extended study – drawing machine

Assignment
create a simple physical drawing machine
create a color drawing with that machine

I wanted to explore the balance of additive and subtractive composition.
My first thought was to create layers fabric of different colors, secure the layers in a jar (either in the bottom or in the lid), drop in a sharp blade, close the lid, shake and see what happens.
What I found after the first experiment however, was without proper pressure applied to the blade, none of the fabric is able to be cut away.

My initial inspiration came from a piece my friend had given to me. It was one of the plastic cups that you get to pee in from a doctors office. What someone had done to it was put in different colors of paint, dropped a small metal bearing inside and shaken it up. After being shaken around, it produced a scribble of color on the inside, that you could see from the outside, since the cup was clear.
I remember the outside had been completely covered with pinks, whites, yellows, blues, all very intricately involved with one another, without a sliver of the clear plastic left unoccupied.

Once my subtractive idea didn’t would, I decided to recreate the piece mentioned above with a small piece of paper stuck to the inside of the jar. I added a rock and one color, closed the lid and shook it up. I continued to add two more rocks and more colors. As the separate colors swept across the inside of the cup in distinct graceful lines, within the open space of the cup, the globs of paint mixed into a indiscernible shade.

here you can see the piece of paper inside with the mixture of pigments caked onto it

after all the pigment dried inside, the piece of paper was removed

this is considered the second piece created simultaneously with the piece of paper which had already been removed

the back of the above

the three rocks now embedded within the pigment

This was a successful process and fed into my interest of creating additive compositions, the next step I will take will be to put the paper in with some razor blades and see what can be cut away from the built up pigment.