About the

Panther Mask

Category | Toy

Duration | 5 Weeks

Skills Used | Sketching, Model Making, CNC Cutting Table, Adobe Illustrator

With this project, my main goals were to learn more about creating 3D forms from 2D illustrations, and to create a process and instruction page to easily explain the concept of my design.

Mrs. Bernard and Mr. Thomas are both elementary teachers struggling to come up with projects for their students to work on throughout class. They are looking for something that the kids in class will be able to create without harmful objects such as scissors and staplers to minimize accidents in the classroom.

Inspiration

Research Boards focusing on reality and graphics

Concept iterations

Exploring different directions through sketching

Prototyping process

Feature Exploration

Exploring form and different facial features through cut outs and paper mockups, I was able to decipher which features worked best with my inspiration.

Assembling prototypes

Using quick assembly mechanisms like tape and small slits in the paper, different geometries and 3D shapes were made to better represent the panther facial form.

Physical features laid out for picture

Instructing the Craft

The Final Process

After wrapping up the final design of the mask and refining the slots and tabs, instructions were needed to help the consumer navigate through the assembly process. Arrows and color coded graphics were added to further help distinguish between steps.

Assembled Panther Mask

After finalizing a general design for the separate pieces for the mask, I set each piece flat to then capture a straight image of the composition. Sending that photo into Adobe Illustrator, tracings and layers were made to separate each edge and line from a fully cut, crease, or a perforated line.