SPRINT BRIEF

Use the art kit to design and build your own art machine. Explore how different parts move, connect, or interact to create patterns, marks, or textures. Experiment with motion, balance, and materials to see how your machine can make art in unexpected and creative ways.

Test different ideas: change the speed, balance, or position of your markers and see how the drawings change. Small adjustments can create surprising results!

to explore the innovative fusion of technology and art, enabling new forms of visual expression.

Why?

You will be utilizing this kit to explore different designs for your art machine model. The kit provides structure without limiting your creativity, encouraging you to experiment and make your own design choices.

Final Project Expectations

You will utilize the provided kit and explore multiple designs. Feel free to use additional materials.

Your machine must incorporate at least one mechanical and one electronic component in its design. Examples of mechanical components include gears, levers, or pulleys, while electronic components may consist of motors, sensors, or microcontrollers.

You must design and build a functional drawing machine.

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The design process will include 5 steps:

THE PROCESS

Look at past examples to get inspired

Precedent Research

Brainstorm ideas and sketch your machines movement in three frames

Conceptualization

Bring your prototype sketch to life by building a model that recreates your movement using the Art Machines Kit

Model Making

A good example of signals are "the launch of chatGPT" or "the fall of the iconic tunnel tree redwood" and good examples of drivers would be "artificial intelligence" or "climate change"

Add a touch of interactivity to bring your machine's movement to life.

Interactivity Integrated

Then, identify signals (glimpses of the future we already see today) and drivers (what made the signal possible)



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1hr

2 hrs

5 hrs

3 hrs

2 hrs

Documentation

Take a video of your machine in motion and turn it into a gif

A precedent is a real-world example or project that you can research to better understand ideas related to your work.

Here are a few examples of drawing machines. Think about how the movement works, which components are used, and what makes each one interesting.

Precedent Research

1.

Lego Machines

؜Jean Tinguely (1925-1991), Méta-Matic No. 6, 1959

Sun Yuan and Peng Yu

Can’t Help Myself

What it is: Industrial robot in a cage, programmed to push a red liquid back into a circle.

How it works: Sensors detect the spreading liquid; the robot sweeps it endlessly, creating a continuous, repetitive motion.

Why it matters: Shows a machine performing an expressive, Sisyphean task—connecting robotics, motion, and art in a dramatic, visual way.

Nick Sayers — Giant Drawing Machines

Large interactive drawing contraptions made from recycled bicycle parts that produce Spirograph‑like patterns and pantograph drawings — popular at science festivals and workshops.

Sougwen Chung — Assembly Lines

A performance‑based robotic art installation where robots collaborate with the artist in painting/drawing, exploring co‑creation between humans and machines.

In brainstorming, students collectively generate ideas that will shape the concepts for their group projects. They typically begin by listing ideas individually, then come together to share and discuss them using a pin-up brainstorming board filled with writing, drawings, Post-it notes, and lively conversation.

1 - ENCOURAGE WILD IDEAS

2 - SUSPEND JUDGMENT

4 - BUILD ON IDEAS

5 - BE VISUAL

3 - GO FOR QUANTITY

Wild ideas can often give rise to creative leaps.

Don’t shoot down someone else’s idea.

Aim for as many ideas as possible.

Build and expand on the ideas of others.

Sketch your ideas.

Class Brainstorming

“If a machine could draw, what kinds of art could it make?”

Call out ideas while teacher write them on the board:

1. Dots
2. Straight lines
3. Zigzags
4. Splashes....

2.

Class Brainstorming

Here are some artist for inspiration:

1. Piet Mondrian – grids and straight lines
2. Jackson Pollock – splashes and drips
3. Yayoi Kusama – dots everywhere
4. Wassily Kandinsky – colorful abstract shapes

2.

Brainstorming

A. Mechanisms

Which mechanisms will your project include?

1. Instructions: Look at the list of mechanisms examples (toolbox) and choose on or more to include in your machine.

2.

As groups:

؜

For example

1. A swinging motion that can be used to drip or drag paint
2. Rotating Arm – A spinning part that can draw circles or spirals (e.g., like a spirograph or spinning marker).
3. Crank and Arm – A hand-turned crank that moves a pen back and forth (like an old sewing machine).
4. Sliding Track – A pen that moves in a straight line using a guided track (e.g., like a plotter).
5. Scissor Linkage (Expanding Arm) – A mechanism that opens and closes, pushing a pen in and out.

Brainstorming

B. Art inspiration

Which artists will you choose to inspire how your finished art will look?

1. Instructions: Select an art style you wish to imitate with your drawing bot (toolbox)

2.

As groups:

Brainstorming

Each group presents:

Art Style + Mechanism

Example:

Pendulum + Jackson Pollock

1. → A swinging paint marker that creates splattered lines.

2.

Finally

Sketching in design thinking is a quick and visual way to explore, communicate, and develop ideas. It helps designers think through problems, test concepts, and share their thoughts with others—without needing polished drawings. Sketches can be rough, but they’re powerful tools for brainstorming, prototyping, and collaboration.

Sketching

Part of your brainstorming will involve sketching your ideas. These sketches do not need to be perfect drawings. They are meant to help you think, explain your idea, and plan how your art machine will move.

Sketching

Create three small sketches (like a mini comic strip) that show how your art bot moves to create the final artwork.

Frame 1 – Starting Position

Draw your machine before it starts moving.

1. Where is the marker or tool? Where is the paper?
2. What mechanism is about to move?

Frame 2 – Movement

Show the machine in action.

1. Draw arrows to show movement (spin, swing, lift, slide).
2. Show how the marker touches the paper.

Frame 3 – Final Artwork

Show the result of the movement.

1. What marks did the machine create? Lines, dots, splashes, spirals, or patterns?

Sketching

You will be creating a second sketch, more like a diagram, right after your first protoype.

Prototyping is the process of turning your sketches and ideas into physical models that you can test and improve. It starts with drawing your concept, then building simple versions using materials to explore how it moves or works. Prototyping helps you test mechanisms (how parts move or connect) and kinetics (how motion happens), so you can find what works and what needs fixing.

ACTIVITY MATERIALS

Cardboard

Colored Acetate

Bristol Papers

Zip-ties

Straws

Metal Ruler

Pencil 

Markers 

Cutting Blade

Masking Tape

Hot Glue Gun

String

Brads

Popsicles and wooden skewers

CARDBOARD TECHNIQUES: JOINERY

Brads

Flanges

Brace

Skewer

Bend

Hinge

Slots

Butt Joint

CARDBOARD TECHNIQUES: Mechanism

Scissor lift

Grabbing

Waving

Tentacle

Curving

Sprin

Pulley

Cam & Follower

Model Making

3.

Now it’s time to turn your technical drawing into a real prototype!

A prototype is a first working version of your idea that helps you test how your machine moves and draws.

Model Making

3.

Step 1 – Build the Base

Start by building the structure of your machine.

1. Cut a cardboard base where the paper will sit.
2. Build supports or walls if your mechanism needs height.
3. Make sure the base is stable and doesn’t move while drawing.

Step 2 – Build the Mechanism

Create the movement system you planned.

Examples:

1. Attach a crank that rotates a stick
2. Build a pendulum arm that swings
3. Add a spinning wheel for circular movement
4. Create a cam or lift that moves up and down

Focus first on getting the movement to work.

؜Wheel / Axel + Random Straight Lines

Model Making

3.

Step 3 – Add the Drawing Tool

Attach the marker, pencil, or pen to the moving part.

Think about:

1. How firmly it is attached
2. If it can touch the paper lightly
3. If it can move smoothly

Step 4 – Test the Movement

Place paper under your machine and test it.

Ask: Does the mechanism move the way you expected? Does the marker make interesting marks? Is the machine stable? Try multiple tests.

Model Making

Student Examples

Model Making

Student Examples

Model Making

Student Examples

Choosing Your Parts: Kit vs Laser/XTool

Laser-cut or XTool pieces

1. Perfect for precision parts that must fit exactly.
2. Ideal for mechanisms like:
3. Cams, Gears, Hinges or pivots, and structured supports that hold the machine steady

Kit pieces

1. Flexible and easy to experiment with.
2. Great for:
3. Arms, levers, or cranks that you might adjust
4. Supports that don’t need exact measurements
5. Trying out new movement ideas quickly
6. Kit parts make it easy to test, change, and improve your design.

Tip:

You could combine both! Use laser/XTool for parts that need precision, and kit pieces for parts you want to play with or test. This gives your machine both accuracy and creativity.

Example Bot Configurations

Example Bot Configurations

Desk Critiques

Group Feedback

Kinds of Feedback

There are three forms of feedback. Understanding these can help us understand the conversations we have with our teams and improve our own ability to react to and use feedback to strengthen our designs.



Reaction-Based

Feedback

Direction-Based

Feedback

Question-based Feedback

X

X



Feedback time!

Teachers are going to move around the class and give feedback to each group!

Make sure you have your research, sketches, and prototype.

Sketching

؜Once you get feedback, create a clearly sketch to show your final design.

1. Draw the main body or base of your machine.
2. Clearly draw the mechanism that creates the movement.
3. Use arrows to show movement.
4. Label the important parts
5. Write small notes about used materials

Interactivity is when your design can respond to people or the environment. It means your project doesn't just sit still—it can move, light up, make sound, or react when someone touches it, presses a button, or gets close. Adding interactivity makes your design more engaging and dynamic, turning it into something that can communicate or perform.

Interactivity Integrated

4.

Next, you’ll add electronics to power your mechanisms and bring them to life—this is where interactivity begins, letting your project move.

Interactivity Integrated

4.

Learn about motors in the "electronics" folder in the toolbox.

؜ If your machine needs to shake, wiggle, or move randomly across the paper (like a dancing scribblebot)...

→ Use a vibration motor

Tape it to a lightweight base with markers as legs. The vibration will make it move on its own.

؜If your machine needs to spin something (like a rotating arm, spinning platform, or turning a marker)...

→ Use a DC motor

Attach the motor directly to the moving part's axis (like a cardboard wheel, platform, or marker arm).

Interactivity Integrated

4.

؜Mechanims that work with DC Motors (Spinning/Continuous Motion)

1. Rotating Arm: Great for spin art or drawing rotating patterns
2. A simple arm attached directly to the motor shaft
3. Crank and Slider: Good for making an arm draw waves or zig-zags
4. A crank attached to the motor turns, which pushes a connected sliding arm back and forth
5. Cam + Follower: Perfect for gentle bouncing or lifting motions
6. A cam (off-center disk) spins on the motor shaft, pushing a cardboard arm up and down as it rotates

Interactivity Integrated

4.

Examples for DC motor

Interactivity Integrated

4.

؜Mechanisms that work with Vibration Motor

1. Multi-Leg Marker Base
2. Several arms or markers attached to a round or square base

Interactivity Integrated

4.

Examples for Vibration motor

Document your work!

5.

Take a photo and record a video of your project moving and turn it into a gif.

End of Challenge!