In the last couple of weeks, I have spent many evenings playing around with our new laser cutter in the learning studio. So far I have not started any big projects, but just enjoyed the opportunity to work with such different materials on the same machine. It’s astonishing how the cutter can produce acrylic gears, colorful fabric designs, etchings in a mirror surface, fragile paper ornaments, or wood cut-outs (more in this Sample Gallery).

The image to the left shows quick 10 minute clip art designs we used to test materials, below is an example of a bigger project by Kristina Larsen. She just started  to use the laser cutter with Adobe Illustrator for her artwork.

“I’ve been wanting to do something with this design for a long time. The black felt is made of polyester and the rest is a slightly thinner rayon/wool blend. The non-synthetic felt looks and feels much nicer, so I plan to swap out the black with the good stuff in dark brown. Once it’s all together I’ll attach it to a backing material, probably fabric.

I find the process of fitting the pieces together immensely satisfying, like working on a squishy jigsaw puzzle. I’m also happy with the combination of precision cuts and organic lines, and that I’ve managed to use computer and laser cutter to make something warm and handmade feeling.”