Michael Fogleman

Projects AboutResumeMoreShop!

Plotter Drawings for Sale

One of my hobbies is using a pen plotter to make computer-generated drawings. If you really like them, you can buy one!

Overview

Here are the different types of drawings that are currently for sale. Click on one or scroll down for more information about each category. Note that purchased drawings are plotted on demand - the images shown on this page are examples.

If you're interested in making a purchase or have any questions, contact me by email at michael.fogleman@gmail.com.


NES Sparklines
$149 USD

Topographic Maps
$199 USD

Protein Ribbon Diagrams
$199 USD

Cellular Automata
$149 USD

Specs

Here are some facts about all of the drawings that are available:

 

NES Sparklines

For these drawings, I use an NES emulator (of my own creation) to record a snapshot of the Nintendo's RAM at each frame (60 fps). The NES only had 2048 bytes of RAM. For each address in memory, I plot its values over time as an individual sparkline. I only show addresses that changed at least once, so there are usually fewer than 2048 sparklines. Because each game developer used the memory in different ways, each game produces its own unique look when plotted.

If you're nostalgic about a particular game, I can create one for just about any NES game released in the US. (The ones shown below are examples, not inventory!) The drawing can be titled or untitled and I will guarantee that each drawing sold is unique, as I will record a new session for each one!

Framed Sample (click to enlarge)

 

Topographic Maps

These maps show topographical contour lines that are evenly spaced by some amount of elevation. The elevation data is sourced from Terrain Tiles on AWS and is very high resolution in many parts of the world. I can produce a topographic map of just about any country, state, city, or region - just ask! Even relatively flat places can have interesting features.

In some cases it's possible to include additional features - such as the elevation distribution histogram in the Arizona example.

The "Elevation Quartiles" example is a special case where each swath of one degree in latitude is summarized as a set of sparklines.

Framed Sample (click to enlarge)

Arizona Topography w/ Elevation Histogram

Island of Hawai'i

Topography of Lake Tahoe Region

Grand Canyon

Elevation Quartiles

Vancouver Island

Iceland

Southwestern Virginia

Pennsylvania

 

Protein Ribbon Diagrams

I'm no biologist, but I find these diagrams fascinating - so much so that I learned how to render them for no particular reason. I created a Twitter bot that posts examples every 30 minutes. Those are traditional computer graphics in color, but the plotter drawings are equally beautiful, if not more so. Lots of fancy math is involved in producing these in vector format! The code that generates these plots is completely custom and was created by me.

I can plot just about any protein from the RCSB database (the ones shown below are just a few examples!), or one of your own if you can provide me with a PDB file.

I like to add the PDB description text using an old-school Hershey font to seal the deal.

Framed Sample (click to enlarge)

Zoomed-in Detail

 

Elementary Cellular Automata

Elementary cellular automata are cool because very simple rules result in interesting, seemingly-complex patterns. For these drawings, a random starting state is used for the first row. The automata is drawn as a connected graph with circles on nodes that only have one neighbor. The transition rules are shown in a legend at the bottom. I can plot any of the 256 rules, although some are certainly more interesting than others!

Check Wikipedia to see what other rules might look like.

Framed Sample (click to enlarge)

Rule 30

Secondary Option - Multiple Rules

Rule 150

How They're Made

Each drawing is plotted with an AxiDraw V3/A3 using high quality artist pens and paper - the drawings are made to last. Watch the video below to see the plotter in action - it's mesmerizing to watch!

Framing

Frames are not included, but the drawings fit nicely in standard 16x20" frames with a mat pre-cut for an 11x14" photo, like the ones pictured above. Click here for one possible option on Amazon.

Interested?

If you're interested in making a purchase or have any questions, contact me by email at michael.fogleman@gmail.com.

I will accept payment by PayPal, Square Cash, or Venmo. Drawings will be mailed upon receipt of the full amount. Shipping within the US is included in the price. Other locations may vary.

Thank you for supporting my work!