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The Craft of Lasercutting

This year at Rosie and the Boys we have branched out into using the skills of others to help create some of our products. We are passionate about creating things by hand but want our products to be available to a wide range of people and budgets. With this in mind, we set about searching for some of the UK’s finest to help.

Our Cuckoo Clock celebrating the birth of a new baby seems to lend itself particularly well to the laser cutting process. Photo: Yeshen Venema (http://yeshenvenema.com/)

Our Cuckoo Clock celebrating the birth of a new baby seems to lend itself particularly well to the laser cutting process.
Photo: Yeshen Venema (http://yeshenvenema.com/)

I was thrilled to be stall neighbours with Jacques and Karli of Designosaur at December’s Crafty Fox market and even more delighted when Jacques agreed to help out with laser cutting some of my designs.

Designosaur logo

It has been fascinating learning more about the process behind creating a lasercut design and Jacques has been a very patient teacher.  Early on it became clear that many of the skills associated with “traditional” crafts are still required when using new technologies.

Jacques and Karli have very kindly agreed to answer a few questions about the craft of laser cutting. So here goes:

Laser cutting is used more and more in products. Why do you think it is so popular?

Laser cutting is amazing! You can take digital images and use them to create accurate Models, Cars, Jewellery, Electrical Components, Clothes and Art you can even use it to cook sausages. I think that it is it’s versatility in a wide range of industries that has made it so popular. It allows people to create unique products at the touch of a button and you don’t have to be a millionaire to do it.

Lasercut acrylic necklace inspired by Lictenstein

Lichtenstein Inspired Green Heart by designosaur Photo:Bob Prosser (www.hellomynameisbob.co.uk)

Can you laser cut anything?

No not anything, but nearly anything. It depends on the laser cutter. The laser cutter that we use is able to cut a long list of materials including acrylic, wood, cork and neoprene. It can also engrave anodised aluminium but not cut it. Jacques engraved a dinosaur onto the back of his phone to try it out, we are pretty sure this voids his insurance…

What is the best thing about laser cutting? And the worst?

The best thing about laser cutting is that it is inexpensive, the worst thing is that everybody thinks that it is easy to do it well.

Lasercut wood and acrylic dodo necklace

Darwin Dodo Necklace by designosaur Photo: Bob Prosser (www.hellomynameisbob.co.uk)

Tell us a bit more about the process – do you walk around with an Austin Powers style laser gun?

Unfortunately not! The laser cutter is a big machine, that uses a laser to cut out designs from your CAD drawing. It takes a matter of seconds to cut out a small shape but the more detail you have in a design, the more expensive it will be! Jacques does all of the laser cutting for designosaur, so for us, he creates the designs, makes sure all of the cut lines, engrave lines are in place, sets the plastic (or other material) up on the laser cutter, the laser cutter cuts the design, and the process is self finishing… HOWEVER if you use wood like us, all the pieces need cleaning afterwards. The laser cutter runs at different speeds and intensities and it is experience which means that you can get the best cut for each material, thickness and finish.

What creative opportunities does laser cutting provide designers?

The ability to use a range of mediums with only one tool. It also means that you can experiment without spending too much money!

How does someone get into lasercutting?

Lots of people are laser cutting at School or University these days, if those days are behind you then having good CAD drawings means that you can get your designs cut at any laser cutters. When you go to the laser cutter it is helpful to have an idea of the process so that you and the laser cutter are on the same page!

Detail photographs of Rosie and the Boys lasercut cuckoo clock

Here are some beautiful detail shots of our lasercut cuckoo clock
Photos: Yeshen Venema (http://yeshenvenema.com/)

Do you think 3D printing will take over from laser cutting? 

Definitely. The price for 3D printing needs to come down quite a lot to make it more accessible but eventually a lot more people will be using 3D printing for jewellery and everything else really! Laser cutting is a completely different technique which only works in a 2D form. 3D printing obviously means that you need to be able to model items in 3D. We think that converting 2D drawings into 3D drawings and keeping that designers style like you can with laser cutting will be a lot harder, so there are a lot of laser cutters out there that would need to 3D model!

Who are your laser cutting heroes?

 I get a new hero almost every day its great just seeing how people constantly use the laser to create amazing new designs.

Wooden lasercut Brighton Pavilion Necklace

Brighton Royal Pavilion Neckalce by designosaur Photo: Bob Prosser (www.hellomynameisbob.co.uk)

Some people may think that using a laser cutting machine is not “craft” in the same way as something like woodcarving for example. Can you describe the craft element of lasercutting?

The craft in Laser cutting is in the design not the making. However, the craft element is also in knowing your material and your process inside out. All woodcarvers will know that doing something a certain way could ruin a design – with laser cutting it is the same thing, to get the best results you have to know the process inside out. However we are quite happy to be known as designers not crafters!

To see more of Jacques and Karli’s work head over to: http://www.designosauryeah.co.uk/

To get your hands on one of our lasercut cuckoo clocks head over to: http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/rosieandtheboys/product/personalised-new-baby-cuckoo-clock-papercut

 

Interview with Designosaur

Designosaur logo

1. 3 words to describe yourselves (you can have 3 each!)

Jacques: Laidback, Silly, Perfectionist
Karli: Colourful, Fun, Organised

2. How do you make a design partnership work?

Two stegosaurus lasercut brooches

Stegosaurus brooch – Stella

Hmmm. Ours works because we have very different roles and know what each other’s strengths and weaknesses are. Jacques is very patient and calm, and I am very organised but stressy. This leads Jacques wanting to do all of the designing (hours and hours on illustrator), whereas I do all the of the branding, marketing, social media, contacting stockists and general admin. It means that when I get bored half way through a task I can flit onto something else.

3. How does being based in Brighton feature in your work life?

3 laser cut monkey brooches

Barrel o’ Monkeys Brooch

Living in Brighton is not only inspiring in itself but also means we are close to London for visits to galleries, museums and to see skyscrapers. Brighton is great for the beach in the summer, and the fact that there is always something going on. We very much live for the motto “Work hard, Play Hard”. We also have most of the things we need on our doorstep – need more chain we head down to the bead shop!

4. Can you tell us more about the upcoming Plastic Fantastic! event?

Laser cut acrylic sign reads plastic fantastic!

Upcoming event at Porta, Brighton on 21st February

Plastic Fantastic! is a Press and Blogging event that is being held at one of our stockists Porta (www.twitter.com/BrightonPorta). It is four Brighton based designers who will be showcasing their new collections. Maggie Angus (www.maggieangus.com), Sugar Jones (www.sugarjones.co.uk) Katze Shop by Rosa Pietsch (www.etsy.com/shop/katzeshop) and ourselves. It should be a really fun event, we’ve got goodie bags and all of the designers will be there to chat to and show off their new designs! If you would like an invite just email portabrighton@hotmail.com

5. What exactly is Product Design and how does it influence designosaur’s work?

Lasercut letters spelling

Roar brooch in Acrylic

Both Jacques and I studied Product Design at university and I would say that it is the design of everything that isn’t aeronautical or mechanical. It is such a large field and we chose not to specialise although our final year projects were very in depth, but completely different. Our Product Design degrees taught us lots of techniques, as well as bringing us together. So without a degree in Product Design there wouldn’t be designosaur!

6. What led you to jewellery?

Laser cut brachiosaurus necklace worn by model

Image: Bob Prosser (www.hellomynameisbob.co.uk)

I have an acrylic and junk jewellery problem. Jacques started an internship at a laser cutters and was making children’s acrylic mirrors. He brought home some of the designs to show me, and one of them was a GIANT Brachiosaurus Mirror. I held it up to me and said that it would make an awesome necklace, (it covered my entire torso) and I think it clicked with Jacques that if he was making the acrylic jewellery, this could work out cheaper in the long run! He reduced the size of the design and we went from there!

7. What are the best and worst aspects of the design process for you?

 

Dinosaur chewing a pencil

Designosaur Necklace

The best bit is the ideas stage, we are full of them, and scribbling them down and discussing them is the most fun. The worst bit is when you have had an awesome idea, you have made it, and then for some reason it doesn’t quite work, maybe it is too weak at one point, or doesn’t hang correctly. This can be quite disheartening sometimes.

8. Do you find that focusing your subject matter to mainly dinosaurs and extinct creatures is limiting or liberating?

Colourful dinosaur necklaces held in model's hands

Photo: Bob Prosser (www.hellomynameisbob.co.uk)

Ahhh! Well, we are designosaur, or designosaurs and although we happen to make dinosaurs they are not the designosaurs that our brand entirely relates to. Dinosaurs were a great first collection, and we will continue to make dinosaur themed products and to sell our dinosaurs as a core collection, but there is so much more to come from us. It is good to have a strong brand recognition, people know us as the ones that make dinosaur jewellery and then they remember we are called designosaur. It has opened us up to a wider range of stockists doing the Natural History style designs too.

9. Your designs are available in fabulous range of places from craft fairs, to independent boutiques and the Natural History Museum. What is the best bit about each of these type of stockists for designosaur?

Woolly Mammoth Necklace made from wood and acrylic

Exclusive to the Natural History Museum – Woolly Mammoth Necklace

We love craft fairs, we love people being excited about our designs, chatting about dinosaurs and having that personal touch. The independent boutiques are what moved us from crafters to a brand. It’s fun dealing with independent boutiques, there is a lot of passion behind each store and we’ve worked with some lovely store owners in the last year. Big stockists like the Natural History Museum are fantastic advertising for our brand – giving people who would have never come across us otherwise the chance to fall in love with designosaur jewels!

10. What can we look forward to from designosaur this year?

Blue and Grey Lasercut Narwhal Necklace

Narwhal Necklace

You can look forward to SO MANY THINGS this year. I am Queen of saying YES to everything, and recently when asking Jacques if we should take on another huge project he said “well you only run a dinosaur jewellery business once!”. We have collaborations, collectives, events, new stockists, new collections and so much more coming your way. Unfortunately at this stage of the game it’s Top Secret, but we promise you will be excited!

Want to find out more or do some designosaur shopping? Here’s how:

Shop: www.designosaurYEAH.co.uk
Twitter: www.twitter.com/designosaurYEAH
Facebook: www.facebook.com/designosaurYEAH
Blog: www.designosaurYEAH.blogspot.com

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About Us

Rosie and the Boys is a creative family team with a love of colour and soft spot for parties. Our products are handcrafted with attention to detail, quality materials and a smile on our face! Inspired by Nature and designed with the latest trends in mind, we provide a range of party decorations and greetings cards with a contemporary twist.

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