inspired Ricardo is an unnamed illustration that Herran drew for Pegaso magazine in 1917. Herrán’s more famous works include Our Ancient Gods, which celebrates the strength, dignity, and beauty of the indigenous people who are part of Mexico’s history. Through this painting and several others, Herrán established himself as a champion of indigenismo, a movement to elevate and show respect for Indigenous people and their culture.

Creating Street Art

Now that Ricardo had his idea for the drawing and the technique he would use, he was ready to create. First, Ricardo would trace the sketch and then use his artistic design elements to fill in the back of the portrait.

“What many people don’t realize is that with a 3Doodler 3D pen, you don’t have to be a great artist or designer to create something beautiful,” said Ricardo. “You can find inspiration in drawing or sketches you see and use a DoodlePad to trace them and create art.”

The bright pink and blue palettes he used were classic street art shades. The final design is something that Ricardo is pleased to share.

“When you have an idea, you should see it through to the end. As I was working on this piece, I wasn’t happy with it at all. I even stopped at one point as it just wasn’t making sense,” said Ricardo. “Seeing it through to the end paid off as I was able to realize my initial vision.”

Ricardo’s advice to other artists is to stick with it.

“Even if the skills aren’t there, you can trace. Do whatever you can to produce something and your own style will start to emerge as you put pen to paper,” said Ricardo.

Test Ricardo’s latest techniques and share your 3D art by tagging @3Doodler or #3Doodler #WhatWillYouCreate!

Artist Spotlight: Ricardo Martinez

Posted on January 25, 2023January 24, 2023 by Vicki Grisanti

3Doodler is delighted to work with a range of artists this year to invite curiosity and spark the imagination as we design and create in 3D.

Each month, the 3Doodler team shares ideas and tutorials to help kick-start the design process. We were curious to see what our artist community would create with the same inspiration.

Last week, we explored the artistry of ice castles. 3Doodler shared a version that is easy to replicate with our free stencil and tutorial. This week, guest artist Ricardo Martinez (riikc) shared his version of an ice castle. See where he found his inspiration and how the sculpture came together.

Creating with riikc

Ricardo is a sculpture artist, painter, and photographer who explores a variety of materials and techniques in his work. Ricardo has extensive experience creating art with 3D pens and often shares his approach with the 3Doodler community.

Ricardo’s latest installation, Memento Vivere, gained worldwide attention as an interactive multi-disciplinary project using light, technology, and science to express an idea. This larger-than-life exhibit consists of a series of electroluminescent cables arranged in a skull structure that Ricardo designed with a 3D pen. The sectors of the installation light up as people interact with the display.

Ricardo lives in Brussels and travels extensively. He takes inspiration from nature, landscapes, geography, architecture, and much more. We were delighted to connect with him about his experience creating an ice castle in 3D.

3D Design Approach

Ricardo had an idea for this design and took inspiration from fantasy video games he’s played over the years, like Final Fantasy. From his home in Brussels, he looks at a large church with a castle-like appearance and eight pillars. Mixing these concepts, he began to sketch the design on paper.

“It seems like a different part of your brain kicks in and starts working as you start building,” said Ricardo. “The design evolves as you go. The castle resembles the sketch but evolved as I sculpted it in 3D.”

Ricardo used existing shapes to begin the sculpture and found it easy to keep adding material to get the form he wanted for the design. For example, he used a glass cylinder to create the pillars’ base. He could continue this process to get the length he wanted for the towers.

To design the castle, Ricardo used the 3Doodler PRO+ 3D pen and PLA, nylon, wood, and bronze filament.

“I love the smell of the wood while I’m creating. It makes me feel like I’m in a woodshop,” said Ricardo. “For this design, the wood and bronze add texture and stand in contrast to the rest of the design, which is the effect I was hoping to achieve.”

Advice for the Community

Ricardo is an experienced artist who shares his success tips freely to encourage others to pick up a pen, paintbrush, or other tool and begin creating.

“It’s important to share that you don’t need to create shapes out of thin air,” said Ricardo. “I recommend starting by using existing shapes. Then, you can find inspiration and doodle anything with objects around you.”

For new 3D pen artists, Ricardo recommends starting with a speed setting of three and gradually working up to faster settings. In this design, Ricardo found he could work effectively with a speed setting of seven or nine.

“I was impressed with the speed settings on the pen. It’s incredible how adjusting those settings can change things and make the experience much more enjoyable, given how quickly you can cover a large surface,” said Ricardo. “The PRO+ pen is much more comfortable and easier to use over long periods.”

Ricardo notes that the PRO+ makes it easier to swap materials and see what’s happening, which saves a great deal of time. He was especially pleased with how the wood detail came out on the ice castle and enjoyed adding contrast with different materials.

When working in bronze, Ricardo recommends keeping a bit of distance from the tip to the surface as the material smudges easily.

“Working in 3D evolves whatever idea you think you have, and it goes into many different directions that you can’t experience with just 2D drawing. It opens your mind to new possibilities and thinking in ways you’ve never thought before,” said Ricardo.

It’s incredible to see creators at work and watch designs come to life in 3D. Expect more artist and creator collaborations in the months ahead. Share your ideas with us. What would you like to see 3Doodler and our collaborators create? Tag 3Doodler or use #3Doodler #WhatWillYouCreate.

Doodling Fine Art with Carina Shoshtary

Posted on July 22, 2020August 9, 2023 by Lindsey

“Fine art is knowledge made visible.” -Gustave Courbet

Carina Shoshtary describes herself as a modern hunter-gather who takes artistic inspiration from her immediate surroundings. Carina’s innovative approach to art through 3D design delights the senses and stirs the imagination.

The 3Doodler Create+ has been integral to Carina’s artwork, especially when designing jewelry and fine art sculptures. We had a chance to connect with Carina to learn about her creative background, her new “Hunter” collection, and the unique techniques she employs with the 3Doodler Create+ 3D printing pen.

Can you tell us about yourself and your history with fine art?

I’m an artist who works on jewelry and wearable art. I was first trained as a traditional goldsmith, then studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich, focusing on jewelry and objects. I describe myself as a modern hunter-gatherer as the materials I use are often found or recycled. My early works were wearable mini-sculptures but I didn’t care about how they interacted with the body. Now most of my pieces are molded to the human form, so they only really come to life when they are worn.

What do you love about using the 3Doodler pen, and how has it been helpful as opposed to other artistic mediums?

During my training as a goldsmith, I quickly realized that metal wasn’t my favorite material. I am an intuitive maker and usually don’t plan pieces in detail beforehand, but rather, I respond impulsively to an emotional idea in the moment. Because of this, I prefer softer materials, which give in more willingly. The Create+ 3D pen has been perfect for my way of designing. It enables a very spontaneous and natural workflow.

Can you comment on the inspiration behind your “Hunter” series?

For several years I worked with Graffiti from a wall in Munich, which is a very distinct material. In the contemporary jewelry world, my name was to this material and it was hard to develop anything new. I took some time off from all obligations to make more artistic works and the “Hunter” project was the end result. I allowed myself time to sit in the studio and experiment with new materials. It’s been very liberating. I feel like I am doing the pieces I always wanted to create.

How has the 3D printing pen been an important tool for this series?

The “Hunter” series has served as a liberation project for my fine art, and the 3Doodler pen has been an incredibly useful tool for this collection. I find it very easy to use. Not only can I draw ornaments with it, which I later connect to more complex shapes, but I also use it to set pebbles, shells, or other materials. I use it to connect diverse materials to each other. The process is quick and effortless. Most of what I’ve created for this series has flowing aesthetics reminiscent of art nouveau, which I can easily develop with the 3D pen plastics.

Can you share some of the techniques you use when making your Doodles?

The most useful thing for my work that I’ve learned so far is that I can reheat the already hardened PLA material as many times as I need to in order to reshape it. For slight alterations I use a blow-dryer. If I want to reshape a form in a more extreme way though, I slightly heat the PLA with my jeweler torch. It doesn’t burn or smoke if you are careful, but gets extremely soft and pliable. For all aspiring Doodlers out there, my best advice is to experiment!

Are you inspired by Carina’s 3D pen art? Share your thoughts with us on social media, give Carina a follow, and be sure to post pictures of your 3D creations and tag us! @3Doodler #3Doodler #FineArt #WhatWillYouCreate?

Are you looking for 3D pen ideas? Perhaps you’re trying to find the best 3D pen for you? Check out our library of free projects to start creating, and be sure to view our collection of 3D pens and 3D pen plastics.

How Two Artists Shared a New Point of View

Posted on July 20, 2017November 6, 2022 by mcdoodle

Art allows us to see the world from the point of view of the artist as they show their own experience and perspective in their work.

For two Korean artists, the 3Doodler provided a new way to express themselves through their art.

“If I could have anything in the world, I’d want to stand and walk on my own two feet and dance,” says Kim Hyung-hee. The 47-year-old painter was paralyzed in a traffic accident, and knows just how important art and creative expression can be in aiding in recovery and mental health.

Kim now works as a clinical art therapist, and discovered the 3Doodler as a new way to bring dimension and life into her artwork.

“I drew a three-dimensional flower on canvas,” she says, recalling her first Doodle. “In contrast with common drawing and painting, I can draw everything in new ways, and it’s new to be able to draw in three-dimensional ways.”

Hyung-hee has had private exhibitions of her work, as well as showcased how the 3Doodler can be used as a creative therapeutic aide in festivals and and shows around Korea.

“There are so various and beautiful colors in 3Doodler plastics,” Hyung-hee says, “and I can draw everything in three dimensions and unique ways.”

Weon Jea-hyun is a 27-year-old artist who specializes in kinetic sculpture, focused on combining movement with art.

Jea-hyun was instantly drawn to the 3Doodler and the new possibilities a 3D printing pen could offer.

“The first thing I tried Doodling was my name. It was very strange but awesome that my handwriting was realized into 3D immediately,” Jea-hyun recalls.

As an extension of work from an 2013 solo exhibition titled Observation, Jea-hyun used the 3Doodler to create a layered piece meant to showcase a shift in perspectives.

“People observe each other’s daily life. Someone can observe me, and I also can observe someone,” Jea-hyun explains. “Someone’s routine can be interesting for the other, and this metaphorical change of viewpoints can be a mechanism which assigns variability and interest to routine life.”

Jea-hyun’s own cat was the source of inspiration and the piece shows a layered crowd of attentive felines staring out at the viewer.

“In this work, cats can be interpreted as the projection of people,” Jea-hyun explains. “They observe others—the viewers—but also the viewers observe them—the cats.”

Critic’s Choice: New Dimensions

Posted on March 23, 2017November 6, 2022 by mcdoodle

In Critic’s Choice,speaks to members of the art world who explore what the 3Doodler means in a broader artistic context. Last week we spoke to New Media Art Professor Zhenzhen Qi.

This weekspoke to Kerri Gaudelli, an installation artist and educator at the prestigious Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut. At the Aldrich, Gaudelli works to foster an understanding and appreciation of art in every visitor, through historical perspective and interpretation. She also organizes opportunities for visitors to explore their own creative impulses as inspired by the works they’ve seen at the Aldrich.

Kerri Gaudelli doesn’t believe she has ever seen anything quite like the 3Doodler.

That makes the tool particularly unique. In her time at the Aldrich Museum she has seen a wide range of modern and contemporary work created using an expansive array of mediums. The diversity of artists and work on display at the museum is extensive, and often includes work that crosses the boundary between two and three dimensions.

Gaudelli’s own art often involves converting a charcoal drawing into installation pieces, featuring pins and thread that interact with the space around them. As a result, she’s excited by the prospect of using the 3Doodler in her own work.

“The 3Doodler is a new way for artists to think about space,” she says. “It can let them expand and bring their work to life. Letting them bring it out of 2D and into 3D allows them to work on the canvas as well as the wall, or anywhere, really, and often with the same amount of skill.”

While Gaudelli has yet to see a museum display that evokes the exact same look or feel as the 3Doodled work she’s seen, she believes the pen’s ability to work across dimensions and mediums would fit naturally into museum spaces both as a medium and as a learning tool. Gaudelli was impressed by the painterly sculpture of Rachel Goldsmith, which clearly showcased the 3Doodler’s ability to enable a new exploration of space.

“I think it would be a great experiment. My own work has a lot to do with structure, building, and translating from 2D to 3D and back, which is exactly what this pen does.” Gaudelli also said she feels the 3Doodler would be an excellent tool to have on hand at the Aldrich, particularly for the educational programs she runs for children.

“I’m the Education Program Assistant at The Aldrich. Which means I help run and write content for our school programs,” Guadelli said. “I also foster the relationship between schools and the Aldrich, and do outreach to help get students into the Museum.” To be effective at her job, Gaudelli often has to interpret how students as young as 3rd grade might see the museum, and help design an engaging experience for that particular point of view.

The Aldrich is multi-discipline as well as multi-media, and routinely hosts STEAM education events. STEAM education—which combines Art with the Science, Technology, Education and Mathematics of STEM programs—combines the strengths of all five modes of thinking. The Aldrich’s “Full STEAM Ahead” events feature symposiums and presentations about STEAM principals in education and society, as well as practical opportunities for students to investigate the topics and materials directly.

“Our STEAM tours would be a great fit for the 3Doodler,” Gaudelli said of the 3Doodler as a potential educational tool at the Museum.

“These are programs that let kids explore the galleries and artists on display at the museum and try to figure out what the artists are inspired by and interested in based on the works themselves and STEAM thinking. We recently had an exhibit with a piece that consisted of a deconstructed 1976 John Deere combine harvester. The artist used it as a metaphor to show the interconnectedness of different parts of the environment. It’s a real chance for the kids to come to understand space, and the use of something comparatively high-tech would fit really well. I think students would take to it right away.”

Gaudelli believes that the 3Doodler could be a way to open not just new directions for drawing, but also for thinking about art. “It really is the ultimate STEAM tool because it combines so many different ways of thinking, different dimensions, as well as science and technology behind it, and it uses all of that to create artwork.”

Critic’s Choice: Drawing New Insights with Zhenzhen Qi

Posted on March 16, 2017November 6, 2022 by mcdoodle

Artists and creators the world over recognize the 3Doodler as a powerful and revolutionary tool. But what impact do the critics, professors, and curators of the art world think the 3Doodler will have? In Critic’s Choice,speaks to members of the art world who examine and speculate about what this new technology means in a broader artistic context.

Our first perspective comes from Zhenzhen Qi, an adjunct professor who teaches new media art and interaction design. Originally trained as an applied mathematician at UC Berkeley, she earned a Masters in New Media Arts after feeling there was something missing from her undergraduate studies. Qi’s work is often interactive and fuses her analytical background with representations of emotion. As a professor, she is continuously searching for truth, and helping her pupils find it as well.

Scientist, mathematician, engineer, and artist, Zhenzhen Qi has taken a circuitous path to where she is today. Bringing it all together is an essential part of her quest for truth.

“I had a very typical science and engineering educational experience,” Qi said of her training as an applied mathematician, “but I felt it was lacking something very important to the kind of person I am. The way scientists and engineers are trained and educated made me feel like there needs to be something more.”

3D pen with plastic strands background and a quote.

“I’m still not sure if art alone is the answer,” Qi admitted, “but I think there are a lot of interesting things happening in the space between art and science technology.”

The search for “something more” led Qi to the Interactive Art program at NYU’s Tisch School for the Arts. After graduation, she became an educator and currently teaches both graduate and undergraduate New Media Art programs across New York City.

“The numerical parts of science combined with the openness of art is what makes both what I teach and what I make more interesting than either on their own.” Qi’s exploration of the spaces where art and science overlap has naturally taken her to the world of 3D printing. And that’s part of the reason why she is excited about the 3Doodler.

3D pen art: Cartoon chair and lamp with quote

Qi’s statement is based on mathematician and computer scientist Seymour Papert’s design principal of “low floors, high ceilings.” When properly executed, this means you can create something with a tool as soon as it is picked up, but that the potential for more complex and involved creations from the tool is limitless. Although Papert was talking about his Logo programing language, Qi was referring to the relative ease of use of a printing pen, even though a practiced user can create truly incredible things.

But Papert’s thinking isn’t the only thing exciting Qi about the 3Doodler.

“I’m very familiar with 3D printing commercial technology. I’ve designed and printed a number of things with different hardware and materials,” Qi said of the emerging medium. But while she has been pleased with the results overall, she finds the process lacking something vital.

For Qi, 3D printing has meant that the act of creation ends when she saves the final version of the design file. The automated 3D printer removes the tactile element of creation and detaches her from the creative process. So, just as applied mathematics turned out to be only part of the equation, standard 3D printing techniques haven’t offered everything she is looking for.

Qi believes the 3Doodler can provide a sense of creative ownership that automated printers simply can’t match. Executing the design by hand may provide artists with a new appreciation for the medium of molded plastic. Shaping the work directly makes it possible to discover new aspects of the piece, and understand the medium directly. And while it does make mistakes or minor imperfections more likely, this introduces the possibility to learn and find serendipitous new ways to develop artwork.

The increased potential for discovery and creation, Qi feels, is at the core of the appeal of the 3Doodler.

“The reason I thought a printing pen would be a great idea is because it reminds me so much of just regular drawing on a piece of paper. And drawing as a technology is probably one of our oldest forms of expression, one of the oldest technologies we have, and that’s because there’s so much creative potential with that tool.”

Qi envisions a future where the 3Doodler enables creators and students to easily create work that deftly blends dozens of disciplines. “This is a tool which can integrate fields that people are not used to seeing combined—for example, art, physics, material sciences and engineering. I think it’s more about integrating different fields rather than completely redefining any one field.”

And with that integration, perhaps she will find her greater truth.

Check out more of Qi’s work at zhenzhenqi.com.

Creating Fine Art and Fashion with Erica Gray

Posted on September 27, 2016November 6, 2022 by mcdoodle

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

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

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

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

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

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.”

Mixed Media Creations with Ilma Wasty

Posted on September 22, 2016November 6, 2022 by mcdoodle

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

“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.”

Showing What’s Hidden with KIMONE

Posted on June 22, 2016November 6, 2022 by mcdoodle

South Korean artist KIMONE shows the hidden side of human emotions with her digital art. Now she’s looking to push her art into a new dimension.

“The first thing I Doodled was my name on paper,” KIMONE says. But using the 3Doodler was different than other media she had used in the past. “Those words were written badly and I felt pretty awkward,” she admits.

But feelings and emotions, especially those related to insecurity, are what KIMONE’s artwork is all about. Her series “HIDE” was inspired by her experience in therapy.

“During therapy sessions, I looked at myself through the person sitting in front of me,” she says. “The enclosed area where I had the sessions was not a space for me to be comfortable in, but instead put me under pressure.”

Even though the therapy sessions were meant to encourage openness, KIMONE says that for her it made her want to cover up even more. “Every moment, I tried to hide,” she says.

With the 3Doodler and branching out into 3-dimensional art, KIMONE’s artwork turned from hiding to expressing. “I have been working on the natural human body and very basic human emotions,” she says. “I wanted to express the extended concept of a human face that shows abstract feelings and emotions.”

Using the 3Doodler allowed KIMONE to explore new avenues in her artwork. “Doodling enables me to represent all kinds of abstract images,” she explains. “And Doodling has a special virtue in that you can use mixed medium and vary from 2D to 3D.”

"Doodling has a special virtue in that you can use mixed medium and vary from 2D to 3D."

Now KIMONE plans to continue using the 3Doodler for bigger projects. “I would like to express the human body in more detail,” she says. “I look forward to creating structural sculpture by using parts of the human body.”

KIMONE says she recommends using Overhead Projector film paper for Doodling. “It’s good for practicing one’s writing and also the letters can be separated into pieces more easily,” she says.

KIMONE says her 3Doodled face was the most intense work she has done with exploring the human form in 3D. She worked on her sculpture for 10 days, working five to eight hours each day. “It is a great pleasure for an artist to feel emotion easily through their work,” she says. “This artwork made me feel this.”

Mixed-Media Masterpieces with Barbara Taylor-Harris

Posted on May 23, 2016November 6, 2022 by mcdoodle

Barbara Taylor-Harris creates mesmerizing mixed media artwork, combining traditional painting and sculpture techniques with new plastic enhancements.

Barbara Taylor-Harris

“I am often told off in galleries. I always touch everything!” says Barbara. It makes sense. As a sculptor, it’s important to have a good sense of the way things feel and move. “Often the joy and knowledge of art comes from feeling texture, not just looking.”

Barbara’s work is all about texture. “I like people to be able to feel the magic and touch my work,” she says. “I started with watercolor, but I soon found flat paper uninspiring, so I decided to experiment with texture.”

Barbara began experimenting with a variety of materials, and came across the 3Doodler. She found that by creating texture with Doodled additions, her mixed media works of art were able to hold up when curious art admirers want to feel for themselves.

But it wasn’t always so easy to make her Doodled creations a reality. “My first project was a dancer, but I struggled to make it stand up,” Barbara remembers.

"Often the joy and knowledge of art comes from feeling texture, not just looking"

As she became more familiar with the 3Doodler, Barbara was able to hone her skills and create larger and more detailed pieces. “My last Doodles were creating magical forests,” she says. “I was exploring the use of supports with the 3Doodler.”

Now Barbara wants to take her mixed media experimentation even further. “I want to create 3Doodled sculptures which are designed to be lit from inside,” she says.

Barbara sees her 3Doodler like a brush or palette knife. “The pen is now another tool and plastic relief another material for my paintings,” she says. “In both cases, the 3Doodler allows me to do things I often can’t do or do as easily with traditional materials.”

Forming High-Fashion

Posted on March 8, 2016November 6, 2022 by mcdoodle

As a hand-held 3D printer, the 3Doodler opens up a world of possibilities, uses, and applications. This week we look at how the 3Doodler hit the runway with high-fashion wearable forms.

Artist and creator Erica Gray’s Forms Organic demonstrates how free-hand constructions with the 3Doodler can lead to incredible and unique creative fashion.

Forms Organic was made using the 3Doodler and ABS plastic in combination with other materials to create a masked headpiece and torso section. The wearable sculpture is a bespoke one-of-a-kind artwork. The piece is inspired by organic figures and animalistic imagery, expressed using a skeletal structure, tails, teeth and claw-like elements.

“It took a few weeks to produce,” explains Erica. “I had a model booked and a deadline to work towards which helped me really focus.”

Creating a large-scale high-fashion piece was a new step for Erica. “While my work is essentially art based, Forms Organic is also a wearable piece, which meant it took a little longer getting the intricacies of the fit right for a moving subject,” she says.

Every aspect of Forms Organic was constructed by hand. “I pre-selected the elements I wanted to utlize within the piece,” Eric says, “such as the polymer teeth, claws and nylon tail – which I also sculpted from scratch.”

Once the additional pieces were created, Erica then got to work with her 3Doodler. “The main bulk of the piece is then 3Doodled around, through, or within those elements,” she says. “I used roughly sketched stencils for some of the joins, and once those parts were ready I just assembled the form, building up layers of filament over select areas to exaggerate and construct the skeletal ridges.”

"I usually work from sketches, however in this case I just let it evolve."

Erica was working only with a loose plan of where to go and how to proceed. “I usually work from sketches, however in this case I just let it evolve,” she explains. It was a process fitting for the nature of this piece and helped inspire the title of Forms Organic. “My sculpted works are often themed on organic forms and animalistic imagery, and this piece captures those fluid forms as well as some more rigid skeletal sections.”

Erica says the process helped inspire her for future works and opens up a new realm of possibilities for wearable, high-fashion projects. “I usually produce wearable pieces that stand as a whole, encompassing any accessories as a part of it’s whole,” she says. “Saying that, while I am not actively pursuing accessories as a direction it does have me intrigued. The idea would be to design individually stylised, fluid plastic pieces for arms, legs, shoes, collars – art as accessories.”

Shaping the Surreal with Yudi Marton

Posted on May 4, 2015November 6, 2022 by mcdoodle

One of the first artists to use the 3Doodler, Yudi Marton lives in Haifa, Israel and caught our attention with his incredible surrealist sculptures. No stranger to creative curiosity, Yudi was among the first to explore the world of computer generated digital artwork more than 25 years ago.

This same instinct is what initially piqued his interest in our original Kickstarter campaign. After backing the world’s first 3D printing pen, Yudi explored new and innovative uses for the 3Doodler, using multiple pens to produce incredibly creative and detailed sculptures.

Yudi spends 30 hours on average for each piece

At 61 years old, Yudi has had a lifetime of creative experience to prepare him for new and emerging creative technologies.

"The 3Doodler is a natural drawing tool for me, it allows me to both draw and sculpt."

“I’ve been an artist for as long as I can recall,” he says. “For most of that time I worked with ball point drawings or sculpture using wood, soft stone, or clay. The 3Doodler is a natural drawing tool for me, it allows me to both draw and sculpt, transitioning into using it was an intuitive motion.”

Seated Couple

Yudi’s sculptures take on average 30 hours to complete, but more complicated figures can take much longer. “‘Seated Couple’ actually took almost 60 hours in total,” Yudi says. “This is the reasoning behind having multiple pens, it allows me to switch them out during longer sessions without losing momentum.”

While Yudi’s sculptures look like they come straight from his fantastic imagination, each one requires careful planning. “I build each project from many different parts which are then fused together,” he explains. “These parts are often made up of series of rings which are combined to create a wireframe of the intended character.”

And even with advance planning, Yudi says there’s always unexpected twists in the creative process. “More often than not, things don’t always go as I planned and I need to break, bend and twist before getting the forms correct,” he says. “For instance, ‘The Jump’ was done by breaking the figure many different times in order to achieve the sense of movement in the final product.”

The Jump

Yudi’s personal artistic style wasn’t always the same – it evolved over years of creative expression. “I became comfortable with my technique mostly through experimentation and persistence,” he says. “You need to have a lot of patience, but even the learning process is fun and ultimately rewarding.”

Yudi Martin's Crown Tower Trilogy

To stay current with Yudi’s upcoming work and exhibition be sure to check out his home page.

Painting in Plastic with Rachel Goldsmith

Posted on December 5, 2014October 8, 2024 by mcdoodle

Rachel Goldsmith strikes a fine balance in her artwork between control and chaos. When creating her Doodled masterpieces, she is exacting and meticulous while unafraid of taking a wild leap off the beaten path when another flash of inspiration strikes.

This harmony between two seemingly opposing concepts is nothing new for Rachel. “My artwork is inspired by two sets of contrasts,” she explains. “In my environment, the contrast between man-made and nature; and in materials, the contrast between the control I have over the media and how the media naturally interact with each other. This inspiration manifests itself in my final pieces through contrasts in color, in line, shape and form, and in textures”

Based in Brooklyn, New York, Rachel collaborated with 3Doodler for the debut in MoMA’s design store windows with her Metamorphosis Lamp.

Metamorphosis Lamp

But she had been Doodling long before that, creating mixed media masterpieces and exploring the properties of plastics in unique and unusual ways.

In person, Rachel is a whirlwind of life and laughter, and her artwork is detailed and brimming with energy. She has learned how to adapt and even harness the sometimes unpredictable nature of melted plastic.

Sometimes she lashes it into shape, controlling the Doodled lines with a precise, steady hand. At other times she lets the PLA flow naturally, reacting and adjusting as its meandering motion takes her art in new directions.

Rachel allows her pieces to evolve in a very organic way. Some works, like the appropriately-titled experimental Frankenstein, start on a large scale, stretched horizontally across six feet.

Over the course of a few weeks, the piece was folded, ironed, molded, cut, flipped and formed into a leaf-like form made of PLA, copper leaf, and brass foil.

Rachel’s mix of chaotic control reflects what Doodling is at it’s core: endless experimentation.

Mixing Media with Sara Berti

Posted on July 26, 2014November 6, 2022 by mcdoodle

When Sara Berti first saw the 3Doodler, she knew it would be an invaluable tool for her mixed-media art. “Who wouldn’t want to use this revolutionary new medium?” she says. “It’s the world’s first 3D printing pen!”

Sara is an Italian sculptor who spends her time living between Turkey, Italy and Hungary. She likes to work in parallel with new and old techniques and combine them in creative ways.

Just like her use of other materials and media, here too Sara aims to demonstrate the possibilities of creative freedom, but at the same time incorporate the experience of classical traditional art as the starting point.

She collects materials for her work from different places and occasions—like doily gloves or feathers from Hungary, or metal pieces from Italy.

Sara describes her artwork as “a kind of a symbolic summary of the network of the contemporary (art) world, where everything is extremely international and interconnected. In this way, the combination of natural and artificial materials— the two extremities composing our world—adds an inspiring transcendental dimension to the works.”

Tag: fine art