Initial Concept Proposal

“Sunrise Adventure” was one of my initial ideas where I wanted there to be movement within the sky and the water. I wanted the light source to come from the sun where it is centered like a sunrise/sunset scene. I wanted the sun to be an LED board that changes colors smoothly between the rainbow. Then within the water/sky I wanted there to be animals/figures drawn in different colors so that the animals look like they are moving while the colors change.

For this idea, people did have concerns of whether the sun as the only light source would be enough for the kind of look I wanted to achieve, so I kept that in mind when I was working on my proof of concept.

Creating a Maquette

After trying to create a miniature scale of my project, I realized that I had a lot of different parts that have to be put together to make the piece work. Based off the concern of having enough light emitting from the sun, I tested a theory of using acrylic panes with LED strips around the edges, in hopes that it would produce enough light to create the effect that I wanted on my painting. Otherwise, a shadow box would have been the best option with an acrylic pane in the back that is etched with a design in the sun.

I also started my initial testing for creating the “Carnovsky” effect within my painting.

Based off these colors, I was unsuccessful in replicating the “Carnovsky” effect so I had to keep testing. I solved this issue by painting in the LED color and made the paint color disappear. This technique was very successful in finding the range of the colors that would work well with the LEDs I had.

Everything Working

Once I was able to figure out the colors for the painting, I was able to start completing the painting portion of my project. I ended up using the sky as the part that would change. With the different colors I made various birds with each color that would change as the LED color changed.

Final Piece

When the painting was completed, I was able to start working on the acrylic sheet that would be used for the sun. I used a frosted acrylic sheet and laser engraved a design within the sun as well as small lines within the water. From this, I was able to dremel the photo frame so that the LEDs were flush on the surface and then hot glued all the LEDs onto the frame as well as on the back of the canvas. My last goal was to possibly find a way to diffuse the light that was emitted from the LEDs as it was very harsh. For this I tried adding tissues, but since this was not a major importance, I was not able to achieve a nice light diffusion. Overall, the project was successful and I am proud of the final piece I was able to produce.

Future Improvements

If i were to do this project again, I would find a better light source that diffused the light better. I would also use a thicker acrylic and find a better method of attaching the acrylic to the canvas as well as the LED. In an ideal world, the painting would be more intricate and everything would line up perfectly.