Victoria Mayfield: Elephant Engraving

Concept: When I first began brainstorming ideas for my laser engraving I wanted to do something that incorporated my love for modern art. After brainstorming and looking at reference ideas for modern art, I decided I also wanted to incorporate my favorite animal, the elephant! I also decided I wanted there to be contrast in each line stroke within the elephant shape, and with the shapes I wanted to surround my modern elephant. 

Modeling: I used a few modeling techniques to create this design, but mostly it was the curve tool. I was able to use the PictureFrame command to bring in my reference drawing of the elephant with geometric lines all across it. Then use the curve tool to outline the elephant body and the lines inside. I decided I wanted to create contrast within the body by having the interior geometric lines be different depths. This didn’t really pay off because the different depths are not as apparent as I had initially wanted. 

Materials: I used a .25 thick MDF plywood to engrave on. I wanted the piece to have some weight to it, which is why I chose the thicker cut. However, I also liked how the MDF reacts to the laser and leaves a somewhat burnt edge, but not black residue like with lower quality wood. Overall, I am pleased with the outcome. From here, I would like to use water colors to add a pop of color and to emphasize the elephant and the bubbles. I would like to leave the area around my elements bare, and put a lacquer on it to emphasize the wood grain.  

Victoria Mayfield: Batman Waffle

Concept: I knew that when I started looking at other waffle ideas that I would need to create something with a very recognizable silhouette. The first thing that came to mind were things like mountains, different animals, or trees. However whenever I would model these things, the waffle structure didn't allow for recognition of what the shape was supposed to be. It wasn't until the weekend when I was going to the movies that I realized: Batman is a recognizable silhouette! I knew I wanted one of the Batman logos to be my waffle design, but it took a few iterations before I decided which one I wanted.

Modeling: The main modeling technique I used was the curve tool. I was able to import reference images using the picture frame tool, and then trace them using the curve tool. Than it was simply a matter of extruding the curve to create the shape that I would create my waffle structure from. I used the Contour tool to create two sets of contours going against each other. I used these contours to make planes that would then become each layer of my waffle. From there, I imported the Cut my Ribs script, and was able to get each layer of the waffle cut properly. Then I imported the Massive unroll script, which allowed me to neatly lay out and number each piece of my waffle.

Materials: I decided to use a 2-ply cardboard to print out this version of my batman waffle just to better see how the waffle would work actually printed. I decided against eflute cardboard because I wanted the piece to have some visual weight to it. In my keyshots, I used a grey, frosted plastic, which is what I would like to use if I was going to print this piece again. I image the piece about 3 times the size of the maquette, with LED lights strung around the back to create a vibrant wall mounted lamp.

Victoria Mayfield: Slots

Concept: The first few ideas I had for possible slot pieces were not as successful as I had hoped. I began with the idea of branches and leafs for a natural look, but the designs I created didn't work very well together. I then pulled inspiration from one of my favorite themes, steampunk. What better idea for modular slots than gears, which are designed to work together!

Modeling: I was able to use the Picture Frame tool to bring in reference images for different gears that I liked. I knew I wanted a few different types of gears that I would be able to incorporate into my design, since generally when you think of gears there are many different styles and sizes of gears all working together. After I used the circle tool to create the main bodies of the gears, I was then able to use the scale tool to get achieve the different sizes of gears I wanted. Then I used the polar array tool to create an array of rectangles that were .25 inches wide. I used the curve tool and the circle tool to create the different designs within each gear. After that I used the curve boolean tool to essentially cut out each slot from the gears.

Materials: For my material I decided to go with a 2-ply cardboard, as I wanted the gears to have a somewhat heavy appearance, and was concerned MDF would be too heavy for me to assemble the gears the way that I envisioned. Also, the material was light enough for me to get the height that I had intended with my original design. I really liked how you can see the corrugations on the edges of the gears since I used the 2-ply cardboard, I think it gives each gear more character. I would like to spray paint the gears in brass and copper tones to match with my steam punk theme before I glue all the gears together into their final form. 

Victoria Mayfield: Serial Slice

Concept: For this project I really struggled when it came to deciding on a model that I was pleased with. I went through a few different prototypes before I decided on the design that I serial sliced. I knew I wanted to stick with a modern design, and dabble in suspension with the posts. I was inspired by modern cake designs, as well as decorative cupcake stands. I decided to stick with the modern theme and create something that could be showcased as a modern piece of art. 

Modeling: One of the main modeling techniques I used to achieve this piece was the polar array tool. This was the tool that I used to create a box, then create a tight array which gave me the star effect that I liked. I was then able to group those boxes, duplicate that whole tier, and scale is a bit smaller. This was how I achieved the four separate tiers. I then used the torus tool to create a band around each tier, which I used boolean difference to cut that section out. This left each tier with a nice hourglass shape. I created the 6 posts out of basic cylinders and decided to incorporate them into my design and have each tier be suspended. 

Materials: The material I chose for each tier in my keyshot is a frosted glass. I chose this material to stick with my modern theme. The glass is what I imagined the sculpture to be made of since it would be a purely decorative piece. I decided to make the internal posts a bold, bright red metal. I felt like this added some interest to the sculpture and made it more interesting and pleasing to the eye. For my actual serial slice I used MDF wood, then just basic wooden dowels for the support posts. I love how the laser burns the edges of the wood when it has been completely cut through, and this was the effect I wanted to achieve. Then I was able to just glue each serial sliced tier together, and use hot glue to suspend each tier along the posts. In the future I would like to experiment more with paints, as well as different materials.