I. Caliper Construction

I attempted to make calipers with wood board like the ones in the following image.

I calculated the lengths of each part and organized the measures. I set up ratios and built my own based on them.

But my calipers turned out to be too thick and did not close all the way, so I decided to use the following two calipers for my drawing.

II. drawing

I used both the long and short calipers for my drawing. I tried an intense session of drawing with the tools.

As it progressed into a more complex and dynamic image, I became more confident with my lines. I drew more circular lines and bold, thick lines. The following images are my final drawing.

III. Model

I traced and sketched three shapes from my previous drawing. They all turned out to have various sizes and angles, but all had major straight lines and big circular curves. I just decided to go with my initial attempt.

Then, I made a model with thin cardboard papers based on the sketches. This process allowed me to explore where and what sorts of hinges I would need to use for my final piece.

I sketched more shapes to add to my model. I wanted them to be bigger and more symmetrical than my other shapes.

IV. Illustrator

I drew my shapes on Illustrator to cut in laser lab. I made some more shapes just to try adding to my model. (I thickened the lines of the shapes for the PNG images.)

V. Laser Cutting

I cut my pieces in the laser lab with a black plexiglass. I used the additional pieces as the base of the piece, and put my original pieces on top. But I couldn’t figure out a good shape with all the pieces, and decided to use one biggest piece and the four additional ones. In the future, I’d like to design with more precision on Illustrator in order not to break my pieces, since my longest pieces both broke in the process of making.

VI. Plexiglass Sculpture

My final piece turned out to be a black glass ship. I did not need to use any method of hinge for the four identical pieces, because I drew two stripes on each piece that’d connect as hinges. They formed a square bottom part together. In order to connect the biggest piece to the bottom, I drilled holes on both sides’ bottom pieces and put metal wire through all three holes. I’d like to try adding more shapes to the ship.