Artists at Artscourt’s Modlab in downtown Ottawa are venturing into the realm of electronic 3D production.

Chayle Cook is a jewellery maker and craftswoman from Ottawa who was chosen this past fall by Artengine, a non-profit group concentrated on innovative advances in electronic art located at Artscourt, to experiment with a 3D printer.

The printer, which is called a Cupcake CNC, can read the 3D sketches artists show it and print a 3D figure made of ABS plastic, the same material Lego blocks are made from. The plastic initially comes in a coil form, which is then heated up by the machine and squished out like hot glue to produce the product.

Cook said she has used the printer to create 3D figures of pieces of jewellery she has sketched. However, she said the project is not about production but about experimenting and finding new ways to create something.

The printer takes a lot of patience. There are many technical hurdles to overcome to create objects, Cook said.

She said the machine struggles to read undercuts she has drawn, and the figures come out needing to be soldered and perfected quite a bit.

“I think the reason why Artengine was kind of excited to have me was that because I am a jeweller. I know how to finish these things up,” she said.

“I am used to working with small things and filing things and sanding them and polishing them up,” said Cook, who has a fine arts degree from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University and has a background in printmaking and book arts, as well as jewellery-making.

What may look fantastic as a 3D sketch could look much simpler once printed out. Cook said using the Cupcake CNC often requires reconsidering what you want and rethinking the idea again and again.

“It’s about balancing back and forth between your vision and what is possible,” Cook said. “Knowing what your limits are, but then still pushing them anyways.”

Creating 3D figures from sketches could mean an exciting future for artists and craftspeople. For example, the plastic jewellery Cook creates with the printer could be dipped or plated in metal or silicone.

Cook also said the CNC Cupcake printer is “not out of reach to the general public to purchase.” Its affordable price range, around $900 according to makerbot.com, makes it more accessible to artists and those wishing to attempt to turn their ideas into 3D sketches and subsequently into 3D objects.

For now, Cook said she is enjoying working with the 3D printer. She said her current plans are to try and create bigger pieces so that the details are more apparent. She also wants to experiment with geometric shapes.

As for the effect 3D printing could have on artists, Cook said, “it challenges you so that makes you grow.”

Click here to see Cook's accompanying videos of a Makerbot 3D printer.