What is a 3D pen?

It is a pen that allows the artist to draw in three dimensions, in the air, instead of just in two dimensions, on paper.

How does it work?

The pen is filled with a plastic material, and as a button is pressed, the plastic melts and comes out of the tip.

The melted material cools almost instantly as it hits the air, making the 3D art possible.

Why was it created?

The 3D pen was created because the original idea, the 3D printer, failed to do its job accurately. 

Designers, Maxwell Bogue and Peter Dilworth, set up a job for the 3D printer and waited 14 long hours for it to finish - only to discover that it missed an important line in the final product.

Sheer frustration motivated the duo to invent a new, better creation.

In 2012, their ideas came to life as they created the first working prototype of a 3D pen at Artisans’ Asylum in Somerville, Massachusetts.

This original pen worked much like a small glue gun, lacking the advanced features of the 3D pens that we see today; but it worked exactly as they had hoped it would, so they proceeded into mass production.

Funding for the vision

Maxwell Bogue and Peter Dilworth did not have the money to finance their development of the 3D pen, so they teamed up with Daniel Cowen from WobbleWorks, Inc. to throw a crowd funding campaign, in hopes of raising $30,000.

On February 19, 2013, their goal was exceeded within hours, ultimately raising more than $2 million and creating a frenzy over the exciting new product.

The first 3D pens

The first 3D pens were named 3Doodlers in 2013, with a new version introduced in 2015. 

The improvements to the new pen included the ability to change the size of the tip, as well as a smaller body.

Increasing demand and excitement over the product has created a lot of competition over the years, and therefore much improvement over the original versions.

Art Elements

There are many art elements highlighted in the work from 3D pens!

Just to name a few:

*line                                                    *proportion

*shape                                                *balance

*color                                                 *scale

*texture                                             *unity

*mass                                                  *rhythm 

*space                                                *light

Examples

Created by YouTuber, 3D Pen Lab - featuring Pickett the Bowtruckle from the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

*Great example of an excellent 3D pen artist utilizing texture and color to show the true smoothness of the character, the roughness of the bark on the tree, and the realistic elements of the rock; while using proportion to show that the plant-like character is abnormally large.