Yadira Anguiano: Week 12 Final - Skateboard Deck Laser Engraving

 

Concept

For my final laser engraving, I was inspired by the symbols used in my favorite series, Hunter x Hunter. In this series there is a moral conflict between one of the main protagonists/antagonists that are symbolized as a spider and a chain. This spider symbol can be seen tattooed on each member of the antagonist group, while the dagger is dubbed the protagonist’s “judgement chain”. Since this is my favorite part of the storyline, I chose to create a design to suit these very distinctive symbols.  I used other skateboard engravings as reference for the sizing of my design, and decided I wanted the main focus of the board to be in the center.  

Technique

To create my curves, I used both Illustrator and Rhino. I imported the spider and dagger from Illustrator as vectors, and then used the pen tool to model the rest of the design. I continued to modify the design using the control point tool as I went along. To model the skateboard, I extruded the base of my board to one inch first. Then, I extruded my curves into polysurfaces, and used the offsetsrf command to give the lines width. Some lines did not extrude using this method, so I had to use alternatives for some lines. For example, on the dagger handle I had to first offset the base curve and create a closed curve using CloseCrv, and finally add in a planar surface to the newly created curve. To bend my skateboard, I used the bend command and created a spine below and above my design. For the hatches, I also used Planarsrf.  

Materials

In Keyshot, I originally had created a grey stained board with darkened lines. However, the execution of this style on my physical board made the design appear hidden and took away from the overall aesthetic. I decided to emphasize my lines, so I changed my rendering back to the “maple” tone with darkened lines for my design. I also chose an interior lighting and backplate since the board is decorative rather than functional. After adding in the grey wood stain into the engraving, I sanded down the rest of the board. After only the stain inside the design remained, I used a satin lacquer to seal the board.