Study in B&W IX
Idea
I usually have a few ideas for Studies in Black and White in the queue. For this month’s card, I used a design that’s been sitting on my desk since 2024.
Sketch from February 2024
After doing a few sketches of how to make the pattern, I finally found one that I liked. This is a top view of the finished card. There is a pyramid in the center of a floating plane, which you can’t see since it matches the pattern under it.
Top
Design
The main part of the design is a floating plane hovering over the base. In the center of the plane, I wanted to put a pyramid to match the pattern on the base. If I did a four-sided pyramid, the front and back would have folds and would never open 100%. I decided to try to create a pyramid with only two sides, and it worked. In the photo below, you can see the two-sided pyramid and the printed pattern under it.
Front view.
One issue with a two-sided pyramid is that it connects at the points of the triangles. I could have made a thin strip of paper to connect the two points, but instead I used a piece of thread glued to each side. The photo below shows the parts of the pyramid and the supports for the floating plane. Notice that I used tabs to connect the pyramid to the floating plane, which avoids the tension a fold would create. That tension could cause the sides of the pyramid to bend. The two smaller triangles are paper to be glued over the thread to ensure it is really secure.
Pyramid parts.
Here is the bottom of the floating plane with the tabs of the pyramid poking through, and the three supports (shown at the top of the above photo) glued in place
Bottom of the floating plane.
This low-angle photo of the final card shows the supports and tabs.
Side
For the studies in black and white, I print them out and cut everything by hand since the lines are usually nice and straight. You can see some banding on the base from the inkjet printer. Maybe I’ll buy a better printer someday.
Cover
The cover is one of the few remaining pieces of young Howard’s preschool artwork. I found a couple more pieces, so I can probably get through Study in Black and White XII with them.
Build
- 9” x 6”
- The base is Strathmore 300 Bristol 100lb with a printed background.
- The mechanism is on printed index paper.