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
ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR
Once I had decided on laser engraving, I looked for the best option of a canvas to engrave into. Being a project revolving around nature, I quickly settled on a live-edge slab of wood. I purchased an eight-foot slab from a local shop and cut it to my needs.
This project began when I spontaneously decided to sketch icons representing the ~100 national parks within the United States and Canada, unsure exactly what I’d use them for. Here are all of the icons on paper, before being translated to black and white vectors.
After four two-hour sessions at the engraver, the map was complete. Finishing steps included rinsing and drying the surface, light sanding, touching up the map with dark stain, and applying a protective coat of varnish.
FINALS
The map engraving took around two weeks due to machine availability. Bottom left image shows how I framed the laser each time due to the irregular shape.
The most tedious part of this process was converting my sketches into digital icons. Through scanning and a lot of trial and error with thickness and placement, I was able to achieve a nice arrangement.
LASER ENGRAVING
