EDUstick®
MAKING INSTRUCTIONS
Pixel Picture

EDUstick® Creators Club

Pixel Picture

Your own flat picture made from a connected 6 × 6 grid and colored, fully filled cells. The example shows a two-color heart, while the participant chooses their own motif, colors, and open background.

Your outcome: Turn your own simple motif into a composition of square cells.

Ages 8 and up, in accordance with the conditions of use for the specific pen and with the necessary adult support. • About 40–65 minutes, at your own pace

Illustration of the finished construction. Full-size (1:1) templates are supplied on a separate sheet.

Finished model

Preparation

What you need

Additional items are needed. Prepare the complete list below before starting.

Tick off prepared items. Your selections are saved on this device.

Basic set

To print

Filament — amounts include extra

Project extras

Total filament: 4.3 m · approximately 12.9 g

The quantities include extra filament. Grams indicate estimated net filament mass, excluding packaging.

Preparation

Before you start

  1. On graph paper, mark out six rows and six columns. Color your own motif: a heart, an initial, or another simple symbol. Decide which cells will remain open. You can change the plan while working.
  2. Choose the PLA colors. The illustrations guide you through making a heart; you will make your own motif using the same cell-filling technique.
  3. Print the template at 100% scale and check the 20 mm reference segment. Place it under the transparent PLA pad on a stable work surface. The light 5/10 mm grid on the sheet is only a planning aid — do not trace it. The actual model consists of the dark square plus five vertical and five horizontal lines from pattern W01.
  4. Prepare the pen and stand according to the device instructions. Provide the working conditions and adult assistance required by those instructions.

The large image shows the stage outcome; small views show the action. ×N: repeat the entire action N times, cooling and checking each time. Illustrations are not at 1:1 scale.

Session 1 • stage 1/4

Close the frame

On the pad over the template, trace a square. Join the end of the path to its beginning; at this stage, make only the perimeter.

Check: The perimeter is closed and lies flat.

If it does not work: Close the gap with a short strand joining both ends.

1 × 6 × 6 grid with perimeter · PLA | template W01

→ T001 • Techniques — reference appendix

Stage outcome 1

Closed perimeter

6 × 6 grid with perimeter

Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.

Session 1 • stage 2/4

Build the 6 × 6 grid

Inside the completed frame, add five vertical lines, then five horizontal lines. Join the beginnings and ends of the lines to the frame, and use fresh PLA to join every intersection. Work flat on the mat throughout.

Check: The grid has six rows and six columns. The lines are joined at every intersection.

If it does not work: Complete a missing joint with a short path at the intersection.

1 × 6 × 6 grid with perimeter · PLA | template W01

→ T001 • Techniques — reference appendix

Stage outcome 2

Five horizontal lines of the actual grid — 36 model cells

Five vertical lines of the actual grid inside the dark perimeter
Five vertical lines of the actual grid inside the dark perimeter

6 × 6 grid with perimeter

Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.

Session 1 • stage 3/4

Fill the first pixel

On the mat, lay three back-and-forth strands in the selected cell. Join them to one another and to the bottom and side edges of the grid. Add strands upward: make about 10 strands in total, including the first three, at a width of approximately 1.3 mm in a cell with a clear width of 13.25 mm.

Adjust the number to cover the cell; join the last one to the top edge.

Check: The entire cell is covered with no gaps, and the strands are joined to one another and to all four edges of the grid. The color does not extend into neighboring cells.

If it does not work: Fill any visible gap with a thin path; do not flood the adjacent cell.

1 × Coral motif cells · PLA | template follow the written method

→ T002 • Techniques — reference appendix

Stage outcome 3

Entire cell filled

Three adjacent strands
Three adjacent strands

Coral motif cells

Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.

Session 1 • stage 4/4

Compose your own picture with colors

Fill the remaining cells according to your plan using the same technique. Change PLA colors according to the pen instructions. The example heart has 16 coral and 4 gold cells; the remaining cells form the open background. Leave the picture flat until it has cooled completely. Lift it, name it, and display it or give it as a gift.

Store the cooled picture flat, away from heaters and strong sunlight.

Check: One flat picture has been created. The filled cells hold onto the grid, and the motif can be pointed out or named.

If it does not work: Repair a loose edge on the mat: join both edges with a short strand of the same PLA. Leave the picture flat until it has cooled completely before lifting it again.

1 × Gold motif cells · PLA | template follow the written method

→ T003 • Techniques — reference appendix

Stage outcome 4

The second color completes the picture

The first color builds the motif
The first color builds the motif

Coral motif cells · Gold motif cells

Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.

Finished — check the outcome

Save the model to your collection and rate the activity in the Creators Club.

Techniques — reference appendix

T001 • Stage 1 · Stage 2

1 × 6 × 6 grid with perimeter · PLA | template W01

On the pad, make the perimeter, then five vertical lines and five horizontal lines. Join each line to the perimeter and to the lines it crosses. Finished cross-section [mm]: 1.5 × 1.5. Number of layers: 1. Support: The entire grid lies on the standard transparent pad over the 1:1 template. Strand direction: Perimeter, five vertical lines, five horizontal lines. Join the ends to the perimeter and connect every intersection. Cooling: Leave flat until completely cool before lifting. Tip access: Approach the grid from above with the pen tip. Place the pen on its stand; do not touch fresh paths.

T002 • Stage 3

1 × Coral motif cells · PLA | template follow the written method

Fill the selected cells with one layer of adjacent PLA strands, joining them to one another and to the grid. Start with one cell; then repeat the technique in the remaining cells. Finished cross-section [mm]: 1.3 × 1.3. Number of layers: 1. Support: The paths lie on the pad inside the already completed grid, not in midair. Strand direction: One layer of about 10 short strands in total, laid back and forth from the bottom edge of the cell toward the top. The clear cell width is 13.25 mm; at a strand width of approximately 1.3 mm, the first three strands count toward that total. Adjust the number to the actual width: cover the entire cell with no gaps, join adjacent strands to one another and to all four edges of the grid, without entering neighboring cells. Cooling: Leave the picture flat until completely cool. Change colors according to the device instructions. Tip access: Guide the tip from above over the open cell, lifting it when moving to the next cell.

T003 • Stage 4

1 × Gold motif cells · PLA | template follow the written method

After changing the PLA color, fill the selected cells using the same technique of joining the strands and edges. Finished cross-section [mm]: 1.3 × 1.3. Number of layers: 1. Support: The paths lie on the pad inside the already completed grid, not in midair. Strand direction: One layer of about 10 short strands in total, laid back and forth from the bottom edge of the cell toward the top. The clear cell width is 13.25 mm; at a strand width of approximately 1.3 mm, the first three strands count toward that total. Adjust the number to the actual width: cover the entire cell with no gaps, join adjacent strands to one another and to all four edges of the grid, without entering neighboring cells. Cooling: Leave the picture flat until completely cool. Change colors according to the device instructions. Tip access: Guide the tip from above over the open cell, lifting it when moving to the next cell.