Going to be a rough and ready one this week, due to studio news, see at the bottom of the newsletter, so Iām doing this one live in the substack editor.
Normally I write these out in my code editor (Cursor, which thankfully doesnāt try and use AI to help me as I write) and then copy the whole lot over to Grammarly to check for typos and, well, grammar. Thatās what it used to do, now it checks for typos and grammar with AI, whatever that means. I assume it either means exactly the same as before or they fired all the engineers and pipe everything to OpenAIās API.
Either way the net result is this may have more typos than normal, and I wonāt get little red underline squiggles making me feel guilty about using the word āsoā to start a paragraph too many times, and that ākindaā isnāt a real word.
# OBLIGATORY DISLAIMER
So, a few weeks back I talked about setting the brush height, with code on an Axi/NextDraw pen plotter, something thatās slightly harder than it should be. Which was great and all, but I got some people asking if it was possible with the iDraw pen plotter. And having an iDraw v2 plotter I could quickly reply that the answer was ānoā, you can only throw SVG files at it via Inkscape, thereās no API or coding layer.
Soon after that I got an email from the iDraw people saying they had a new plotter that you could talk to directly, interesting, but also a new machine, the iAuto (āAutomatic Handwriting Machine- Auto Feeding Pen Plotter for Bulk Writingā), and which one do I want to try out for a review?
Now, for some reason I got it in my head the new plotter that they were talking about was the iDraw H SE/A3 ācauseā¦
Support Stand-alone Command Line Interface (CLI) and Available iDraw Python API: This feature provides flexibility for advanced users, enabling control through a command line interface and offering an API for integration with custom Python scripts, enhancing automation and customization.
Despite my interest in handwriting and the iAuto, I figured I wanted to try this new iDraw machine out because a) CLI and python and b) I fried the old iDraw v2 when I accidentally attempted to plug the power into the USB port ā”ļøš but weāll keep that a secret just between ourselves.
So imagine my surprise when I opened the box and it was a full on BUILT LIKE A FRICKING TANK of a machine, the UUNA TEK 3.0. Even more so because I was recording the unboxing for a video, which suddenly swerved from what I thought I was going to be making a video about, to this new beast of a machine.
Now the disclaimer; I donāt for a moment think they sent the machine to me out of the kindness of their hearts (and I totally could have abused that by asking for the more expense iAuto if that was what I was in this for) - no, itās because Iām a āYouTuber*ā, and I guess that makes me an influencer now š¤·āāļø
Anyway, after the plotter arrived I got a follow up email that includedā¦
āPlease share the review before it's published to make sure there is no misunderstanding, thanksā
ā¦which is absolutely not going to happen, lol.
It comes with itās own software, which is Windows only and Iām on a Mac, so thatās not getting tested. It has a new Inkscape extension, which converts SVG into GCODE, which I wonāt use ācause I canāt stand Inkscape.
The part Iām interested in is talking to it directly in GCODE over the serial port, which I had up and running about 5 minutes after plugging the machine in.
I will actually have a video review up on YouTube soonā¢ļø, and I donāt think they need to worry too much, because so far so good, in that Iāve gotten it to draw a square and nothingās fucked up and thereās no cable management issues with this one.
Also, it has lubricated balls, and I really like the pen holder.
But, based on the fact that Iāve received four emails in the last week all asking about autofeeding handwriting machines, perhaps I should have asked for the iAuto.
Datapoint; about 80% of questions I get asked based on my YouTube videos are āhow do I automate handwritingā, so if youāre looking for a pen plotting niche thatās going to get you more traffic than making art, thatās it!
# *YOUTUBER
I know Iām one now because for some reason YouTube sent me a tiny tin of red & white YouTube M&Ms, I have a photo of the tin but not the M&Ms because my kids ran off with those.
I also got this bit of feedback.
My life is a bit weird now.
# NUMBERS
We did it!
After posting last week about āPointless numeric targetsā and being so close to 1k with 994 subscribers, 6 people promptly unsubscribed.
Then the other day I checked on my phone andā¦
And as of this morning weāre now atā¦
ā¦which means I can shut up about it for another 860 estimated days if weāre aiming for 2k.
I look forwards to seeing that 1,007 dropping immediately after this newsletter goes live.
# THE END & STUDIO NEWS
I knew it was going to be a short one this week, back to normal service soon.
The reason for it being so short is since the last newsletter things moved āquicklyā on the selling the studio front.
In that I was told āWe think all the outstanding questions have been answered, and we think the exchange is going to happen soon, and we think the completion date will be Friday the 18thā. But Iāve been told a lot of similar things over the last few months.
Having sent me that my solicitor promptly went on holiday and OOOed until yesterday.
So Iāve spend the last week in the pre-work hours making sure everything was ready just in case (and not writing this newsletter or doing things to write about). My buyer moved all his stuff in yesterday because his man-with-a-van could either do that or the start of next month.
Mid-afternoon yesterday I finally got confirmation that everything is in place and the big date is tomorrow andā¦ thatās itā¦ itās all done.
To say that even in my zen like āitāll be fineā state Iāve been running on cortisol non-stop for the past six months is an understatement. Iām not entirely sure how my bodyās going to react on Saturday when itās all over. I suspect the usual; my defense system will decide that itās perfectly fine to finally get ill.
I would say itāll allow me to relax a little and focus more on art, but the next overdue job is to paint the floor of the new studio and get some cupboards, because now Iāve brought over the last of the stuff from the old studio itās all got a bit overwhelming in here.
Thanks for coming along on the studio sale ride, Iāve had many messages and support along the way and itās really helped.
Until next time, which should be the š 31st October š
Love you all,
Dan
ā¤ļø
So happy to hear that the studio sale finally worked out! Congrats!!