National Parks Map
February-March 2025
Duration: 4 weeks
Project Description:
As a lover of nature and national parks, my goal for this project was to create a personalized map of every recognized national park within the United States and Canada. Additionally, having access to industrial laser cutters inspired me to go down this path…
Hours of engraving: 8
Number of sketches: 113
Weight: 85 lbs
SKETCHING
CREATING THE CANVAS
Following the decision to make a laser engraving, I shopped for wood for a canvas, settling on a live-edge slab
ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR
~100 hand-drawn sketches representing every national park across the U.S. and Canada
FINALS
Using Adobe Illustrator, I converted my sketches to vector graphics after scanning them
To the right is the layout of the map and every sketch on the wooden canvas
Lining up the laser for each session was difficult and required a lot of framing, made easier by extending the canvas (bottom left)
It took four two-hour sessions to complete the map
Finishing touches included rinsing and drying the surface, light sanding, touching up the map with stain, and applying a protective finish
LASER ENGRAVING
