About
Hi, I am Ali Baecker, the artist & educator behind 3 Dotted Penguins. I’m a printmaker and surface pattern designer living in Zurich, Switzerland.
I use the medium of block printing to explore pattern and surface designs. All my designs come to life through the slow and meditative process of carving blocks by hand and building up prints and patterns by placing inked block after block.
My work is inspired by my daydreams about the (far away) sea and my everyday adventures (near and far) and influenced by my engineering background and my love for geometrical shapes – with what can happen when one simple curved shape is repeated again and again with what can happen when one simple curved shape is repeated again and again.
It all started with a carving tool and a little time at the end of the day
3 Dotted Penguins started as a block printing adventure in 2018 to claim back my creativity and relax at the end of a packed day filled with my day job and family life.
An obsession with block printing and pattern design turned into my almost daily night shift, well documented on my Instagram account @3dottedpenguins, and I never really looked back.
I carved small stamps, experimented with different ways of arranging them and became more and more fascinated by repeat patterns. How does the block need to be designed so it repeats? What happens when you rotate it, combine it with another block, or change the spacing? How can a very simple shape create something that looks surprisingly complex?
My engineering brain loved figuring out the mechanics behind the patterns, while the artist in me loved that every single impression was made by hand.
A little block printing inspiration for your inbox
Want to carve, print, and experiment along with me?
Find the 3 Dotted Penguins newsletter for block printing ideas, practical tips, and creative inspiration, and a peek at what I’m working on in the studio. You will also be the first to hear about new workshops, classes, and other ways to learn with me. Find the 3 Dotted Penguins newsletter for block printing ideas, practical tips, and creative inspiration, and a peek at what I’m working on in the studio. You will also be the first to hear about new workshops, classes, and other ways to learn with me.
Sharing the magic of block printing
In 2020, I began teaching block printing through live online workshops. What started with individual workshops has since grown into a whole range of ways to learn and explore block printing with me.
If you’re just getting started – or are simply looking for a little creative nudge – you will find free block printing resources and mini-guides here on my website. Also, I share new ideas, inspiration, behind-the-scenes glimpses from my studio, and plenty of block printing goodness through my 3 Dotted Penguins newsletter.
Today, teaching is a big part of 3 Dotted Penguins. I help complete beginners carve and print their first stamp, but I also take experienced block printers much deeper into the world of repeat patterns.
My signature course, Repeat Patterns Deep Dive, grew directly out of my own years of experimenting. Rather than simply showing students a pattern to copy, I teach them: how repeat patterns work, how to design blocks that repeat, what to look out for when carving, how to print and align their blocks to build increasingly complex patterns of their own
I’m also the founder and host of the Block Printing Fest, a virtual event that brings block printers and artists from around the world together to share techniques, projects, ideas, and different approaches to this wonderfully versatile artform.
And one of my favorite parts of teaching is seeing those aha-moments and my students’ progress. It might start with carving their very first stamp and realizing that, with the right tools and clear instructions, it isn’t nearly as difficult as they thought it would be. Then comes the first repeat pattern, and the next one, and the next. With every new block they design, carve, and print, they learn something new about how shapes connect, how patterns build, and how small decisions can completely change their finished print. And step by step they master the art of stamp carving, block printing and repeat pattern design.
Still carving, printing & experimenting
Much bigger part of my days now, but my own creative practice is still at the heart of 3 Dotted Penguins. I continue to carve, print, and play with patterns and follow those little “what would happen if…?“ questions in my Zurich studio.
Inspiration might come from a shape spotted while traveling, something noticed on an everyday walk, memories of the sea, architecture, nature, or simply another pattern experiment leading to the next. Some ideas become finished prints or products, some make their way into my teaching, and others remain experiments, which is very much part of the process too.
You can find my latest work, experiments, and behind-the-scenes glimpses on Instagram at 3 Dotted Penguins, or explore my classes, courses, and other ways to learn with me here on the website.
