Drawing my hand via the eye-tracker, 2020-2021
The selected works below stem from the initial experimental drawing exercises where I drew my hand with the eye-tracking headset. This drawing exploration took place during the working-from-home periods of 2020 and the beginning of 2021, induced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
An initial question posited by the drawing practice explored ways of drawing with the eyes and eye-tracking technology by revisiting aspects of observational drawing that involve the process of delineation, i.e. the representation of the observed subjects by means of drawn lines. The main subject of observation for these exercises was my hand, as I would hyper-attentively attempt to direct my gaze from one feature of the hand to the next (for example, the ‘outline’ of my fingers) with the awareness that the technology would be simultaneously transforming my gaze into datapoints.
5 eye-tracking drawings of my right hand, March 2020
Digital drawings with eye-tracking
Pupil Core monocular eye-tracker, Pupil Player, Rhino 3D
The 5 eye-tracking drawings above represent the hand in the same position and drawn from 5 different viewpoints, as shown by the documentation below.
Documentation while eye-tracking drawing 5 different viewpoints of my right hand, March 2020
Viewpoints 1, 3 and 5 are represented by a screenshot of the footage captured by the Pupil Core monocular eye-tracking device during the drawing experiment, and downloaded from Pupil Player during post-processing. Viewpoints 2 and 4 show two self-documented photos captured using a GoPro during the drawing exercise.
Eye-tracking drawing of my right hand, July 2020
Digital drawing with eye-tracking
Pupil Core monocular eye-tracker, Pupil Player, Rhino 3D
Documentation while eye-tracking drawing my right hand, July 2020
(Top) The footage captured by the Pupil Core monocular eye-tracking device during the drawing experiment, and that could only be downloaded from Pupil Player during post-processing.
(Bottom) Self-documentation captured using a GoPro during the drawing exercise.
Anecdote:
I had started by fixating on the most evident vein on my wrist and shifted my gaze to the right, towards the curve leading to my thumb. I delineated the outer edge and tried to curve around the top part of my thumb. My gaze started descending and fixated at the thumb’s joint crease. I then followed the transverse creases of my palm and then moved towards the right again by following along the creases at the base of my fingers until my gaze hit the outer edge of my index finger. From this point I delineated my four fingers by moving my gaze along the outer edges and the evident joint creases. The position of my small finger seems to have attracted more attention than the other three, as I tried to delineate the curving top part, to then follow a path downwards towards my wrist… and then stopped drawing.
4 eye-tracking drawings of my right hand, July 2020
Digital drawings with eye-tracking
Pupil Core monocular eye-tracker, Pupil Player, Rhino 3D
The 4 eye-tracking drawings represent the hand drawn from 4 different viewpoints. The intention was to superimpose the 4 drawings in the digital virtual space during post-processing according to their respective viewpoint, as shown in the digital video below.
4 superimposed eye-tracking drawings of my hand, drawn from 4 different viewpoints, September 2020
Digital video loop with eye-tracking
Pupil Core monocular eye-tracker, Pupil Player, Rhino 3D
Eye-tracking drawing of my right hand, August 2020
Digital video loop with eye-tracking
Pupil Core binocular eye-tracker, Pupil Player, Rhino 3D
Eye-tracking drawing of my right hand, August 2020
Digital video loop with eye-tracking
Pupil Core binocular eye-tracker, Pupil Player, Rhino 3D
Eye-tracking drawing of my right hand, August 2020
Digital video loop with eye-tracking
Pupil Core binocular eye-tracker, Pupil Player, Rhino 3D
Eye-tracking drawing of my right hand, August 2020
Digital video loop with eye-tracking
Pupil Core binocular eye-tracker, Pupil Player, Rhino 3D
Eye-tracking drawing of my right hand, August 2020
Digital video loop with eye-tracking
Pupil Core binocular eye-tracker, Pupil Player, Rhino 3D
Selected developments made during post-processing
The selected works below are the outcome of post-processing experimentation made with the resulting eye-tracking drawings of my hand. The fact that the eye-tracking data was generated as drawings within the three-dimensional digital space of Rhino 3D, presented the opportunity to explore different means of presentation and generative developments. I used software tools such as lofting in order to experiment with three-dimensional forms. Most developments were made with Rhino 3D‘s visual scripting plug-in, Grasshopper.
Eye-tracking drawing of my right hand (red gradient), September 2020
Digital image
Rhino 3D, Grasshopper
After the generation of the eye-tracking data into a linear drawing, a red colour gradient was applied. The lightest tone is representative of the first eye-tracking points captured during the drawing exercise, while the darkest tone of the latest. This gives temporal value to the digital line, as well as an aesthetic sense of depth.
(Left) 2 superimposed eye-tracking drawings of my right hand with a morphing generative development in between
(Right) Sculptural development from the generative drawings
September 2020
Digital image
Rhino 3D, Grasshopper
2 eye-tracking drawings of my hand where superimposed and a morphing generative development was processed in between. This created a number of generative digital drawings between one eye-tracking drawing and the other. Subsequently, the drawings were processed with a lofting command that formed a sculptural development.
4 superimposed eye-tracking drawings of different viewpoints of my right hand with a morphing generative development in between, September 2020
Digital image
Rhino 3D, Grasshopper
4 eye-tracking drawings of my hand from the same drawing session were superimposed and a morphing generative development was processed in between. This created a number of generative drawings in the digital space between one eye-tracking drawing and another.
(Top) 4 superimposed eye-tracking drawings of the same viewpoint of my right hand
(Bottom) 4 superimposed eye-tracking drawings of the same viewpoint of my right hand with a morphing generative development in between
September 2020
Digital image
Rhino 3D, Grasshopper
4 eye-tracking drawings of my hand where superimposed and a morphing generative development was processed in between. This created a number of generative drawings in the digital space between one eye-tracking drawing and another.
(Top) 3 superimposed eye-tracking drawings of my right hand with a morphing generative development in between
(Bottom) Sculptural development from the generative drawings
September 2020
Digital image
Rhino 3D, Grasshopper
3 eye-tracking drawings of my hand from the same drawing session where superimposed and a morphing generative development was processed in between. This created a number of generative drawings in the digital space between one eye-tracking drawing and the other. Subsequently, the drawings were processed with a lofting command that formed a sculptural development.