Scarabs (bugs)

Pigment inks and metallic inks on printmaking paper 300 gsm smooth. 23.0 cm x 27.0 cm, unframed. This is an original drawing made using an AxiDraw V3/A3 plotter, a drawing robot - mine’s called Fuzz-3PO (Human/Plotter relations).

This design is based on ancient Egyptian scarabs - often worn as an amulet or a ring and believed to carry helpful charms and spells. I’m fascinated by small cultural objects like these and love to see collections of them, so it seemed a good idea to present these together as a set. I make my drawings in Adobe Illustrator and then give them a physical form using the pen plotter.

Open edition pen plot (an open edition means that while you’re plot is unique because of the making process, other people can order the same design at a later date). Plots are made to order, so if you’re ordering for a specific date please leave time to make and dispatch the drawing!

Drawing using a plotter produces technically precise images which retain the analogue elements of drawing, the interaction between ink and surface, and combine them with the unique characteristics and quirks of the drawing machine. I enjoy the ordered process of drawing and planning a plot in combination with the small elements of chaos in its execution - some of my favourite areas of the drawings are often the areas of slight overlap or an unexpected combination of inks producing new colour. Plots of the same pattern will vary slightly as a result of the process.

Caring for your drawing:

Where possible I make use of lightfast and archival inks on acid free paper. Inks can still fade or change colour over time if they are exposed to strong UV light so I recommend hanging your drawing somewhere that is not in direct sunlight and when framing the drawing to use UV filtered glass.