Will McKiernan Laser Engraving

This project started out as a random sketch I had done last semester of a wolf, which I then took the time to fill with small triangles to give it a more interesting aesthetic. I really liked how it turned out and it began to have more meaning. The wolf symbolizes solitude and authority, and being a freshman this is the first time in my life I'm on my own. I have embraced the opportunity to make something for myself and choose my path in life, to be a leader, a wolf, rather than a sheep stuck in the herd. I have wanted to bring this work into other forms and I felt this was the perfect chance to do so.

 I took a picture of my drawing and placed it into an Illustrator file. There I did an Image Trace, where there the small triangles became cool, organic shapes, all separate from one another. I was n't expecting this to happen but I like it better than the original. I went through and cleaned up any small, erroneous shapes and separated the outline and the inside shapes onto different layers. I decided to add some flavor to the background and put in some stylized mountain forms. I used the Pen tool to create shaded shapes to give the mountains some depth, and continued the cut line as engrave to further that effect.

 I used MDF for this engrave because I think it shows the engrave lines and rasters very well, and I enjoy how the edges of the cut line get slightly charred and add a cool, rustic kind of aesthetic. Originally I wanted to have each of the inner shapes be cut from the board, but I had double lines so it got burned. In future iterations I'd like to try that process again, as well as do a gesture form based on the shapes making up the inside without an outer line.