Looney Tunes Upcycle Progress

My Upcycle Project is coming along nicely. To recap, my plan is to build a little sculpture based on the Looney Tunes aesthetic. This will feature a cardboard box as a base. I have decided to use a shoebox for this because I have many of them that I keep for storage. I will paint the box white. There will also be a cardboard backing piece that I will take from a different box. The centerpiece of the whole thing will be a lamp that I got from Goodwill. The lamp is currently pink, but I will use craft store paint to paint it black. The lamp will not be on, but the inside will be painted yellow, to make it look like it’s on in a cartoon world.

The above image from the Looney Tunes episode, Bugsy and Mugsy, shows a similar lighting effect to what I want to recreate with my project.

An area underneath the lamp will also be yellow as if the lamp is shining on the box. There will be a small creature-shaped hole in the box where the viewer can see inside. The inside will be black except for 2 LEDs that look like eyes, looking back up through the hole. A shadow of a man with a hat and clawed hands will be on the backing piece of cardboard.

The above image is a rough sketch of my upcycle project.

This design follows the three elements of Looney Tunes style that I want to capture. These include exaggerated proportions, stark shadows, and comfortable colors. The exaggerated proportions are prevalent in the lamp itself, which bends at odd angles.

The above image from the Looney Tunes episode, Hyde and Hare, shows buildings with exaggerated proportions.

The claws of the shadow on the backing piece will also exemplify exaggerated proportions. The shadow on the backing piece, and the shadow of the creature that has gone through a hole in the base act as the aforementioned stark shadow element. There will also be somewhat of a surrealist effect with the hole in the base because even though the creature’s eyes will be visible through the hole, the fact that there will be no other visible light inside will make it feel endless.

The above image shows an example of an exaggerated shadow being used in Season 1 Episode 12 of Baby Looney Tunes.

Finally, the comfortable colors will be visible with the yellow used on the lamp and base. I may also include other colors on the base or backing piece, but I haven’t decided yet. I think I could make the backing piece look like a cartoonish wallpaper.

The above image from the Looney Tunes episode, To Beep, or Not to Beep, shows the use of warm, comfortable pastel colors on the rocks and sky.

Very few non-recycled materials will be used on this project. I bought an Arduino to control the LEDs from Amazon. I wanted to use an Arduino from a project that I had done for another class, but I wasn’t able to find it. I am also using LEDs from the ITLL. All wiring will be recycled. I’m glad I was able to find a lamp at Goodwill that was exactly what I wanted. Maybe I could even keep it pink if I wanted to give the vibe of a young girl’s bedroom or something to that effect.

The above image from Amazon shows an Elegoo Uno R3, which is equivalent to an Arduino Uno and is what I will be using.

To make the sculpture change over time, I will make the LEDs turn on and off at random intervals as if the creature is blinking every once in awhile. I also want to point out that the whole thing will have a story aspect. The creature has jumped through the base to get away from the figure who’s shadow is visible on the backing piece.