1 What Are Artcodes?
Artcodes are hand-drawn, scannable markers — like QR codes, but beautiful. Developed at the University of Nottingham's Mixed Reality Lab, they let you embed a hidden code inside any drawing, pattern, or painting. When scanned with the free Artcodes app, the artwork triggers a link — to a webpage, a video, a gallery, whatever you want.
Unlike a QR code's ugly grid of squares, an Artcode can look like a butterfly, a flower, a landscape, an abstract composition — anything you can draw. The code is invisible to the casual viewer but readable by the app's camera.
2 Three Building Blocks
Every Artcode is built from just three elements:
From the original Artcodes tutorials — boundary, regions and blobs in action. This bird is code 1:1:1:1:2 (5 regions, four with 1 blob and one with 2).
Boundary
The outer outline that connects everything together. Think of it as the "frame" of the code. All regions must be joined by the boundary.
Regions
Enclosed spaces within the boundary. Each region is a separate area. The number of regions becomes part of your code.
Blobs
Solid shapes that float freely inside a region — not touching the region's edge. The number of blobs in each region sets each digit of the code.
- Boundary — the single outer outline joining all regions together.
- Regions — enclosed spaces (here there are 2). The code has 2 digits.
- Blobs — solid dots floating freely inside regions. Region 1 has 2 blobs, Region 2 has 3 blobs → code is 2:3
You can add as much decorative detail as you want to the boundary and outside it — embellishments, patterns, shading — as long as blobs stay floating and don't touch region edges.
3 The Golden Rules
Keep these in mind while you draw
- All regions must connect — joined by a continuous boundary outline.
- Blobs must float — solid shapes inside a region that don't touch the region's edge.
- Anything touching an edge is decoration — detail attached to a region wall is "noise" and gets ignored by the scanner. Use this to your advantage!
- Decorate freely outside the boundary — antennae, leaves, flourishes, background… go wild. It won't affect the code.
- Use strong contrast — black on white works best. If painting in colour, keep boundary lines bold and blobs solid.
- Codes are sorted ascending — 1:2:4 not 4:2:1. Plan your regions accordingly.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Lines or blobs too close together — the scanner can merge them. Leave clear gaps.
- Regions inside other regions — keep the hierarchy flat. Blobs can't be hollow either.
- Lines too thin — bold, confident lines scan far better than spidery ones.
4 Draw Your First Artcode
Let's draw a simple butterfly with code 1:1:2:4:4 (five regions).
The finished butterfly — code 1:1:2:4:4. All you need is paper and a black marker.
Draw the body
A long oval in the centre — this is your first region. It will contain 1 blob.
Add the upper wings
Draw two large wing shapes connected to the body. These are regions 2 and 3. They'll hold 1 and 2 blobs respectively.
Add the lower wings
Two smaller wing shapes below, also connected. Regions 4 and 5 — each will hold 4 blobs.
Drop in your blobs
Place solid dots or shapes floating inside each region — 1, 1, 2, 4, 4. Don't let them touch the edges!
Decorate!
Add patterns, antennae, shading, colour — anything that touches the boundary is safe decoration. Make it your own.
Scan with the Artcodes app
Open the app, point your camera at the drawing, and watch it come alive. Link it to a webpage, your portfolio, or a hidden message.
5 Ideas for Painters
Artcodes aren't just for line drawings — they work in any medium. Here are some starting points:
Floral Still Life
Each flower head is a region, stamens are blobs. Viewers scan to see a time-lapse of the real flowers.
Landscape
Fields, hills and clouds become regions. Rocks and birds become blobs. Link to the location on a map.
Portrait
Hide regions in clothing folds or hair. Blobs become buttons or jewellery. Scan to hear the subject's story.
Abstract
Geometric shapes and floating circles are already the language of Artcodes — abstract art is a natural fit.
Mural / Street Art
Paint a community wall with hidden codes that link to local history, stories, or event pages.
Seasonal Cards
Christmas cards, birthday cards — each one scannable with a personal video message.
6 For Developers
Artcodes is fully open source under the AGPL v3 licence. If you want to go beyond scanning and build Artcodes recognition into your own apps, the code is all on GitHub:
Android
Full scanner app and library. Add to your Gradle dependencies and you're away.
iOS
Native Swift scanner. Import the library and build AR experiences on iPhone and iPad.
Cordova Plugin
Cross-platform via HTML, CSS & JS. One plugin, both platforms. Ideal for web developers.
The libraries let you define "experiences" — mappings from codes to actions. Your app points the camera at a drawing, recognises the code, and triggers whatever you've linked it to. Think scavenger hunts, interactive exhibitions, or community storytelling walls.
Ready to Try?
Download the free Artcodes app, grab a marker pen, and start experimenting. The app lets you create "experiences" — mappings from your codes to any web content you like.
More info at the Horizon Digital Economy Research page and the University of Nottingham Mixed Reality Lab