Watercolour paper stretches when wet, so needs to be taped down on a flat surface like a board. A better tape than what I’m using (beige masking tape or green painter’s tape) is gummed paper tape. You can buy artist’s tape or, apparently, the tape used by butchers. I need to get some, and perfect my stretching skills.

There are many other watercolour techniques to explore for creating beautiful backgrounds. Just do a search on YouTube.

Shop Wild Gears at this link.

Meanwhile, here are some videos of pieces that I’ve done:

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She created a thread on a forum dedicated to fountain pens, showing some of the art she has produced using fountain pens and mixing zentangle components with Wild Gears patterns. She also shows photos showing how her Wild Gears have totally invaded her living space.

I love how the soft colors and washes soften the geometric patterns, and the hand-drawn components fill the spaces.

She also offers some tips on using Wild Gears which you might find helpful whether or not you’re using fountain pens.

Read her thread at this link.

She’s also on Instagram as @pinkinkfountainpen where you can find more of her work.

Thanks Samantha, and I’m so sorry it took me a year to dig your email out of my To Do box!

Shop Wild Gears at this link.

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In this snippet he takes a foray into the world of Spirograph and some artists who work with it. Quite amusing.

The post James May’s take on Spirograph appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

Rose Engine with Wild Gears

A reader, Steve White, has been experimenting with using Spirograph pieces and just recently, Wild Gears, on a machine called a Rose Engine.  A Rose Engine is a kind of lathe that can produce spirograph-like patterns in metal and other materials. The Rose Engine has shaped disks called rosettes that create the pattern. The results are pretty amazing, with patterns that you probably couldn’t produce any other way.  Here is a video of Steve explaining some ways he has integrated Spirograph pieces:

Aaron Bleackley, creator of Wild Gears, programmed a 1.000-inch hole in the middle of some of the Wild Gears so that they mount on Steve’s machine, and he’s starting to experiment with them.

This photo shows a small square Wild Gear mounted with a large wheel with 135 teeth to produce the pattern shown.

“This is the spring that pushes the head stock of the rose engine forward against the smaller gear. A big gear on the spindle is fixed in place, and as I hand crank the spindle, the large gear messes with a small gear. That creates the pattern on the paper.”

Showing his setup for previewing the pattern on paper to be drawn by the lathe.

“I had to make a holder for the gears that fit my Rose engine. Now they are in order and easy to find. Also right next to my machine. ” ~ Steve White

At this stage, Steve said, “For now large gears are on the spindle and another goes around the outside edge [epitrochoids]. But with new tooling I could come up with a way to run a gear on the inside [hypotrochoids].”

A day later, he had found a way to run the gears on the inside.

“Now I can use wild gears inside and out. Cool shit is about to take place. This was my first try.” ~ Steve White

One more day and he had produced this design cut in plexiglass.

Design cut in plexiglass by Steve White on his Rose Engine

Steve’s YouTube channel has lots of tutorials about using the Rose Engine: https://www.youtube.com/user/swhitefrog/videos

We’ve had a bit of discussion about Steve White’s Rose Engine in the comments on this page, but it would be better to have them continue here in the comments below. You can ask him questions about it and hopefully he’ll reply – and you can also leave comments on his YouTube channel under the videos.

Steve White lives in St. Louis MO, if anyone lives close and wants to collaborate or explore.

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I’d never heard of edible markers, but apparently they exist. And Amber Spiegel, a cookie artist in Beacon NY is not afraid to use them with Spirograph!

Here is her video. You can learn more on her website at SweetAmbs.com where she has lots of tutorials about decorating the most gorgeous cookies you’ve ever seen.

If you try making Spirograph cookies and are even halfway successful, take a picture of the best ones, and tell us what worked for you and what didn’t. If I get a few photos I’ll make a post about it.

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Ariella Zwillinger in art class with her latest spiro montage

I don’t think many of the “tots” who ever used the old Spirotot toy – a basic version of Spirograph designed for smaller children – ever made patterns like this. It requires mastery not typical of 5-year-olds.

Ariella Zwillinger from Maryland, who sent photos of a Spirograph collage she made last winter, has produced another Spirograph masterpiece, this one made using a vintage Spirotot that was in her basement.

You can see how she carefully cut out the patterns and arranged them overlapping slightly in a grid formation. They’re all about the same size, and each is drawn with at least a couple of similar colors. The patterns make it look like there are more than two colors involved.

Another awesome job by Ariella. I hope this inspires you to do more with Spirograph!

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But how to explain it to other people? There are lots of little things that I just do without consciously thinking about it, and that I wouldn’t think to explain.

Which is why I like Sonya Pickens’ Spirograph Tutorial video. Sonya had to figure it out as an adult, and she explains some of the really basic things that I wouldn’t think to explain. If you’re struggling to get the hang of Spirograph, this video may really help you.

Plus she’s an artist working in a lot of different media, and you might get inspired by her work to do some different things with your Spirograph designs. She does a lot of other circle-based art too. Here’s a link to her Facebook Page.

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She writes:

For the pens I used Stabilo Point 88 Pen Set.

I made each Spirograph with either a spirotot or Spirograph set, and then cut them out individually with an exacto knife.This part was very time consuming because of all the ridges and corners of the designs.

Then I separated them by color so I could find a layout that I liked. Once I did this, I glued them on to a thick piece of paper with a regular glue stick.

When I had made the Spirographs, I made them on regular sketchbook paper. What my art teacher later told me was that I should have used acid-free paper, so the colors wouldn’t fade or the paper turn yellow.

Hopefully that won’t happen any time soon!

Here are some more pictures Ariella sent. You can see how carefully she cut out each design with the exacto knife. I can only imagine how painstaking a job that was, but it really works in the finished collage, which is luminous. Great job, Ariella, and thanks so much for sending your story and photos!

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Now what to do with all these beautiful little circles?

You can scan them and if you are familiar with a graphic program like Photoshop you can recolor them and add a different background like I did.

But you can also just use your original drawings, cut or punch them, and use them for gifts and decorations.

1. They make beautiful embellishments for gift packaging. You can just use the spirograph circle, punch a hole in it and fix it on your gift with a ribbon. Or you can get creative and combine them with bigger gift tags and other pieces you have at hand. My favorite is the one with crown and wings.

2. You can cut them and add little hangers and use them as ornaments

3. You can cut a circle from the center and a slit and you’ve got beautiful glass markers for your next party.

4. You can cut label shaped pieces and make very special book plates for your notes and diaries.

5. You can print or copy them on self adhesive paper, then cut circles and other shapes and you’ve got pretty and very handy stickers and seals.

Have fun!

Check out Angelika’s blog at fredaf.wordpress.com!

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