As a primer, I teach high school art. Unless you have been living under a rock, 'nuf said about my job, right?
I am currently teaching several classes, but I have a graphic design class and a printmaking class going right now and through the end of April, I have a laser engraver in my room. Last year, I had the engraver for a shorter time and we made several things including some rolling pins, wooden playing cards, some felt letters, a cut out from an album and a lot of phone cases. I want to bump things up a bit, and as beginner projects I have them designing titles in Illy with their own patterns they create in the letters, to burn into old books. I have some Davy board (bookboard) that they will use some principles from Wucious Wong to create their own covers for a sketchbook/final project potential and designing some letters that we will use wood that is one inch high or possible mount to (doing the alphabet.) My GD students are doing a decent job considering their diverse backgrounds and they just started a few months ago. They know their way around Illustrator quite well for their level and have a fair amount of exposure to the other Adobe apps (photoshop, lightroom and InDesign).
I don’t often get stuck, but I want to give them some inspiration outside of Pinterest projects where they just copy “Live, love, laugh.” If you have a thought or two, I sure would appreciate the kick-start to my brain.
Some other ideas include laminating a thin piece of something over something else (watch your burn through though, sometimes when the laser hits the glue, it flairs under or over the face.
Or, if you use a transfer paper cover, you can burn through the paper to engrave, then while the paper is still there, spray fill the letters with a paint. We normally do this with a paint mask and a CNC router, not a laser engraver so not sure how well the transfer paper will hold up to any amount of paint.
I gather you are strapped for cash regarding supplies but some of these things are fun and maybe you can get a deal for educational use if you contact them (I haven’t tried getting a discount but I’ve used the product.) http://www.rowmark.com/laser/Laser_Engravable_Materials.asp
Thanks, PD! I love some of the “laser engraved art!” wow…and I am really interested in the LED extrusions look! (not exactly what they are yet…but the intertubes should tell me), so I will definitely check out the other links more thoroughly at school. Thanks so much. …*Walks off excited!
We just got a laser engraver at our work Makerspace. So much fun!
we all had ideas of what to make. but other than a couple cutting boards, coasters, ornaments, charms and other jewelry, we didn’t get to too much else.
Fairy charms were for my daughter’s birthday party.
The Octopus is a 3-layer necklace charm…I can post a photo of the end result…it was just a test thing.
Probably nothing superb but it was fun to do. I also made a couple of triptych rings. one was waves/ dolphin/waves. the other was the Japanese Tidal Wave but that one was to thin and burnt up.
I don’t have anything to offer … but dang! Now I want to take a Laser Engraving class!!! I love everything you folks are talking about! I want to make my own rolling pin!
Tea you are amazing! I really wish I could go back in time and be one of your students. They are lucky kids