You can buy very nice blank cards and envelopes, pre-cut and folded, and draw designs on them. I found the Strathmore brand in an art supply shop, and I’ve seen them in office supply stores as well, or you can find Strathmore cards and envelopes on Amazon.

There are many different sizes of cards and a variety of paper types to choose from. Some have a textured surface, some are made of recycled fibers, some have “deckled” edges where the fibres hang out as if they were torn, as you can see in the photos. They all work. There are different colours too, from white to black. Some gel pens will mark on black.

I used metallic gel pens for most of these cards. They’re from an inexpensive set of gel pens I got on Amazon, though you could get them anywhere.

I added a matching design on the front and/or back of each envelope as well, making sure to leave room for the address. It was hard to draw over the deckle on the flap of the envelope, although it looks nice.

I’ve been pleased to use my cards for birthdays and thank-you’s, and they would also be suitable for sympathy cards. Even for Christmas, especially using stars. Here is an old video of mine on how to make a 5-pointed star with Spirograph. (That video now has 108,000 views and 525 likes. Wow, just wow.)

Shop Wild Gears at this link.

The post Making Cards with Spirograph or Wild Gears appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

These designs use gear #40 inside the #64 hole which is asymmetrically located in a bigger gear #126, and the whole is rotating inside ring #180. It gives a bilaterally symetrical pattern.

After drawing the pattern with a sequence of holes to create a ribbon-like effect (a common technique in many Spirograph/Wild Gears designs), I did the same in a different colour, starting at a point 90° away on the big ring #180.

I actually counted the teeth to find the exact spot, though I don’t show the counting in the video (180 teeth ÷ 4 = 45 teeth) and made a little mark with the pen.

I made a blooper in the second video, but decided to keep going, as I was working outside and was gradually losing my light. The direct sunlight you see in the first video had gone. A cricket started to sing as the afternoon waned and you can hear it in the second video.

These videos are real-time and all you hear is the sound of the pen and gears moving. Good for people who like relaxing videos and those who get off on ASMR (soft noises that create a pleasurable response).

I used cheap gel pens for these, the kind you can buy at a dollar store, although I got mine on Amazon when I was buying something else. There’s a link on this page to the ones I got; there are many other sets with even more pens – hundreds even. I don’t think brand name matters. They’re probably all made in China in the same factory or factories, and just given the label of the wholesaler. They work with Spirograph too, even the vintage sets (mostly) which have smaller holes.

Which colour combination do you like better? In the first, I used black for the first and last line of each ribbon, which outlines the shapes and reveals interesting patterns including a circle in the middle. In the second, I used the same colour throughout the whole ribbon.

The post Two Wheel-Within-a-Wheel Videos appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

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.

The post Fountain Pens, Zentangle and Wild Gears appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

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.

The post Spirograph Cookies! Eat ’em if you dare. appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

One day, I was drawing with Spirograph ring 144/96 and wheel 84, the biggest one, using the odd-numbered holes – hole 1, then 3, then 5, then 7 etc. up to hole 31 or farther, lining each hole up with the same spot on the ring, using my collection of fine tip felt pens. It creates a spider’s web pattern with 8 arms.

Here’s an animated gif with 18 of the variations.

I was separating the colors with a dark grey line, enjoying the effect. As you can see in the first image, I drew hole 1 grey, 3 and 5 orange, Hole 7 grey, 9 and 11 yellow, 13 grey, and so on. I did many variations on this theme.

Then I started to notice the star that formed on the inside. Some color combinations really brought it out, like the one at right. Others obscured it, as you can see in the animation.

I started keeping notes in the margins. Usually I work from the outer holes (low numbers) towards the inner holes of the wheel (the high numbers). Starting with the inner holes instead helped me figure out that the star was being formed by holes 27, 29 and 31.

I found that if I stopped at hole 17 and then jumped to 27, it would isolate the central star, as in the last picture.

The post Spirograph Color Play with the Spider Web: Ring 144/96, Wheel 84 appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

Here’s another brand of pen that I am enjoying using with Spirograph and Wild Gears.

The ink flows smoothly, and there is no problem with the size of the holes, even on the old Spirograph with its smaller holes.

This pen doesn’t come in as many colors as the fine-tip felt pens I’ve recommended for Spirograph before. But there is a package with 10 different colors.

It gives a 0.7 mm line, thicker than the fine-tip felt pens. Sometimes you want that.

This pen feels solid and is pleasant to use.

If you try them, or other pens, please let the rest of us know how you liked them by leaving a comment.

(Updated Nov. 18, 2023)

The post More Spirograph Pens: Uni-Ball Vision appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

Wheel 52 inside Ring 150/105, hole 1, changing pens

Back in the day, when I was a kid and the only pens we had to use with our Spirograph sets were the ballpoint ones that came with the set, I dreaded Wheel 52 with Ring 150/105!

Why? Because the pattern it makes has 105 loops – that’s one loop for every tooth inside the ring! The pen went over the same area of the paper over and over again, saturating it with ink. Eventually, before you finished the pattern, the ballpoint pen would be tearing the paper. Yuck!

No more, with fine felt tip pens. You can get great color with a light hand, and the paper stays intact!

In the blue and green design, I changed color every 5 loops, dark blue, light blue and green, making quite a pleasing design. There’s lots of room for experimentation, so here are some of my experiments.

If you change color when the pen is in the middle of the ring rather than when it is close to the edge, the color changes are less obvious.

The post One Loop for Every Tooth: Spirograph Wheel 52 appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

Ring 144/96, wheel 32, hole 1, drawn twice

The Star of David, or hexagram, is composed of two equilateral triangles.

With the Spirograph’s 144/96 ring, Wheel 32, using Hole 1, gives you a triangle.

Simply draw the pattern once and then a second time, positioning the hole halfway between the points of the first triangle. There are marks on the ring to help you find the exact middle.

Another way to get a hexagram is with Wheel 64, which inexplicably was not included in the Spirograph Deluxe Set. Fortunately, I have one from my old Super Spirograph.

Ring 144/96, wheel 64, hole 1, drawn twice

Note that 64 is twice 32. Wheel 64 also gives a 3-pointed figure, but with loops. Draw it twice and you get this (left). Can you see the hexagram inside the loops?

Ring 144/96, Wheel 64, holes 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, all drawn twice

Maybe you can see the inner hexagram better in the design at right, drawn in rainbow colours (with felt pens). The darker colours create a hexagram in the middle.

There is another way to decorate the hexagram if you don’t have a Wheel 64, and that is using Wheel 80, which gives a 6-point pattern. Move to the inner holes, and you can keep the pattern inside the hexagram.

Wheel 80, hole 9 inside the hexagram made with Wheel 32

In the example at left, I used Wheel 80 hole 9 to create the pink pattern well inside the lines made with Wheel 32 hole 1.

From here, the fun begins!

Using variations of colors and sequences of holes, all lined up with the points of the hexagram, you can create almost infinite variations on the theme.

Here is a whole page of designs playing with Wheels 32 and 64, using different colors of felt pens described on this page.

Variations on the Star of David or hexagram theme using Wheels 32 and 64.

The post “Star of David” Six-Pointed Star by Spirograph appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

As you can see, there are lots more colors available these days, compared to the old days when the set came with four ballpoint pens in red, green, blue and black. The pens would sometimes tear the paper as you drew a repetitive design with the pressure necessary to make a line. You don’t have to press so hard with felt pens, so the results are much nicer.

Modern felt pens come in various shades of the same color, such as light, medium and dark blue, which can add subtlety to your designs.

I find the gel pens, such as the metallic copper in these designs, more difficult as they dry slower, so they smudge more easily. Going slowly helps.

A dozen spirograph designs from SpirographicArt.com

The post Cool designs with felt pens appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

Are you old enough to remember the ballpoint pens that came with the original Spirograph sets in the 1960s and 70s? There were four colors: red, green, blue and black.

The frustrating thing about those pens, besides the limited colors, is that they would gradually wear holes in the paper, especially in designs where the lines cross over each other many, many times.

Most other pens didn’t work in Spirograph then. The tips were either too thick for the holes, not long enough, or both.

Two things have changed!

1. In the 21st century, we have wonderful fine-tip felt pens available. They come in many more colors, and they don’t wear out the paper!
2. The new (since 2013) Spirograph sets sold by Kahootz are designed to accommodate thicker pen tips, with larger holes located closer to the paper.

Here are some brands of fine-tip felt pens that I’ve enjoyed using.

Please note: these are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy something after clicking on them, I may receive a commission for sending you there. However, I was enjoying and endorsing these pens for Spirograph well before I became an Amazon affiliate!

Stabilo Point 88

The Stabilo Point 88 are a great choice. They produce a line 0.4 mm thick. The tip is fine enough to fit even through the small holes in the vintage Spirograph gears, with a metal sleeve over the felt where the pen touches the gear.

Stabilo pens are made in Germany, and they’re good quality. I’ve also bought cheap knockoffs of these pens, but they just don’t have the same feel and vividness. They come in a variety of package sizes and container types with up to 65 different colors.

Staedtler Triplus Fineliner

The Staedtler Triplus Fineliner pens produce a finer line than the Stabilo, with a thickness of 0.3 mm rather than Stabilo’s 0.4 mm, and also come in packs of up to 60 different colors. My 12-year-old self would have been ecstatic! Find them on Amazon here (affiliate link).

You may also find them at your local stationery or office supply store.

I’ve also used some gel pens, which can give beautiful results. But if the ink doesn’t dry fast enough, it can smear. It depends partly on the paper you’re using. Some papers absorb the ink more quickly than others.

More colors make Spirograph even more fun!

The new (2013) version of the Spirograph Deluxe Set and the new Super Spirograph [affiliate links] come with 3 ballpoint pens: red, green and blue. But you can use almost any pens with them.

Add a comment and let us know what Spirograph pens you are using and how you like them.

Many other pens work, including Uni-Ball Vision pens, [affiliate link] which I like. See “Spirograph Pens” in the menu for all my pen reviews.

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