From OpenProcessing to a Physical Artwork
How a generative line system becomes an SVG, a prepared movement, and a mark on paper or canvas.
A practical overview of the Arcos workflow using custom code, OpenProcessing, SVG export, Inkscape, and an artist-controlled plotter.
View related workThe Arcos workflow begins with a custom generative line system developed through research, testing, and repeated visual trials. The code is run in OpenProcessing, where each generation produces a new variation within the defined rules.
The purpose is not to accept every output. Generative variation creates a field of possibilities, and the artist selects only a composition that feels balanced, active, and worth continuing as a physical work.
Why the result is exported as SVG
Once a composition is selected, it is downloaded as an SVG. The vector file preserves paths rather than a fixed grid of pixels, which allows the movement to be resized and prepared for the dimensions of the intended paper or canvas.
The SVG is a working file. It contains the geometry the plotter can follow, but it does not contain the physical behaviour of ink, paint, brush, paper, or canvas.
Preparing the real dimensions
The SVG is opened in Inkscape. There the work is scaled, positioned within the physical sheet or canvas, and checked against margins and orientation. The plotter extension is used to prepare movement speed and tool height.
These settings are not universal. A technical pen on paper needs different contact from a synthetic brush carrying acrylic across canvas. The setup is adjusted for the selected tool and surface before the final plot begins.
The same paths can become different kinds of marks
On paper, a technical pen translates the structure into controlled ink lines. On canvas, a brush carries separately placed colours through multiple plotted movements, producing wider and more variable painted marks.
Future works may use other tools. The defining idea is not a fixed attachment, but a planned path entering direct contact with a chosen material and surface.
Where artistic decisions remain
Selection happens at every stage: in the code, among generated variations, in the SVG composition, in scale and placement, in tool and material choice, during supervision, and after the work is complete.
The workflow combines digital planning with physical judgment. The plotter executes movement, but the artwork depends on the decisions that determine which movement is used, how it meets the surface, and whether the final result is released.