FAQs

What is a pen plot?

Pen plotting is a method of making drawings using a simple robot. My process is to make a digital drawing in Adobe Illustrator and then format that so that the plotter can make sense of it - pen plotters don’t understand blocks of colour, only lines as paths for the pen to travel along. I can then control the application of ink to the paper by changing the pen in the plotter to give different thicknesses of line, colours and transparencies. Sometimes I’ve even used a brush with the machine but I’ve not experimented much with this so far. The results are somewhere between a handmade drawing and a print - each plot is distinct because of the analogue interaction between pen and paper. This is particularly noticeable with multiple layers of colour on a plot as each layer must be lined up as accurately as possible to develop a coordinated image. Sometimes the slight overlaps between layers are the nicest areas of the drawing!

Do you accept commissions/collaborative projects?

I do occasionally accept commissioned work. I work as a creative freelance in a lot of different roles and that type of work often involves intense periods of activity where I might have little time to engage in my own creative projects. As a result of this it is likely to take longer to complete a commissioned piece of work that would otherwise be the case - if you’re interested, the best thing to do is to ask! It’s worth pointing out here that a commissioned piece is going to be priced differently to work in my shop. This is because in order to work on a commission I can’t devote that time to any other projects. I only have one plotter and a single plot can take anywhere from 2 to 24 hours to complete, depending on complexity.

I love collaborating with other makers and I’m always happy to discuss working on a project together. You can email me directly here tomjordanart@gmail.com or message me via my Instagram.