3D Printing And The Arts
3D Printing can be a part of STEAM (the A = Arts) as well as STEM. Here are some artistic ideas for using your school's 3D printer.
Desk Top Mobile Art
This print can be used as a springboard to get students thinking about how they can create their own kinetic art objects.
3D Printing Your Photos - Lithophanes
Lithophanes were first created in the 1820s using porcelain. By varying the depth of the material, you can create a seemingly 3 dimensional black & white image that can only be seen when backlit.
Simon Sörensen shows how you can easily create Lithophanes using your existing 3D printer, some white filament, and a free web site.
What a unique way to display your student's photographs or drawings.
- YouTube URL
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y63sVpeViXo
Image to Lithophane Converter
This is the web resource that allows you to convert an image into a 3D printable Lithophane. You could also use this to create things like decorative tiles and columns.
Experiment with different print resolutions and printing depths. Just like chemical photography, changing the parameters can change the look of the print.
Vica Sculpture Time Lapse
No only are 3D prints intriguing, but watching the process can be mesmerizing. Here's an example time lapse video (no sound).
Adding a simple time lapse camera can add a lot of interest to the whole subject. The video can also be an art piece in itself.
- YouTube URL
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiK4v88E7ZM
Vica Illusion Sculpture
This sculpture is pretty much impossible to create using conventional manufacturing techniques. But 3D printing makes it easy.
How to Do That Cool 3D Printing Timelapse Effect
Here's a way of taking great 3D printing time-lapse videos. It's a bit unorthodox, but it works great and definitely doesn't involve burning your hands.
Look for a full resource page covering 3D time-lapse photography later this year.
- YouTube URL
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is10iN43UjI
Girl With A Pearl Earring
The painting Girl With A Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer was the inspiration for this print.
Challenge your students to come up with a way of taking their 2D line drawings and converting them into a 3D print like these.
Rhino Wall Sculpture 2D
3D printed artwork can take many forms, including 2D wall hangings. Here's an example of what you can do when you take a line drawing and convert it to 3D.
Click on the by UnpredictableLab link on the page to see more examples of "2D" art you can create using a 3D printer.
Escher Lizards
This print was inspired by M. C. Escher's Reptiles lithograph.
As well as exploring Escher's work, these prints can be used to show how simple forms can create a flexible interlocking whole.
Other Areas To Check Out...
• 3D Printing In The Classroom
• Eyewitness Accounts
• Image Sources
• Art Sites
• Stories and Poems (K-4)
• 3D Printing Examples & Ideas
