This machine simplifies the actions of the artist to two simple actions, eliminating much thought process and allowing for rapid creative production. By controlling the speed of a turntable, and pseudo-controlling a motorized arm, the artist generates random marks on paper by simply rotating a handle (arm), and sliding a knob (turntable). With only two controls, but an infinite amount of results, this project was quite fun to ideate and develop. And as it is shown here in its simplest possible form - there is quite a bit of room for improvement.
The photos: First of all there is the final product. An arm, a turntable, and a box. Two controls, one brush, one piece of paper. Dip the brush in some paint, and slide the knob on the right forward to start the turntable. Turn the handle on the left to the left or right to twist the arm around and make marks on the paper. So that's the thing! Next up is the walk-through. So there's the acrylic we used, well, until I broke the piece and we had to make a new one, and then another because our final arm was a bit longer than that short little guy. That's also the speed control for the motor ther- picture 2. Typically these DC motors run at a certain speed, but by controlling duty rate (I remember it as a pulse rate) of the electrical current the motor can be slowed down or sped up. All we had to do was connect a battery and it's good to go. Picture 4 is our sketch for the arm, a simple wood on wood pressure piece, since the weight of the acrylic, motor, and brush is not more than1-2oz I believe. Picture 5 is the slide potentiometer we used. Also just had to plug that in. Next we built the arm, and tested the product by simply spinning the paper on the table. It seemed to work, so picture 8 is our first turntable prototype. I added feet so the arm could now be freestanding. Next few pics are sexy art shots :) And then, the final piece again! Nice and clean :) Even with cardboard and foam, it has a simple minimalist feel to it that I very much like and am very much proud of.
