#3 (Due 3/6)

Assignment: Drawing/Software

Create a program which expands, augments, muddles, complicates, implicates, simplifies, questions, spoils, undermines, improves, or otherwise alters the concept or act of drawing.

Your program may be designed for one, two, or many simultaneous users — or none. It may assist, hinder, extract, protract, analyze, synthesize, etc. any part of the process and/or products of drawing.

You may use any hardware device and/or programming language you prefer, but your solution must involve the creation of custom software, executed by a machine.

This Assignment has the following deadlines:

  • Monday February 18: peer check-in and informal research presentation. Be prepared to discuss the your project with a half-dozen of your peers. Come prepared with 3 explanatory images (such as a system diagram or mockup), and a couple questions.
  • Wednesday March 6: DUE; pod presentations with guest critics


Christy Brown, author of My Left Foot


Jean Tinguely, Machine a Dessiner

Some Considerations

Your project might be… 

  • A tool, toy, game, or instrument that offers a new way to draw
  • A system for analyzing a drawing or database of drawings
  • A machine that generates drawings according to the actions of people or other living creatures.

Consider challenging a “basic assumption” about drawing, such as one of the following:

  • Drawing is done with the hand — one hand — usually, the dominant hand.
  • Drawings are made and observed on a flat surface.
  • A drawing is made by a single person.
  • Drawings are recordings that are meant to endure.
  • Drawings are made by people who are aware that they are drawing.
  • Drawings are distinct from text.

For example:

  • Who is the intended user of your software? The weekend following this assignment is Valentine’s Day. What if your software were created exclusively for one person — your Valentine?
  • How many people are required to operate your software? Drawing is often conceived as a solo activity. What if you design a drawing apparatus which requires two operators in order to function?
  • What part of your body do you draw with? What if you could draw with a different part, like your nose, eyes, or feet?
  • Etcetera.

Fine Print (Deliverables)

      • Using whichever programming language is necessary or preferable, create a custom software application.
      • Create a blog post for your project. Categorize this with the category, DrawingSoftware.
      • Title your blog post, nickname-DrawingSoftware.
      • In your blog post, please write 200 words about your project. Discuss its inspirations, your goals, your process, any unexpected discoveries you made, and an evaluation of the project technically and aesthetically.
      • In your blog post, include some scans or photos of any sketches from your sketchbook.
      • In your blog post, include some screenshots of your project.
      • By Monday March 4th, it is recommended that you should have completed documentation of your software in a brief video (1-2 minutes long), preferably with a narration. Upload and embed this video in the blog post. This video may be any combination of screengrabbed capture, recorded with a camera, etcetera.