I was just getting started...

 I've really wanted to make lamps, and here's a rough (very rough) draft. Glad this is cardboard, because the design needs a lot more editing.

It's funny, I tried to make a similar lamp using 3D printing. When I look at the 3D prints I made of a lamp and a stabile, I see I was printing lots of flat shapes and assembling them: that's a smarter job for a laser cutter.

Not sure how I'm going to keep going now that my time is drawing to an end. There are so many things I want to design and make using the laser cutter. Without this opportunity, though, I don't know if I would have ever gotten started.

I guess my options are to do some form of Generator membership...maybe as needed. It's a $25 / day fee to use the laser cutter with an affiliate membership, but I guess that could work. It'll be around $30/month to subscribe to Adobe Illustrator. In order to continue this design development, it's an investment I'll have to make.

Ironic? I hope not

When I hung up my art teaching beret & returned to school librarian, I inherited a collection that hadn't been weeded in 20-30 years. It was time for a haul-out. I started folding some book pages, and thinking about the discarded books as sculptural objects. I laser cut some letters I want to add to the books to make a read sign.

laser cut books

So I'm still learning Illustrator, and after doing a tutorial, I tried making some simple, stylized deer out of basic geometric shapes. This took me awhile. It would be a lot faster if I could import my drawings, and find the outlines. Seems pretty basic, but I'm not there yet. I'm going to start a month free trial of Lynda.com. And when my month-long trial of Illustrator runs out, I'll probably start paying to continue. Inkscape, while free, just doesn't compare. 

I was worried about the book smoldering or catching fire, but in fact, the book cover is far harder to cut than cardboard. It is pretty dense, after all.  So this is a quick experiment, but there's so much more I want to do with these. First I have to build my skills.

First "solo" project (with help)

I made my first item: laser cut ornaments out of 1/4" wood. I spent roughly 4 hours at Generator Wed night using Adobe Illustrator to create the ornaments. Even though I only used simple shapes & text, I had to learn how to:

• navigate in the program (e.g. zooming in & out, moving items on & off the workspace)
• make symmetrical shapes (circles & squares)
• change text into a path, so it becomes an object
• subtract and add shapes from one another
• create a .001 hairline for vector cutting

I confess I did a little air fistpump at one point when I figured out how to merge text into the ornament shape so it became just positive & negative spaces for cutting.

Yesterday evening I arranged with a kind member to use a small window of his scheduled 5 hour laser cutter time (thank you!) to print my ornaments. Luckily, Annika was at the desk and helped me with the questions (& jitters) I had to start printing...and she shared her ideal 1/4" wood settings (4-94-20)! I was so pleased it all worked out yesterday...big smile!

Laser Cut Lanterns!

I signed up for the Laser Cut Lanterns workshop with Pete Talbot at Generator, just to help get me started. The workshop was this past Sunday, and Pete was *so generous* with his time. What an awesome guy! It was a very good workshop, with a nice balance of structure and flexibility. Pete had a star template ready for us to customize cut out openings for the light to shine through. It was my first time using Adobe Illustrator. I still need to spray paint, score, fold & assemble my light. Learning to use the laser cutter is really learning to use Adobe Illustrator or another piece of software to create EPS files. My boyfriend used InkScape, and there were lots of problems with his file. Hoping InkScape will still be a viable option for this....

SLOW start

December is here and the clock is ticking! I am acutely aware how short 2 months are.

I went to a Generator orientation last week. Fortunately, I met with Caty, my fellow-Igniter, the day before, so I knew this orientation was NOT going to prepare me to use any equipment at Generator. I've been to the space and a few events there before, so I knew where everything was located. I think I could have given that tour.

I am signed up for the protoyping certification this week. Also, the laser cut lantern class I'd signed up for weeks ago that was postponed is going to happen this Sunday. My hope is, after this week, I will be able to use the laser cutter.

I wonder if, in the future, people with this wonderful opportunity could complete the orientation and any needed certifications  before the 2 months' membership started. That way, one would really have the full 2 months to make. 

Here's what I'm thinking about making:

• laser cut ornaments
• laser cut lamps and a re-do of a 3d printed light I made
• laser cut altered books (tunnel books) and laser-cut altered books with light

Here's what I'm worrying about:

• I won't be here over the Christmas break, so I lose all that nonschool time to make stuff
• How long it will take me to be proficient enough in the software I'll need
• When I will find time to be at Generator, given that I'm usually away on weekends

...essentially, all variations on the same theme: how to get 2 months' of making done with life, work, and the needed certifications and learning to even get started.

As a favorite principal of mine used to say, "Ready, fire, aim!"