Jordan Matelsky explores creating etched holograms using a pen plotter, building on William Beaty's work on hand-drawn holograms. The article provides an intuitive, math-free explanation of the optics behind how light reflection off fingerprint-like patterns creates holographic images, starting with the everyday phenomenon of greasy smudges on phone screens.
Background
Pen plotters are vintage computer-controlled drawing machines that use pens to create precise vector artwork. Hand-drawn holograms are a niche art form where grease or etched patterns on reflective surfaces create 3D-like images through controlled light reflection.
- Source
- Lobsters
- Published
- Aug 11, 2026 at 08:13 PM
- Score
- 5.0 / 10