Charlie Brooks
For a proof-of-concept for my final idea, I have decided to make a scale model of what I intend for my finished product to look like. To refresh, I have used this image as inspiration:
I intend to use colored acrylic shards hung in front of a single stationary light source to create a light painting on a surface.
Maquette
For my scale model, I used clear acrylic that I colored using various colored highlighters:
I used double-sided tape to stick clear fishing line to the acrylic shapes and magnets to quickly hang them from a C-shaped metal rack that I made. When I shined the light from my phone through the pieces onto a white wall in a dark room at roughly 1′, the colors of the highlighters were faintly visible and the outlines of the shapes were evident. The fishing line was visible, but I think that it would fade at a further distance. The tape was also visible, so I don’t think that would be a good thing to use in the final design.
In total, the parts for this model cost ~$25 and helped me realize a couple things about my final design:
- Drilling holes in the acrylic will be better than adhering wire to them
- Each piece will need two supports to maintain the proper angle relative to the light
- The supporting stand that I use must either be fixed in one location or much more rigid to avoid the pieces jumping around
- The distance between the light source and the acrylic plays a large role in the size and crispness of the reflected image
- The type of light that I use will greatly impact how my image appears. I think it will need to be bright and directional, without much reflection from the source.
Materials
When I began sourcing parts for my maquette/final design, I found the following:
- colored acrylic 4″x 4″ samples — $2 each
- metal disk magnets — $2 for 10 magnets
- 330 yd. clear fishing line — $6
I estimate that I will need somewhere in the vicinity of 60 magnets, or about $12 worth. That would account for 30 individual shards that make up my final image, which I think should be enough to create enough detail. Depending on the scale that I end up going with, the final amount of fishing line and the number of acrylic sheets that I buy could vary. I am not worried about the cost of the line, but the acrylic is $10/sq.ft. if I need pieces larger than 4″ x 4″. That cost could escalate, especially if I am limited in the number of “sample” pieces that I can buy. I have already purchased one sample in each of the 8 colors that they offer for $25, including shipping.
Schedule
As for a schedule for the remainder of the term, these are the objectives that I believe that I’ll need to meet:
- Receive acrylic samples — 4/9 (estimate)
- Test color combinations, types of lighting, positioning methods — 4/13 (could depend on when acrylic arrives)
- Decide on scale, permanent-ness, acrylic hanging method — 4/16
- Begin testing/troubleshooting — week of 4/16
- Final image assembly — week of 4/23
- Presentation of final light painting — 4/26
I intend to document this process along the way, both for a grade and to keep track of what I’ve done and what works or doesn’t. Looking at the above schedule, I think the largest steps will be deciding on how mobile I want to make the piece (which will dictate the scale), and figuring out the best way to move and manipulate the shards while I work to create a final image. Those answers will come in the testing stage the week of 4/9.