My name is Alex and I’m a 26-year-old graphic designer based in London. I first discovered the art of pen plotting on Instagram late last year. I was mesmerised by the wide net of possibility to explore different combinations of pen, paper, materials, styles and more. I’ve always loved physical printed work, yet I work a lot on screen.
I couldn’t stop talking about it, so naturally for my birthday this year, my partner gifted me an UUNA TEK iDraw 2.0 A4 machine! Now I could finally experiment myself for the first time. Fun side note: she accidentally ordered a non-UK model, but the UUNA TEK team helpfully flagged this before shipping.
I became overwhelmed by the opportunities my plotter presented, from crafting original art prints ready to frame, to customised birthday cards for friends and family. It was exciting to have the ability to plot digital artwork onto 300gsm cardstock in my own flat. I love what the pen plotter offers as a drawing tool, notably: incredible drawing accuracy, endless pen combinations, high levels of personalisation, and the flexibility to draw on almost any material. My friends began to show interest in having their own pictures plotted (a keepsake for them) so I decided to start ‘Pen Plot Shop’.
At present, I operate Pen Plot Shop across Etsy, Instagram and TikTok, with a vision to expand to my own website in the near future. I am currently in the process of growing my store and developing original artwork and personalised plots that I feel make gifts worth giving. As many, I find the plotting process fascinating and have started to film the action. Every day I save new inspiration, be it pen types to use, styles to explore, and more. I’m also open for custom plotting commissions. I love a challenge, so no matter the ask I’m most happy to work on bespoke and meaningful custom plots for all, whether for individuals or businesses.
I’d never made a single sale online before doing this. Just 1 sale alone gave me the confidence that what I was doing was valuable and a viable way to earn and sustain my plotting habit. Getting my first customer took about 2 months, and I went the extra mile to provide them with a few previews of how their portrait would look prior to purchase. It was great to interact with a buyer and it helped me to understand what buyers find helpful. So far I’ve made 5 sales – a small milestone, yet it feels fantastic. I’ve had the most wins with personalised portraits and my architectural tower series, based on my own photography from my travels. Both of these are single-colour pieces which makes them easier to produce, yet I’m very keen to expand my offerings to include more 2, 3 or 4-pen pieces.
As part of my journey, I’ve already honed a range of new skills including configuring and running a plotter, developing my own vector drawing software to filter images, crafting products that people value, and filming and editing the process. It has been an amazing contrast to my day job and expanded my ability to put energy towards my creativity. As expected, you have to get to know the machine. I’ve seen pen eat paper, machine run away with pen, and the best of plots fade in the sunlight. Yet every time this happens I can make plotting smoother and produce a better product for the customer. It’s also fun to make mistakes, because you end up with a unique piece of artwork anyway.
The #1 piece of advice I’d give someone starting out today is to explore. The pen plotter, while it may seem a niche tool at first, is actually incredibly diverse in its output. You can plot almost anything! If you love plotting and are struggling to make one idea work, change it up and have a play with the next. Don’t wait. I also think there is both excellent value and opportunity to sell locally in your community. Also don’t stop talking about it because you might get a pen plotter out of it!
