“Punch it!” , Daniel D. Brown, 2019, handmade wooden multimedia intarsia artwork based on Star Wars.
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Design & Construction This piece depicting Chewbacca and Han Solo in the Millennium Falcon was intitially designed using Adobe Illustrator, based on a still frame from the movie. It was built over the course of 7 weeks from ~190 hand-cut (scroll sawed) pieces of wood from over 20 different species, most of it reclaimed. The star trails were also scrollsawed and filled with resin.
The wood Most of the wood was reclaimed by me from various sources and includes: padauk, purpleheart, bloodwood, elm, spalted maple, sycamore, ebony, wenge, cherry, white oak, sapele, mahogany, pine, luaun ply, bamboo, unknown pallet & scrap wood. Chewie is made from a 1970s S. African stinkwood chair from my mother-in-law, a native South African. Han’s sleeve was curly maple given by the master woodworker Paul Jasper (@copper_pig_fine_woodworking ). Some of the walnut was from local woodworker Matthew Plazek (@mpi_woodworking ). Some of the exotics were a gift from guitar builder Russel Pfohl (@rapfohl ). The rest came from Ocooch Harwoods and Rockler .
Electronics Although the original plan was much simpler, over the course of the project I ended up adding an Adafruit soundboard with 6 scores that play through 1 button (the small white one), and 10 movie dialogue clips that play through another (the left thruster stick). A rebel insignia button on the right of the frame powers the sound. Toward the end of the project, I decided to add radiating Adafruit DotStar LED strips controlled by three different programs I coded on an Arduino Uno, which can be switched by moving Han’s dice (made in a previous project), which contain an embedded magnet. The top of the frame has 2 hidden magnetic switches embedded within it. The light power is currently controlled by telling my phone “Hey Siri, punch it!” Or “Exit hyperspace”.
Note : this piece, like all of my derivative art, is not for sale. I don’t think I could part with it anyway. The entire process was documented in well over 200 Instagram stories, now highlighted on my profile in 3 parts. (Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 )
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“Punch it!”, Daniel D. Brown, 2019, handmade wooden multimedia intarsia artwork based on Star Wars. (The basic demonstration video) I built this artwork of Han Solo and Chewbacca in the Millennium Falcon over the course of 7 weeks from ~190 hand-cut (scrollsawed) pieces of wood from over 20 different species, most of it reclaimed. The star trails were also scrollsawed and filled with resin. Although the original plan was much simpler, over the course of the project I ended up adding a soundboard with 6 scores that play through 1 button (the small white one), and 10 movie dialogue clips that play through another (the left thruster stick). A rebel insignia button on the right of the frame powers the sound. Toward the end of the project, I decided to add radiating LED strips controlled by three different programs I coded on an Arduino, which can be switched by moving Han’s dice (from a previous project) containing an embedded magnet. The top of the frame has 2 hidden magnetic switches embedded within it. The light power is currently controlled by telling my phone “Hey Siri, punch it!” Or “Exit hyperspace”. I am planning a separate post for the details on materials, tools, and special thanks. Note: this is not for sale. This was for me alone. The entire process was documented in well over 200 stories, now highlighted on my profile in 3 parts. I have to give HUGE heartfelt thanks to the many many people constantly offering encouragement and advice. You’re seriously the only reason I posted all the build details. Of course, I’d like to thank George Lucas and the countless artists of all types who’ve made Star Wars such a fun Universe. … #starwars #starwarsday #starwarsfan #starwarsart #starwarsgeeks #starwarsnerds #maytheforcebewithyou #igwoodworker #igwoodworkingcommunity #woodworkingcommunity #woodworks #woodart #woodworking #woodworker #scrollsawart #maker #scrollsaw #intarsia #woodintarsia #millenniumfalcon #artistsoninstagram #artist #artstagram #solo #chewbacca #empirestrikesback #anewhope #returnofthejedi #disney #lucasfilm @crafttheforce
A post shared by Laughing Mantis Studio (@laughingmantisstudio) on Nov 16, 2019 at 10:09am PST
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“Punch it!” This post is to 1) show the sound clips included in the piece, 2) highlight the kind folks who provided help and 3) list the tools and materials used (I get many questions). See previous posts for info on the build. Special thanks to @cyclocrosscutter for convincing me to upgrade the sound, encouraging me with witty insults, and being an inspiration with his mediocre geek builds. Also to @worksbyahurst for generously sending me his sound files from his mind-blowing Millennium Falcon build. And to @hardwoodmikes for incredibly helpful coding advice. The wood: most reclaimed by me from various sources. Padauk, purpleheart, bloodwood, elm, spalted maple, sycamore, ebony, wenge, cherry, white oak, sapele, mahogany, pine, luaun ply, bamboo, unknown pallet & scrap wood. Chewie is made from a 1970s S. African stinkwood chair from @sledv_life_rocks . Han’s sleeve was curly maple given by the master woodworker/artist @copper_pig_fine_woodworking. Some walnut from woodworker @mpi_woodworking. Some exotics were a gift from guitar builder @rapfohl. The rest came from @ocoochhardwoods and @rockler_woodworking. My trusty scrollsaw: she’s not the best $ can buy but I’ve made some cool things with my @portercable w/ Flying Dutchman blades. Big cuts done on my sweet @rikon_powertools bandsaw, and @dewalttough table saw and planer. Drill press was a generous gift from my buddy @slapstufftogether (he carved a badass Yoda lamp that was an inspiration). Shaping is with @saburrtooth and @kutzall burrs on my @dremel. I’d be lost without my @ridgid and @boschtoolsna sanders (with @mirka_usa discs). I go through so much @starbondadhesives CA glue, @titebondproducts II, and @3m Super 77 spray and packing tape. @odiesoil and @generalfinishes for finishing. I used an @adafruit soundboard and their DotStar LEDs, as well as an @arduino.cc Uno to control them. Of course this thing would not exist without the IP created by George Lucas (@lucasfilm and now @disney). #starwars #starwarsfan #starwarsart #starwarsgeeks #igwoodworker #woodworking #woodart #scrollsawart #maker #scrollsaw #intarsia #woodintarsia #millenniumfalcon #empirestrikesback #anewhope #returnofthejedi
A post shared by Laughing Mantis Studio (@laughingmantisstudio) on Nov 17, 2019 at 12:11pm PST
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Update. So here’s my finishing plan: I want the background to be glossy, Han’s jacket and Chewie’s bandolier leather to have a satin finish, the bandolier boxes to be semi-gloss, and Han’s hair and Chewie’s fur to have a softer natural wood finish. So I’m gonna use 3 @generalfinishes polyurethanes and @odiesoil. These are my two finishing brands I use in 99% of my projects, having tried a bunch. I have no idea how this will actually look together, but I feel like it may add a bit more depth to the piece. Some notes on finishing: I normally apply finish on intarsia pieces after putting everything together. But since I’m using 4 different finishes, pre-finishing is easier and will ensure I don’t get crossover. For the polyurethane I build up coats with gloss (sanding lightly at 800 grit between coats). The final coat is the desired final surface (gloss, semi, or satin). For the hair and fur, I’m trying something I’ve never done. After rough sanding I raised the grain with water and did NOT sand again. This tends to leave the wood a little fuzzy and my hope is that it will make the hair and fur look softer and more organic. Odie’s is my go to for natural wood finish. It’s gorgeous, has high moisture protection with only 1 coat, or occasionally 2 for thirsty wood. I apply, let it sit for 30 min, then rub it off and buff.
A post shared by Laughing Mantis Studio (@laughingmantisstudio) on Oct 22, 2019 at 5:53pm PDT
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Still a ways to go… A few answers, random thoughts, and things I wanted to say about this piece and my art: 1) The idea for this first came to me about a year and a half ago when I saw a huge decal of this scene on the back of a pickup truck window. It’s been percolating ever since, but I’d been too nervous to start it because I knew it was gonna be a long and challenging project. And I honestly wasn’t sure if I could pull it off or if it would even look cool. Hopefully it will! 2) Ive had a lot of people message asking if it’s a commission or for sale. For me it’s the best kind of project – I’m the client, no deadline, no pressure, and no real goal other than making something this silly geek will consider epic hanging in our “Lair”. It’s not really for sale. That being said, I’d let go of almost anything I make for a price. But for this piece it’d have to be a ”Harrison Ford Star Wars money” price. Do any of you know Harrison Ford? 😂🤣😂 3) I’ve only been making wood art pieces like this for ~3 years and I started with just a cheap big box store jigsaw (and almost zero knowledge or skill). Most of my tools are Craigslist, hand me downs, and a precious few were big ticket items I saved up for. Most of my wood is reclaimed – scavenged here and there, with some exotic exceptions. I’m almost 42 years old now (yikes!). The point being: if you really want to learn to make or do cool things, regardless of the field, you almost certainly can do it. I started by reading a couple books and watching countless YouTube videos. Now when I need help or advice (which is often), I seek out others here in the IG community I’ve met. I don’t believe I have any special skill or talent. I’ve just practiced a bit. I do have patience (that part is required, but can also be learned). That’s all for now. … #starwars #starwarsday #starwarsfan #starwarsart #starwarsgeeks #starwarsnerds #maytheforcebewithyou #igwoodworkingcommunity #woodworks #woodart #woodworking #woodworker #scrollsawart #maker #scrollsaw #intarsia #woodintarsia #millenniumfalcon #artistsoninstagram #artist #artstagram #solo #chewbacca #empirestrikesback #anewhope #returnofthejedi #pittsburghwoodworking
A post shared by Laughing Mantis Studio (@laughingmantisstudio) on Oct 20, 2019 at 9:15am PDT
