Specifications and Constraints

Top 5 Specifications

High Quality Laser Cut Patterns

The most important aspect of the project is the quality of the laser cut mountain and tree patterns. If those don’t turn out well, the piece will not be the desired quality and my parents won’t want to have it displayed in their new house.

Matches Room Aesthetic

My mom has repeatedly made it known that she wants the color scheme of the piece to match the existing colors of the wall and the rest of the house. 

Visible Animal Pattern

A major difference between the piece I am creating and many of the templates on Etsy is that in mine there are animal outlines nested within the treeline. This means I will have to be mindful of the background and tree color contrast. If I left the entire background dark blue, the animals would not be easily visible which would look bad. My mitigation plan for this is to paint gray splotches on the backboard where the animal cutouts will be. This will require some forward thinking and careful marking of where the pieces will go.

Even Paint Application

It is very important that the paint is applied evenly to the piece so that the surface is relatively smooth. Because the art will be viewed from below, it will be more obvious if there are thick areas or paint drips which will distract from the beauty of the scene.

Functional Door Hinge

Access to the loft room is paramount to the success of the design. Without it the project will have no dynamic component and the loft will be permanently sealed off which is not the desired outcome. 

Top 5 Constraints

Laser Cutter Availability

The laser cutter is a popular tool used for freshman projects so it will be important to get on the machine sooner rather than later.

Time

The end of the semester and graduation are rapidly approaching! Although this is exciting, it also means I am on the clock to finish the project. I already know that the end of the semester will be incredibly busy so I need to stay on top of my work in this class and the others.

Budget

The budget is the smallest concern for this project as I discovered that I already have most of the paints I will need and I purchased the wood from home depot for less than $50.

Paint Supplies

I will need to purchase white and gray paints to complete the project which I have been looking for online. I have identified a couple options but have not made the final purchase yet.

Space to Paint

Painting is a messy and time consuming activity. Not only is the lots of setup and teardown involved, but the piece also has to sit undisturbed while multiple coats dry over the course of several days. Because I will be applying multiple coats it is important to let the previous coat dry before applying the next. My current plan is to talk to my roommates and clear a 5 foot by 5 foot area in the garage. This would be an optimal place to paint because it doesn’t matter if some paint gets on the floor. One of the two downsides I can think of are that paint dries slower and less evenly in the cold. The other is that it could be disturbed when people take their bikes and other belongings in and out of the garage.