MECH WARRIOR Laser Cut by Kal Johnstone
I first saw an image of the mecha design on display in a toy-showcase on Instagram (above) thinking it was a “plush”, actually! I had to get down to knowing MORE about it, and thank goodness it’s creator Kal Johnstone was generous enough to share with us words and pics!
TOYSREVIL: Can you describe both the artwork and design? And what is the item actually? And what was your process in making the item?
KAL JOHNSTON: Regarding the design and artwork, the Mech Warrior is a design based on and inspired by Mech Robot designs from Hollywood, Gaming and Japanese Culture.
KAL JOHNSTON: In terms of the artistic process, The Mech Warrior was designed in Adobe Illustrator CS6 and laser etched and cut from 3mm Ply with a Maple veneer. The 3mm Ply was first painted grey to give greater contrast to the etched areas and the burnt and smoked edges around the arms and hands were a combination of the laser reacting to the glue between the ply and most importantly the fact that I had forgotten to turn on the ventilation system whilst the laser cutter was cutting the die-line.
KAL JOHNSTON: The flame that resulted gave an organic and virtually symmetrical burn around the edges. The Mech Warrior is the first of a series of designs in intend to create :)
Thanks for sharing, Kal! And you folks’ll do well to stay connected to his Instagram Instagram @kal_stone83 for more updates!
