This is the pen plotter I use (was AxiDraw). Get 5% off with the code DANCATT2026.

This is the other pen plotter I use (a bit cheaper, a bit faster, a bit less sturdy) and 10% off with the code revdancatt.

A wall hanging robot that sings while it makes beautiful art up to A2 size. Works with photos or vector images.

A free and open source vector graphics editor, this is what we'll be using to send the SVG design to the plotter. You can also use this to create designs if you don't want to code, see more on this topic in a blog post by Anna.

A JavaScript library for creating interactive visuals. You can use this to create the SVG designs and more (i.e. generative art).

Generative plotter art environment for Python. Contribute to abey79/vsketch development by creating an account on GitHub.

The Swiss-Army-knife command-line tool for plotter vector graphics. - abey79/vpype

Tools & library for driving the AxiDraw pen plotter - nornagon/saxi

Black, lightfast, waterproof, fineliners - good for technical drawings on smooth paper.

Colourful(ish), lightfast, waterproof, fineliners - also good on smooth paper, comes in dullish colours.

Nice starter set of bright colours.

One of the best white pens, some people swear by them, I think my studio is generally too cold for them to run properly.

An alternative to the Sakura Gelly Roll white, I find this one slightly easier to use, ymmv.

I like to use silver ink, as I find it easier to use than white ink pens, and still looks great on black paper.

I really like these, good on most surfaces, and be left with the cap off.

Metal nib, refillable with lightfast ink probably the best pens to get tbh.

Metal nib, refillable with lightfast ink the same as above but different sizes (and a pencil that won't work that well in a plotter).

Good refillable fountain pen that can hold enough ink to plot a whole A0 sheet a couple of times over - Medium nib.

Good refillable fountain pen that can hold enough ink to plot a whole A0 sheet a couple of times over - Fine nib.

Painting With Plotters is a virtual course that introduces Licia He's method for making generatively-designed, plotter-rendered paintings using a variety of water-based paint. A great companion this this course.

One of the best sites on the internet for finding out more about drawing machines. They also have a Discord server full of people who know all sorts of things about drawing machines. Plus great advice for building and troubleshooting (you can also ping me @revdancatt).

This is the website for the YouTube course materials for the course "Drawing Machines for Artists, Coding Course" created by Daniel Catt.

From creative coding to using pen plotters like the Axidraw, Generative Hut showcases inspiring artworks from the generative art community and provides tutorials, blog posts and art prints to buy.

Learn about the street grid design of famous cities, cool podcasts on urban planning and how Dirt Alley Design creates unique and innovative map wall art.

An inky abyss, a deep void into darkness, the absence of light – is it even a color? The first prompt for the November 2023 Plot Party is Black Paper! There is nothing better for high contrast than experimenting with black paper, although the approach often calls for a more careful consideration of appropriate pens...

"First, I fell in love with code. Then came pen plotters because I could use code to instruct them to draw things that I found beautiful. After that, I fell in love with inks because my drawings needed spectrums of color. Finally, I stumbled upon the world of fountain pens."

A subreddit for all things pen plotters.

A curated list of code and resources for computer-controlled drawing machines and other visual art robots. - beardicus/awesome-plotters

Plotterfiles is a community artists sharing SVG files for plotters and other 2D CNC Machines.

Turn a photo, or any place on Earth, into SVG in millimetres for AxiDraw and other pen plotters, or a 1-bit laser PNG. Free; photos stay on your device.

Vector Handwriting System — realistic plotter handwriting from single-stroke glyphs. - utrost/VHS

Squiggle Art is a portable Windows tool that converts PNG, JPG, and JPEG images into continuous squiggle-style line art and customizable G-code for pen plotters, CoreXY machines, and DIY drawing robots.

Halftone an image with Points and Lines: on the web!