Our friend Tim at Cool4Cats has been producing amazing card automaton kits for several years.This evening we thought we would introduce his most complex piece, The Artist Automaton (not for the faint hearted!), which is available directly from Cool4Cats. When the handle is turned the artist looks up at his model, then down at his easel and – amazingly – he starts to draw. Keep turning and you’ll be amazed to see that he actually does a real pencil drawing of the model on a ‘post-it’ note! Although the model of the artist, the lady and all the little accessories (Paints, brushes,etc) are detailed and amusing, the real complexity lies within the case under their feet.
The handle operates a ‘worm’ gear which in turn drives two large cams. One controls the forwards-and-backwards movement of the artist’s arm, the other the ‘side-to-side’ movements. A series of levers transmit the movements and the combination of both actions results in the drawing. A final word: the artist is very imaginative…he doesn’t draw exactly what he sees in front of him!
This kit is very complex and will take many hours to assemble: a fair degree of patience and skill is required.
Please note: this piece (and many others) are only available directly from Cool 4 Cats
