larry needlemeyer paper sculpture

For this project, I decided to paper sculpt one of the most relatable characters from one of my favorite TV shows, The Amazing World of Gumball: Larry Needlemeyer. Larry is a supporting character in the show, usually an overworked and underpaid cashier at almost all stores in the town of Elmore, the setting of the show. 

My version of Needlemeyer is slightly different than the show as I have simplified his character design, which is shown below.

Here are the links for this project:

Illustrator file: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LNUvfvzWhp82-yyNnv9pgtNScECuQWIP/view?usp=drive_link 

Confirmation of Laser Cutting Appointment: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KhnDCfq0T4zcwFOXQZhzLoRsgdZMvg-S/view?usp=drive_link 

Kolam tiles project - wood laser cutting

Last semester, I had the chance to use the laser cutter in a project called Kolam: Dot By Dot. Kolam is a South Indian art form created every morning using rice flour, usually by the women of the household. It is characterized by symmetry, rhythm, and geometric patterning. This traditional craft has been passed down for generations through observation, repetition, and embodied practice. 

Because Kolam is regional, the skills for craftsmanship of this art is lost once families move away from homeland, like my family and I moved to the US in 2016. Thus, my goal for this project was to translate the embodied, communal nature of Kolam into a tactile, collaborative learning tile game so young generations can continue this craft. This game would be a set of 6 base tiles that are placed close to each other to create elaborate designs. They are stencils so that the players can fill in the gaps using pen, pencil or powder. When the tiles are lifted, they leave behind an image of the assembled Kolam design.