ARTISTS TALKING

# 1 [23 December 2011]

Not close enough. And the pen moves.

# 2 [26 December 2011]

Better distance this time, but the resolution's all out.

# 3 [29 December 2011]

First draft with a very small 'matchstick' camera, fixed to the pen itself. It needs sound. And what happens when the pen comes away from the page?

# 4 [30 December 2011]

Making shapes: a kind of writing practice. But the pen's still in the way.

# 5 [31 December 2011]

Alright, the pen's moved now. Though it turns the paper upside-down. Nevertheless: here are three athletes.

Mind the stripe across the screen in this draft, the camera needs attention.

# 6 [1 January 2012]

Still more drawing for now.

# 7 [2 January 2012]

Can I omit the pen altogether?

# 8 [3 January 2012]

Look! No more pen.

Here's a photo of the setup I made today to match yesterday's diagram. The black matchstick looking up at the pen through the glass is the very very small video camera I'm using. I've made a (messy) wire and fabric clamp for the camera, to keep the camera entirely supported by the pen, which here is resting on the upper surface of the glass against a sheet of thin paper. The clamp keeps the pen and camera exactly in step with one another as I draw or write, so the position of the nib on the screen never changes.

The paper is just 50gsm and the pen is a heavy permanent marker, so the ink comes straight through the paper and is visible to the camera filming from underneath.

Below are a couple of videos experimenting with the new setup. The light quality is poor because it was evening by the time I got all this sorted out... I've yet to solve the problem of artificial lighting.

... And the little question of the MATTER. It always comes last.

# 9 [4 January 2012]

Here's another experiment with the new studio setup. Court markings.

# 10 [5 January 2012]

Writing exercises -