More Laser Wood Engraving

For my second attempt at Laser engraving I found a lovely arched piece of wood which led me to think of all the photos I had taken of trees meeting over a path.

I had a look through my sketch books and was reminded of the footpath to the west of the village that leads away from Woodstock lane.

In looking through photographs of this walk I found the downhill view offered better tree shapes and a nice turn at the occlusion point; the point where the path turns out of view.

I made a drawing which fitted the shape of the wood exactly. Having done the previous laser engraving I was much more aware of the sorts of marks that the laser translated well – lines, tone when next to an area of white, areas of strong contrast and the close tonal differences that were more difficult to translate.

I then created a visual of the, hopefully, final effect on photoshop. Then the image was uploaded and the laser cutter went into action.

The result, below, is a different effect to the previous engraving because of the different types of wood. I used Ash this time, initially because it is a paler wood, but of course it burns very effectively, hence its name and therefore the marks did not have quite the same tonal range.

The laser engraved deeply into the surface, which gave a beautiful 3 dimensional quality to some areas, particularly the top branches reaching across the path to meet the trees the other side. Some of the cutting on this area was achieved on quite a rounded section of the wood, and on an unprepared surface, but the marks have retained their focus and sharpness.

The watercolour splashes that I had left on the surface of the lane in the drawing translated very effectively. A friend pointed out to me - such an intriguing paradox, the heat of the laser using burning to create a watery mark! Water from fire... something to mull over...

I now have to decide how much further I go with this, but the potential for turning drawing into something entirely different is intriguing and tempting.