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Pindar Van Arman, a technology artist and software engineer, has spent a decade building a robot that can paint, and the art is absolutely breathtaking.
Pindar Van Arman
The robot is capable of making beautiful landscapes and portraits either with the assistance of humans or on its own using artificial intelligence. But if you want a custom-made portrait, it will be done with the help of people, which actually adds some fun flair and design elements to the final piece.
Here's how you can get your own custom art:
The typical option is to assist the robot in painting a photo that is already uploaded. To do that, go to crowdpainter.com
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Sometimes you'll be prompted to enter a password if the robot is work on a private portrait, but most times you can get right through.
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You can email Pindar Van Arman for a password through his website if you want access.
From there you'll be able to assist the robot in its painting! Simply trace the outline of the painting using colors from the toolbar on the left.
Screenshot
When you trace the outline of the photo, the robot will do the actual strokes on canvas.
The robot has a head capable of holding a paint brush and moving it in different angles. It can also clean the brush on its own.
"It can mimic the style of painting," Van Arman told Tech Insider. "If someone dabbed a lot, it would dab."
To work on your own photo, you can email Pindar Van Arman at pindar@vanarman.com and he will upload it to the website.
YouTube/Pindar Van Arman
A new photo is usually put up everyday, but some pieces may take up to three days.
In the near future, people will be able to take a selfie and start assisting the robot in the tracing process immediately.
Pindar Van Arman
Artwork can sell anywhere between $100 to $2,000 depending on the size of the portrait and the amount of paint used.
