Having worked extensively on large charcoal drawings using heavy etching paper, I’ve often imagined what it would be like if a proper robotic arm could take on the task. My own process involves compressed charcoal pencils, plenty of erasers, and various grades of sandpaper, really working the surface of the paper. And watching out not to scratch or dimple the paper.

Plotters are usually limited in how they can tilt the pen, and their force-feedback capabilities are quite primitive, if present. And if you’ve ever tried sharpening a compressed charcoal pencil to a fine point, you’ll know how difficult that would be to automate.

If I ever happen to find four spare years tucked away somewhere, I might just attempt to build such a system myself :/

Edit: to get an idea of what is possible with this technique, see the work of Annie Murphy Robinson [1], who also hosts workshops.

[1] https://anniemurphyrobinson.com/