Drawing machine wheel test patterns

I make machines to help me make drawings… gears moving inside gears help guide my pen to create fluid curving lines. Upgrading and adding to my collection of drawing machine wheels is an ongoing process.  Shown here is the test pattern drawing for my newest exterior gear which allows me to draw twenty-one inch diameter figures. Each of the eighteen colored lines represents a different wheel combination.

I draw test patterns of all wheel combinations for a visual reminder of how many cusps are around the perimeter, and whether those cusps loop or not. These test patterns are indispensable in planning new work as much of my work involves numbers and when I specifically want a nine cusp, or twelve cusp figure, with or without loops, to add to a drawing in process it’s easy to pick one out.