I created two skateboard graphics using fresco and photoshop. The first part of the assignment will be to think about, investigate, define the theme of the project as a class. We will further discuss these topics in class. You will then begin the design process with the goal of creating designs that will your personal interpretation of the theme chaos vs clarity.

 

These are my first sketches trying to find out what I wanted to do. 

I then decided to take some themes I had like city and nature and develop afew thoughts on where that could take me. I also explored themes of electricity and perspective.  

After deciding on going for the city vs nature aspect. I took the telephone pols, mountains, deer/headlights for inspiration. I decided I wanted to do some perspective as well with my boards being both vertical for my canvas. 

This became my sketch that I would go of of to create my design. I enjoy the perspective and I think it shows chaos vs clarity through the car and city and the mountains and open road.

I used fresco to create my final outline of my design. I was very happy with how the roads perspective came out as I had to redo it again and again. I added fire to the car to convey chaos on one side. I drew a line down the center so I would know where the mini boards would connect. I also measured the size of the mini board and match that to the size of my file. 

I started to shade in my drawing on fresco in black and white so when I went to laser cut it the machine would understand where it would cut deeper. In hind sight I should have made my contrast higher by having more lighter lights. It became muddy with not enough highlights and mid tones.

I added highlights and and detailed the fire more. I wanted to add a street sign but I didn’t know what I wanted it to have on it. I thought something like dead end or drop ahead would be good. I ended up deciding letters and words didn’t fit with the pice as well as felt off overall. I then draw a deer crossing sign instead because deers hold great significance to me and aid me in my “clarity”. 

From my final design I placed it into photoshop and turned it into half tones and centered it on my mini board template to be sent to the laser cutter.

This is a video of the laser cutter engraving my design into the wood I had to run both through twice just to get the deep marks and texture I wanted. Even after they came out of the laser cutter I was still unsatisfied with where some parts should be darker and others lighter so I took it home and painted overtop of it to make the lines and cuts look more defined.

This was before painting. It wasn’t bad but there were some lines and spaces I knew I could improve with my paint.

This is my finished mini board.:)