3D Printing. Took the Plunge.

It was inevitable. Last year, I began a serious delve into kicking my design skills on the computer up a few more notches. I mean, I've spent years (decades really now) working with digital art, and all this time it's primarily been for the crazy idea that eventually, I'll be able to do things more efficiently in the studio. I've got about 300 hours of direct applied time in class (3D) and I noticed how the previous skillsets made this come together more fluidly.

 

It's worked most of the time, and if anything I've been taught a bit more patience. Well, alot. See, my craft involves dedication, plain and simple. Having a quirk that has me constantly applying overboard personal critique leads to many projects you haven't seen. I had to stop doing that because in the long run I beat myself up before and by the time I was finished, I just didn't enjoy the experience anymore. It's why I foolishly thought I could just walk away from the creative side and try to conform to a public image of "just good enough" to "awesome man!" doing things that also came naturally- computer tech as a fine example. I murdered my creative side by setting up in the industry and it left a big hole that I almost couldn't climb out of. This whole traveling mess of moving to Hawaii all but gutted my self image while giving me some things I'd never want to trade back, the O'hana I grew close to there. I could name them all but doing so digs a little to deep on the "missing you" side that I'm just not in the mindset to be reminded of at the moment. It's bad enough in order to invoke the pheonyx I had to leave Di and Talon there while I got established back here on the mainland, and it's hard to explain but despite knowing I'm doing this for the right reasons, a little part of me dies every day being away from them and I hope it's just a form of sleep because sometimes, it's just hard getting up.

 

Well, I'm at the point where production in the shop is so close to fruition I need to start the last little easier bit- finishing up prototypes and getting the forges burning. So many tools and equipment had to be acquired or made, I started wondering if I would ever be able to just cast dammit. (laughs) One of the desired methods I figured into moving this process along with more efficiency was putting all the effort in past years to use during the creation stage, by doing some work with 3D modeling and using tech to create prototypes. Well, it happened. I finally set aside my apprehension and picked up a descent 3D printer. What stopped me short all this time was I really (and still do to some degree) felt that it was cheating. The other day it just hit me that I've had to really apply myself in all these various arts whether the medium was physical or digital.

 

Digital has not meant it's a simple walk in the park, to just get the hardware and get cracking- if anything it's been a harder route because there are so many sub-systems involved and collecting the knowledge and experience has done numbers on my eyes, my head, and heart far greater than the simpler path ever could. Picking up the sculpting tools alot over the last 2 years has shown me I wasn't forgetting the old ways as I feared, instead this has just added another way to bring my hands up to speed with how fast my creationary beast can run; maybe for the first time ever.

 

So yes, I'm bringing it all closer together and having some fun again doing it. I'll post up some additional pictures and probably at times a video or two, but for now I'm just doing it. Soon.

 

A few other items I happily goofed around with while setting up. There were others, but those couldnt be published yet because I'm holding product images until I can put them up for sale. Not bad for day 1.