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Bob Easton

Chocolate powered woodworking

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Hand lettering – Lightbox

October 12, 2015 by Bob Easton 8 Comments

photo of tracing box

If you are among those who do their drawing and drafting with modern computer tools, move along; nothing to see here.

This is a lightbox for tracing, not a lightbox for photographing objects.

I am among the club of old fogies who still use pencil and paper for all of my hand lettering as well as other design work. Many times, the next iteration is easy to accomplish by tracing from an existing draft. I used to employ a window for tracing. Tape the original to a convenient window, tape the new drawing over the original, trace. It works great, but only in the daytime.

Did I ever mention I have Scots heritage? I inherited the thrifty part of Scotch, not the single malt part :(. This box was made mostly from materials on hand. Rummaging through a stack of unused picture frames, I found a thrifty frame measuring 12″ by 16.” It included the frame, glass, flimsy paper mat, and 1/8″ thick masonite back board. I tossed the mat and kept the rest. Some 1 x 4 pine from the lumber stash provided for the box, constructed to the size of the inside of the frame.

Construction is simple: a single (no stress) dovetail on each corner. The bottom part of each corner, below the dovetail, is mitered. The miter hides the 1/8″ groove that holds the bottom, which is that masonite from the frame. A few 1/2″ inch holes in each end offer ventilation and a place for the power pigtail.

The inside of the box is painted white to maximize light. Light comes from a very thrifty string of LED lights. The associated  12 volt power brick provides exactly enough current for the full 16 feet of lights.. So, I used the entire string. It has an adhesive backing, making installation a 5 minute job.

By the way, if you buy those components, be aware that the string of lights already includes a pigtail on one end that matches the output of the power brick, and a pigtail on the other end made of wires to solder to a power supply. You don’t need to buy any other connectors. (DAMHIKT)

Topping it off is a piece of heavy paper, for watercolor painting, that has good diffusion without blocking too much light, and the glass of course. Yes, the standard single strength glass is strong enough for this sort of work.

It works any time of day or night, better than a window, and doubles as a laptop drafting table.

photo of tracing box interior photo of tracing box - lighted and in use

Filed Under: Drawings, Woodworking

Holiday Interlude

January 12, 2009 by Bob Easton Leave a Comment

madrid

We traveled a bit. This is one of the points along the way. People familiar with Madrid will recognize most of the objects in the drawing. The crown might lead some to learn about Zarzuela, a form of operetta unique to Madrid. “The King Who was Rabid” is a delightful comedy, supplemented by a dancing chorus that is highly skilled in acrobatics, tumbling, trapeze artistry, and juggling, as well as the usual singing and dancing.

Moleskine pocket notebook – 7 by 5 1/2 inches

Micron pens (005 to 2)

Click on the image to show a larger version.

Filed Under: Artwork, Drawings

Mansion

December 28, 1989 by Bob Easton 1 Comment

large housepen and ink on bristol board

size: 16 inches by 10 inches

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Filed Under: Artwork, Drawings

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