When you design a product, anything printed on the product should support its function.

But when you create art first – without thinking of potential “products” – it can be hard to find the thing to print it on later.

Do you remember by drawing attached to a canvas with magnets?

https://elkement.art/2026/08/06/geometry-of-the-motion-of-a-free-prolate-gyroscope-and-the-power-of-magnets/

I was thinking about designing a product that would match this vibe!

I needed a way to add a white frame to a print.

And suddenly I noticed that a spiral notebook would provide the perfect printing surfaces – plural as there is a front and a back cover. As I did with mugs and pillows in the past, I can add two different drawings to a single product. Turning a functional product into a mini art gallery.

Unfortunately, these notebooks went out-of-stock for a while, but now they are back!

So, finally I can present them: these are six of seven notebooks in total, each featuring a different combination of geometrical drawings that visualize concepts in physics:

Collage of (mockups of) notebooks whose front and back cover is printed with from scans of orignial art: Geometrical drawings visualizing mathematical concepts in physics. Traditional descriptive geometry constructions, colored pencils on black paper. By elkement.art 2026. Notebooks (and mockups) by Fourthwall.
Geometric Physics Art Notebooks by elkement (and Fourthwall) 2026.
Available in the elkement Art store.

Each drawing has its story. When I am creating these drawings, I am thinking of my scientific education – from descriptive geometry to laser physics and quantum physics. I am working very slowly, putting down pencil marks that an AI could create in seconds. I am trying to appreciate the painstaking and detailed works of researchers and engineers of the past, and I still believe it is worth keeping these ancient skills alive.

Related blog posts about the original drawings, the underlying physics, and the creative process.

Gaussian Beam
Spherical Harmonic
Diamond Cubic
Aharanov-Bohm Effect
Mass Shell
Osculating Circles
Motion of the Gyroscope

I am always anxious – if not paranoid – how the prints will turn out. The images above are computer-generated mockups. The notebooks are about size A5, so smaller than the original drawings. So, I had to get my own notebook – and it passed my tests! :)

Here is how notebook number one looks up close: The cones related to the physics of the gyroscope on the front cover, the mass shell of the theory of relativity on the back cover. Dotted pages inside – I find them perfect for writing or sketching. One photo also shows the printed drawing on the cover side-by-side with the original drawing.

Spiral-bound notebook, printed with scans of original geometrical drawings on front and back cover. Originally created with colored pencils on black paper. Front: Geometry of the motion of a force-free gyroscope, back: mass shel of relativity. Photo of the notebook on a coffee table, back cover visible.
Spiral-bound notebook, printed with scans of original geometrical drawings on front and back cover. Originally created with colored pencils on black paper. Front: Geometry of the motion of a force-free gyroscope, back: mass shel of relativity. Photo a detail of the front cover, seen up close.
Spiral-bound notebook, printed with scans of original geometrical drawings on front and back cover. Originally created with colored pencils on black paper. Front: Geometry of the motion of a force-free gyroscope, back: mass shel of relativity. Photo a the open notebook, showing both front and back cover.
Spiral-bound notebook, printed with scans of original geometrical drawings on front and back cover. Originally created with colored pencils on black paper. Front: Geometry of the motion of a force-free gyroscope, back: mass shel of relativity. Photo of the notebook on a coffee table, front cover visible.
Spiral-bound notebook, printed with scans of original geometrical drawings on front and back cover. Originally created with colored pencils on black paper. Front: Geometry of the motion of a force-free gyroscope, back: mass shel of relativity. Photo of a detail of one of the dotted pages inside the notebook.
Spiral-bound notebook, printed with scans of original geometrical drawings on front and back cover. Originally created with colored pencils on black paper. Front: Geometry of the motion of a force-free gyroscope, back: mass shel of relativity. Photo of the front cover side-by-side with the original drawing.

This time of the year, print-on-demand platforms keep reminding me of creating somethings for the upcoming holidays and the “spooky season”. I guess, my art will not get spookier or more festive than this; so this series is my contribution in the Gifts for Geeks category!