3D Printing for Artists/Designers, Blog, Education, Featured, News
Gorgeous 3D-printed Lion King masks ready for stage debut
Nov
St. Margaret’s creates 3D printed masks for upcoming stage production
As a company dedicated to supporting 3D printing in schools, we are thrilled to see the amazing things that teachers and students create with Airwolf 3D printers. And our friends at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano, CA most certainly do NOT disappoint!
Ashley Ricart, a talented 3D artist, teaches integrated STEAM classes at St. Margaret’s and serves as the manager of the school’s innovative EDGE lab where students can explore design and digital media through cutting edge technology like 3D printers.
Ashley used the school’s six AXIOM printers to create exceptionally crafted 3D-printed masks for St. Margaret’s upcoming production of the Lion King, Jr., running Nov. 17-19, 2016. Because the masks are about 12 inches tall, Ashley had to 3D print the masks in multiple pieces. She then glued them together and used a plastic wood fill in the seams before sanding and priming the masks to perfection.
No small task, the masks are both time and labor-intensive, which certainly shows in the professional-level quality of the pieces.
“The masks ranged from 60 hours to 90+ hours to print,” Ashley explained. “I would split them up on the six AXIOM printers on campus to get, roughly, one-and-a-half masks a day.”
We were also surprised to find out that Ashley printed the masks in a mixture of both PLA and ABS. While printing in one material or the other would reduce the seams on the masks, Ashley was resourceful and saved money by simply using the materials that they had on hand.
As for the beautiful paint job that helps bring these masks to life? Artist Spencer Keane painted all masks using a mixture of spray paint and airbrushing.
From hyenas to giraffes and Nala to Timon, Ashley and Spencer created a total of 19 masks for the Lion King production. The artistry and craftsmanship of these pieces is truly impressive. If you are in the Southern California area, round up the whole family and see this fun, beautiful production for yourself: More info on tickets and showtimes.