anna stumpf etches contemporary patterns onto vintage drawings for 'experiment now!'

german artist anna stumpf is taking her pen to vintage drawings for this project called ‘experiment now!’ with abstract, colored strokes, the work explores how modern tools can enrich artwork from past centuries.

images courtesy of anna stumpf

to create each piece, stumpf first prepares the drawing file in adobe illustrator. typically working with quaint townscapes and countryside scenes, she then adds a custom pattern to the original artwork. after that, pen is put to paper using an axidraw plotter. 

from blue waves to pink squares, the patterns all follow a geometrical purity, resulting in a satisfying contrast between new and old. as well as establishing a tension between traditional and contemporary art, the artist is also interested in the cluelessness of the people in the drawings, who can’t see the modern strokes that have been added, and who don’t know what’s beyond the horizon.  

anna stumpf founded ‘experiment now!’ when she felt that her full-time design job wasn’t exercising her creativity enough. the project offers her the freedom to create things with her hands without having to think it through beforehand.

project info:

project name: experiment now!
artist: anna stumpf

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom