Jesus Javier Vela: Week 12 Laser Engraved Skateboard Deck

Original Photo

Concept

     While this project's first direction moved towards developing an abstract image, it eventually modulated towards realism as opportunities for visual interpretation became apparent. The final concept was recreating a photo of my friend attempting to look at her phone while wearing an over-sized panda head. Emphasis was placed on the panda head as well as the phone because they establish the visual conflict of the piece.

Layers on Adobe Illustrator

Techniques

     The design was developed using Adobe Illustrator. A photo of my taking was minimized with a three-color image trace. While some areas of the image were reduced to few lines, others were sustained by a field of blotches fighting for space. The image was then extended into objects and ungrouped. The objects were easily selected by similar color and sorted into layers designated by engraving weight. After playing around with the design, the final weights were raster, medium, and deep.

Laser Engraved Skateboard

Materials

     I used a blank 7.5" skateboard deck for the engraving at the Machine Shop. Given that the surface of the canvas was not entirely flat, certain areas of the board were engraved deeper than others. I am still pleased with the results, but the unintended consequence did undermine some of my effort to create depth in the design by adjusting the engraving weight relative to the distance of objects in the image.