The Shed – September-October 2019

It is also important to

never underestimate the

value of learning from

failed attempts!

My first try using an engraved 2mm thick piece of plywood was not successful

grey level, all the pixels with a grey
value that are higher than the midpoint
become pure black, while those with a
lower value become pure white.
In this issue’s experiments, we will
work on these ‘duotone’ images that
contain only two tone levels.
The examples in this article aim
to inspire readers to try their own
experiments by showing how to
combine some art techniques with the
potential offered by the laser cutter
and engraver to achieve interesting and
unexpected results.
It is also important to never
underestimate the value of learning from

failed attempts! By experimenting and

making mistakes, I have found some

unusual techniques that have produced

pleasing results.

Great results with

metallic paint

I have used several types of colour

acrylic paints and some spray paint

together with the laser tool to create the

images, and I was pleased that the most

interesting results were achieved using

metallic spray paint.

Before starting, it is important to

decide what you are hoping to create

with your experiments with materials

and, in this case, colours. The worst

scenario is to ignore methodology and

just hope to create something that you

like. You should aim for the result you

have in mind, not just something that

occurs randomly.

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which replicates the look of etching. The

laser machine has a line-width resolution

of 0.2mm, so it is suited to this kind

of process.

My first attempt

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plywood. To convert the image, I

used Inkscape, then after the duotone