Kenny is a 44″x35″ (9 framed canvas 14″x11″ canvases) robot painting that I have been working on for the past week. I am doing more and more portraits these days. Also, I am doing larger and larger scale work. This painting took my robot 4 days to paint. Keeping the paint wet was the challenge. If you are interested in a large scale modern portrait, drop me an email at pindar@pindar.org.
Pindar
Bon Iver album covers painted by my robot.
Recently the Indie Rock Artist/Group Bon Iver reached number 1 on the i-tunes sales charts with their Blood Bank release. I was contacted by Bon Iver’s record label, Jagjaguwar, to commemorate the achievement with Robotic paintings of their last two album covers. To be clear, I did not come up with the album art. My robot merely used the album covers as input to create 2 24″x24″ paintings. I enjoyed this commission and think that a robot painting of a band’s successful album beats the impersonal platinum record that some record labels award.
Pindar
About a month ago, I added real time recording capabilities to my painting robot. Above is a picture of the newly fabricated robotic head. The protective wood case contains a real time camera. It takes images of the painting from a birds eye view. A fluorescent light was also added in a temporary test installation (notice the zip ties). If the light proves durable, it will become a permanent part of the robotic head.
This improvement adds two capabilities. The first is that it post real time images of paintings as they are being painted. This allows patrons who commission portrait and paintings to watch the painting being made. It also allows me to monitor the painting romotely and check on its progress. Since paintings take between 12-48 hours to complete, this is a very useful tool.
The second capability that this adds is related to painting quality. Prior to the camera, my algorithms were painting blind. Instructions were sent to the robotic head and it painted with no feedback from how well it was executing the painting. Now my algorithms can monitor how well a painting is being executed and make adjustments as needed. To put this in persepective, try closing your eyes and drawing. Now open your eyes and perform the same drawing. The difference in quality should be obvious. My painting robot is no longer painting with its eyes closed…
Pindar
In preperation for the upcoming DC Freshly Squeezed exhibition, I am having my painting art robot paint more and more of my hand drawn robots. Originally, I was calling this my robot in shades series, but over time the shades have become gasmasks. In fact the last couple of robots I have drawn or painted all have gasmasks. I would love to tell you it was symbolic for something like “man’s hubris in its destruction of the environment,” but there is no symbolism. They are just pictures of robot’s with gasmasks.
This particular painting set, the top of which was hand painted, and the bottom which was painted by my robot, is a take off of those old robotech cartoons. It is a robotech style robot with a gasmask. While thinking about it I realized that Robotech as transforming robots far pre-dated Transformers, but for some reasons Transformers are more popular. It must have something to do with the fact that Transformers are robots in and of themselves, while robotech robots were driven by humans.
Anyways, like all my art work, this is for sale on my online store. See the links on the sidebar. Also it will be on display at DC Freshly Squeezed (Opening Night September 13). See my previous blogs for the flier…
Pindar
One of the most popular subjects for paintings by Zanelle, my painting robot, is famous robots from popular culture.
C-3PO Triptych, 40″x16″, Acrylic on Three Canvases
Though not as popular as R2-D2 paintings, C-3PO definitely has his fans. This painting was made by my painting robot using a scan algorithm. All strokes are perfectly vertical. this piece has been on exhibition at the Corcoran alongside a similar R2-D2 piece that sold. All my art work is for sale, of course. Check out my online store (link in the sidebar) for purchase information…
Pindar
I have made another robotic painting of a previously hand painted original. The subject is “nobot” which I have featured in a previous blog posting. The two paintings are below.
These paintings as well as multiple others will be showcased at an upcoming exhibition called DC Freshly Squeezed in Washington DC on September 13, 2008. I will have paintings in the show priced between $100 and $1200. Also check out my ebay store (link in sidebar) to see prices on my other art.
Pindar
My recent work begins with an idea, and then a single hand painted image. In this case a robotic octopus wearing a gas mask. The image is below…
Robotic Octopus with Gas Mask, 9″x12″, Acrylic on Canvas
Then based on this image, I create several robotic painted prints. When I say prints, printmakers say it is not a print. When I call these paintings, painters tell me they are not paintings. I am not sure what they are, I just like doing them. Below are three canvases painted by my robot, based on the original hand painted canvas.
Robotic Octopus with Gas Mask, 60″x24″, Acrylic on Canvas
This triptych is much larger than the original and will be on display at my next group exhibition. See my last post for details of when and where…
Pindar
My painting art robot, Zanelle, and some of our art works will be on display at an upcoming exhibition in Washington DC. The show is entitled DC FRESHLY SQUEEZED. The opening party is scheduled for Saturday, September 13th, 2008. It will be at 1248 Blagden Alley, NW (off 9th Street) Washington DC.
More details are provided in the flier below…
When I create a robot painting, I never know how it will turn out when I begin. I do not even have a design or even a robot in mind as I start. Look to the right to see photos taken every 15-30 minutes of a recent painting. The description below is annotated with the frame number and what I was thinking at that time…
(1) My paintings typically begin with the random application of paint. I am just making shapes and mixing colors. (2) I paint until the canvas is covered. (3) Once it is covered I start looking for shapes and highlighting them. Then I step back and search for a robot in the chaos of my strokes. (4) I think I see a seated robot king on the canvas, so I quickly sketch one in red paint. (5) But the red looked horrible and the robot was too small, so I cover the root in white paint and start over. (6) Now I see him even better. But only the front hand and the face. So I sketch out some fingers and add some shades. I also see him as a larger seated robot and plot it our with more subtle paint colors. (7) Yes, this sketch looks good and I like where it is going so I outline his body in black paint. I imagine him is seated on a large soft couch. (8) Then I add some detail including an upright finger and imagine what he would be saying. “No, No, No, No, No.” comes to mind. I am thinking that he is waving his finger at something. (9) Then it occurs to me that he is not seated on a couch, he is a king, so it is probably a big throne. I fill out a throne in black. I also emphasize the “No’s” in red. (10) The colors were not working for me so made the throne more subtle and made the green background light blue. You will notice that at this point, nothing remains of the original green background. (11) I step back and look at the painting and realize that the hand with one finger looks off, so I change it to have all fingers up in the “Halt” position. I also refine the details and repaint the background color a second time. (12) Stepping back one final time, I realize that the “No, No, No, No.” motif worked with a waiving finger but not an open palm, so I get rid of all the ”No’s” but one. Then I refine the details a bit more and soften the shading.
I feel that at this point it is finished. A Close up of the final painting can be seen below. It is called “No-Bot” and is painted with acrylic on a 12″x9″ stretched canvas.
Pindar
Here is the latest robot in shades painting. The painting and robot are called Crabbot, because he has a big claw like a hermit crab.
Crabbot, Acrylic on Wood, 10″x10″
I like painting non-symmetric robots. Everyone always thinks of robots as symmetrical, so there is always something interesting about robots that are not. Also he has shades on. Don’t know what else to say about this one, except that I am about to give the image as input into my painting art robot to make a couple of robotic “prints.”
Don’t know about my painting robot? Well her name is Zanelle and she uses a brush and acrylic paint to make paintings. This is done stroke-by-stroke. Check out the video in my links list to see Zanelle painting in action. Also go to www.vanarman.com for more details…
Pindar
