What Is Spirograph — The Toy That Can Create Stunning Art?

Spirographs, invented in 1962, are toys that create geometric patterns using gears. These designs are used in art and similar patterns can be found in nature.

How a spirograph art starts (left) and how it ends (right)

Source : X@interesting_aIl

Have you been left in awe by the stunning intricate designs created by a pen and gears by seemingly following the same pattern of movement over and over again? Did you wonder "How the heck is that possible and what on earth is this sorcery?" These stunning patterns are art pieces created by spirographs.

The Spirograph, developed by British engineer Denys Fisher from 1962, is a drawing toy that creates hypotrochoids and epitrochoids, illustrating principles of gears and rotational symmetry.pic.twitter.com/eypnBf5snN

— Wonder of Science (@wonderofscience) October 11, 2024

Spirograph, a geometric drawing device, creates mathematical roulette curves known technically as hypotrochoids and epitrochoids. In simpler terms, it's a toy that uses gears to produce intricate, visually stunning patterns. The spirograph was developed by British engineer Denys Fisher in the early 1960s.

While often associated with childhood, spirographs have evolved into a captivating art form with applications ranging from fine art to visual texture in paintings.

Spirograph: Mechanics Of The Mesmerising Patterns

A basic spirograph set includes plastic rings (stators) with gear teeth on the inside and outside. Gearwheels (rotors), also with teeth and holes for pens, are spun around the rings to create geometric shapes. 'Super-spirographs' introduced triangles, straight bars and other shapes, making the possibilities for art endless.

The patterns are determined by the relative sizes of the circles, the position of the pen-hole in the small circle, and the starting point of the small circle inside the large one.

From Toy to Art Form

The Spirograph isn't just a toy; it's a tool for creating art. Layering designs and colours can create a sense of perspective, with cooler, softer colours in the background to mimic depth. Artists use spirographs to add visual texture to paintings, using the geometric shapes as a base for more complex compositions.

The Mathematics Behind the Magic

At its core, Spirograph art is rooted in mathematical principles. The curves produced are predictable based on the interaction of the circles. By changing the variables like the size of the gears and different pen placements, it's possible to create a huge array of patterns.

Spirograph Art In Nature

Interestingly, spirograph-like patterns can be observed in nature as well.

Below is a video that apparently shows the orbits of Earth and Mercury, that create spirograph-like patterns over the years. Their relative gravitational pulls combined with that of the sun keep them in their respective orbits at constant speed, making the patterns possible.

Take the orbits of any two planets and draw a line between their positions. The inner planet orbits faster than the outer planet and interesting, spirograph-like patterns will evolve.

These are the Earth and Mercury.

[🎞️ CaptainGranit]pic.twitter.com/ZMlH0KE4n5

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) January 19, 2025

Here's another video that depicts the orbital movement of Venus and Earth creating a stunning geometrical art.

Spirograph pattern generated by the relative orbits of Venus and Earth. pic.twitter.com/0JumJOGqhP

— Andrew Rader (@marsrader) March 19, 2016

In fact, there is an entire planetary nebula called 'The Spirograph Nebula'. The official name of the nebula, located in the Lepus constellation, is IC 418. It was called 'The Spirograph Nebula' owing to its intricate pattern, whose origins are unknown. 

Wonders Of The Universe.

The Spirograph Nebula, formally known as IC 418, offers a captivating glimpse into the future of our own Sun and the lifecycle of Sun-like stars. Located approximately 2,000 light-years away in the constellation Lepus, this nebula stands as a resplendent… pic.twitter.com/VUd4fneKQd

— Erika  (@ExploreCosmos_) July 25, 2024