Diorama Scavenger Hunt

The Promotional Mailer of My Dreams

This double-sided diorama showcases my illustration, design, and screen printing skills. I imagined the concept of something mailed flat in a 6”x9” envelope that turned into a 3D diorama many months ago. Once I realized I could laser cut the chipboard and screen print the imagery myself, the project started to get rolling.

Double Sided Design

I decided to make the most of both sides of the diorama and created two different scenes that featured my imaginative illustration style.

Ocean Smorgasbord & Carnival Forest

Here you can see my initial sketches of both scenes.

Laser Cutting

After ordering a massive stack of chipboard and cutting it down into 14”x15” pieces, I spent ten hours standing in front of a laser cutter at Honolulu Tool Library. This was a much better way to cut a precisely cut outline than for me to cut out the top edge by hand. Thank goodness for technology!

Silkscreen Shenanigans

I spent many hours refining my sketches to that both Ocean Smorgasbord and Carnival Forest could be printed with two colors: the top color would be translucent in order to create a third color where they overlap.

Nunya Business

In order to present a cohesive bundle, I also screen-printed business cards with a funky, 2 color pattern on the back.

Printing Up a Storm

I took my 100 chipboard pieces and printed like a fiend! Thankfully, the translucent overprinting worked just as I had hoped so they turned out amazing. I’m very thankful for the printmaking studio at Honolulu Printmakers. The amazing creative community is a big part of why I love living on O’ahu so much! It’s a tight-knit, supportive group of wildly talented folks.

Dusting Off the Cobwebs

I put my semi-dormant BFA in Printmaking to the test and it was just like riding a bike. This diorama was my first screen printing project in about seven years, but now I’m back in business with my own screens and a brain overflowing with ideas. Stay tuned for more printing projects!