Watercolor Machine

Watercolor Machine

Watercolor Machine

Robotic Precision Meets Fluid Artistry

A hacked 3D printer explores the interplay between mechanical precision and the fluid imperfection of watercolor painting. Or, Blending engineering and artistry, a hacked 3D printer creates delicate watercolor works, bridging the rigid and the fluid.

Axis

n. a line about which a body rotates,
the body of work’s conceptual anchor

This project unveiled the poetic potential of technology, as a machine designed for rigidity became a medium of fluid expression. By hacking its purpose, the printer demonstrated how precision and imperfection can coexist, offering a glimpse into the beauty of redefined function.

Within the measured hum of machinery, art emerges—a delicate choreography of code and pigment, where precision dissolves into the fluid language of water and color, bridging the mechanical and the sublime.

Articulation

n. a expression
the shaping of form

The 3D printer was re-engineered to paint, replacing its extruder with a brush and integrating custom GCode to control strokes. Grasshopper scripts directed actions like dipping in paint wells and rinsing brushes. This meticulous process married digital design with analog artistry, creating an interface between cold machinery and delicate expression.