Upcycling Final

Disclaimer: As of this posting, this project is not done, as I hurt my wrist and had to slow down in order to prevent further injury, but I intend to continue with this project until I am finished. 

For this project, I challenged myself to only use upcycled materials or items I already owned. This hindered me a bit since I wanted to paint the object in a pastel sort of design mimicking the Venice streets, so it looked like the two clowns were fighting on the city rooftops. Unfortunately, I only had a limited selection of paint pens that were low on paint. However, I should have applied a layer of gesso onto the cardboard first, since the board pilled a bit and damaged the finish a little.

For the sides and top of the box, I scored the board first, then ran a pen over the lines to depress them a little, this gave a subtle slant that I wanted to imitate roof and wall tiles, I plan to paint them light blue, then add a white-wash effect to look like painted walls.

For the backdrop, I split it in half, light and dark blue, then created a gradient to look like a sunset. Unfortunately, the cardboard did tear a little from the paint pens, and I did not get as much coverage on the first layer as I wanted. 

I also planned out and blueprinted the figures that would be on top of the box, actually performing the actions. Harlequin would be almost stationary, save for his head that would shake back and forth. Pierrot would be leaning away, pulling the rope, his waist and legs would be stationary, but his upper body and arms would move back and forth, to look like he was pulling on the rope.

I also planned out what the clown’s clothes would look like and how they would fit on the body, so that they would not interfere with the mechanisms.

I also changed the mechanical design again, realizing that I can remove an extra part and just shift the scotch yoke so that it can line up directly with the linear bar. I will be using layered cardstock laminated with glue to keep rigidity and structure over extended use. I also did the math for the most important mechanical parts, seeing how far the linear bar needs to move, and in turn, how large the scotch yoke must be, and how long the lever bar must be for the pierrot figure.

I would like to remake this project again, using whatever materials I need, since I have grown attached to this design and aesthetic. I hope I can make it out of more permanent materials and post it here to show how far I have come.

Presentation Link: https://vimeo.com/802096540