Final Project!
I rolled play, circuitry/fabtronics, and crafts/paper for my final project's subject, digital material, and traditional material. I knew right away I wanted to create fabtronics that could be used in some sort of game or play. My first idea was to create an outfit, lit by LEDs that you can play charades in the dark in. My next idea was to create a fantastical LED lit cloth that could be used for building forts. My third idea was to create a LED lit glove that could be used for puppetry. The first idea didn't feel quite right and I felt the second idea defeated the purpose of making forts in the first place, to create a place where the imagination can run wild. I decided to create the third idea!
I first followed an Instructables page to make a glove.
I made a pattern of my hand on paper and cut it out twice on two stretchy pieces of fabric. I wanted to create two gloves so that the circuitry would be protected inside the two layers. I then used LEDs and conductive thread to add the circuitry elements to my gloves. This proved to be disastrous for a beginner electrician. I could not figure out a way to prevent my circuits from touching as the fingers of the gloves were narrow.
I decided to throw away the glove idea completely and make finger puppets instead. I used canvas, paint, LEDs, conductive thread, metal foil, and D Cell batteries to create a series of nighttime magic finger puppets in the shape of the moon, a star, a cloud, a mountain at night, and a bioluminescent mushroom and jellyfish.
I first created patterns for my puppets and cut out the pieces in raw canvas. I then painted both sides of each finger puppet with acrylic and watercolor. I decided to keep the edges and quality of the puppets very raw and crafty and use a sponge to apply the paint to give the puppets a very dreamy quality and texture that would be enhanced by the LED light at night.
Before sewing the two sides of the puppets together I wired the LEDS In using conductive thread. I sewed a small pouch into each puppet to hold the dcell battery (except the mushroom which has a battery holder). After I was sure the LEDs worked, I sewed the finger puppets together. For the mountain (the last puppet I made) I decided to add some copper foil to the white paint representing the snowy mountaintop to enhance the dreamy quality of the puppet.
If I were to take this project further, I would create a make your own LED finger puppet instructional kit with materials and instructions for designing and constructing any kind of LED finger puppet. I feel that instructional kits are often limiting in what you can create and it would be very interesting to create an open-ended craft kit.
I rolled play, circuitry/fabtronics, and crafts/paper for my final project's subject, digital material, and traditional material. I knew right away I wanted to create fabtronics that could be used in some sort of game or play. My first idea was to create an outfit, lit by LEDs that you can play charades in the dark in. My next idea was to create a fantastical LED lit cloth that could be used for building forts. My third idea was to create a LED lit glove that could be used for puppetry. The first idea didn't feel quite right and I felt the second idea defeated the purpose of making forts in the first place, to create a place where the imagination can run wild. I decided to create the third idea!
I first followed an Instructables page to make a glove.
I made a pattern of my hand on paper and cut it out twice on two stretchy pieces of fabric. I wanted to create two gloves so that the circuitry would be protected inside the two layers. I then used LEDs and conductive thread to add the circuitry elements to my gloves. This proved to be disastrous for a beginner electrician. I could not figure out a way to prevent my circuits from touching as the fingers of the gloves were narrow.
I decided to throw away the glove idea completely and make finger puppets instead. I used canvas, paint, LEDs, conductive thread, metal foil, and D Cell batteries to create a series of nighttime magic finger puppets in the shape of the moon, a star, a cloud, a mountain at night, and a bioluminescent mushroom and jellyfish.
I first created patterns for my puppets and cut out the pieces in raw canvas. I then painted both sides of each finger puppet with acrylic and watercolor. I decided to keep the edges and quality of the puppets very raw and crafty and use a sponge to apply the paint to give the puppets a very dreamy quality and texture that would be enhanced by the LED light at night.
Before sewing the two sides of the puppets together I wired the LEDS In using conductive thread. I sewed a small pouch into each puppet to hold the dcell battery (except the mushroom which has a battery holder). After I was sure the LEDs worked, I sewed the finger puppets together. For the mountain (the last puppet I made) I decided to add some copper foil to the white paint representing the snowy mountaintop to enhance the dreamy quality of the puppet.
If I were to take this project further, I would create a make your own LED finger puppet instructional kit with materials and instructions for designing and constructing any kind of LED finger puppet. I feel that instructional kits are often limiting in what you can create and it would be very interesting to create an open-ended craft kit.
Comments
Post a Comment