Light painting is an “in-camera” photographic effect (that is, not composited after-the-fact) using long exposures and moving light sources. The technique dates back over a century, most of that time relying on small flashlights or incandescent bulbs…but once someone had the idea to use a whole row of computer-controlled LEDs, it quickly became one of the go-to maker projects, one we’ve visited many times. Any time a new technology comes along…Arduino, Raspberry Pi, CircuitPython…light painting is a fun and creative way to put that tech through its paces.

led_strips_picasso02.jpg
Pablo Picasso light paintings. Photo credit: Gjon Mili for LIFE Magazine, 1949

The challenge of this project was to see what could be squeezed from the CircuitPython language on a mid-range microcontroller board — Adafruit’s CLUE, which also provides a screen and buttons for a minimal interface.

An earlier project, our DotStar Pi Painter, had the enormous resources of a Raspberry Pi computer at its disposal, and the results were almost too good. Could we get some of those buttery-smooth visuals on a smaller device? A step (or three) up from the “bitmappy” LED graphics we’d previously seen from CircuitPython? Watch us work it!

Parts

Animated GIF showing CLUE board  displaying data from the many on-board sensors.
Do you feel like you just don't have a CLUE? Well, we can help with that - get a CLUE here at Adafruit by picking up this sensor-packed development board. We wanted to build some...
Out of Stock
Curved NeoPixel LED strip with each LED a different color
Move over NeoPixels, there's a new LED strip in town! These fancy new DotStar LED strips are a great upgrade for people who have loved and used NeoPixel strips for a few years but...
$24.95
In Stock
Shot of lightly coiled LED strip glowing rainbow colors.
Move over NeoPixels, there's a new LED strip in town! These fancy new DotStar LED strips are a great upgrade for people who have loved and used NeoPixel strips for a few years but...
$24.95
In Stock
Angled shot of 3 x AA battery holder with on/off switch, JST, and belt clip.
This battery holder connects 3 AA batteries together in series for powering all kinds of projects. We spec'd these out because the box is compact, and 3 AA's add up to about...
$2.95
In Stock
Angled shot of 3 AA batteries.
Battery power for your portable project! These batteries are good quality at a good price, and work fantastic with any of the kits or projects in the shop that use AAs. This is a pack...
$2.25
In Stock

This guide was first published on May 06, 2020. It was last updated on May 06, 2020.

This page (Overview) was last updated on Apr 10, 2020.

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