How are lightboxes made?

I have been making lightboxes since 2017 and although my technique has slightly evolved since then, the basic principle remains the same: superimposing paper cut-out shapes and lighting them from the back.

But how is a lightbox born and what are the stages of its manufacture? I explain everything to you in this article!

• Introduction

• The drawing

• The creation of the layer

• The cutting of plans

• The blank editing

• Sanding and preparing the box

• The final assembly

  
  
  
  

  Introduction

  
  

  Generally, the operations take place in the order mentioned above, but it may happen that I blur the tracks myself :) It is an artisanal and meticulous approach, sometimes fast and instinctive, sometimes strewn with doubts and pitfalls. I learned it 'on the job', while looking for solutions and trying things, until I found, it seems to me, a style and technique that are unique to me.

  
  

  At the base of each lightbox, there is an idea: inspired by a movie, by a reading, by a season, a walk, a photo... often this idea is automatically associated with a small animal that will become the main character.

  
  
  
  

  The drawing

  
  

  The idea must then be materialized and therefore logically comes the step of the sketch. It can be a crobar on a post-it note, a real drawing in a notebook, three lines on a printed machine paper reverse.

  
  

  It usually takes me some time to sketch something coherent and above all, exploitable. The drawing must already be thought in terms of highlights and obscurities, slow times and high times, swarming areas and breathing areas. The question is always: what would this drawing give once transformed into a lightbox? Is it interesting, readable? Do we see the main elements sufficiently? Is the impression of depth restored? Do we simply understand what I am talking about

  In short, many questions that often lead a drawing to the trash :) But when it passes this test, the drawing is ready for its magical transformation!

The creation of the layer

It’s the moment when I determine in which order the plans will follow one another. After having numbered them on my drawing to scale, I reproduce my lines on a layer by refining the shapes so that the cut is clearer.

At this stage, I have already decided what the size and shape of my container will be: the drawing and the layer must be perfectly adapted to the proportions of the box.

Once the layer is ready, I determine which papers should be used, both in terms of color and weight.

The cutting of plans

Each of the numbered plans of my layer is then reproduced on the previously chosen paper. Then comes the moment of cutting: I always use the same tool for years, a simple precision cutter.

It happens that at the time of cutting, I change certain lines or correct certain shapes. That’s what I like about this way of working, everything is modifiable and moving almost until the end.

Cutting is the longest manufacturing step obviously but also the hardest physically. She requires a certain concentration, hands that are not too sweaty, an elbow and a wrist in shape, and many breaks! And above all, she asks to be relaxed! I regularly tell myself: relax your jaw!!

The blank editing

It simply ensures that everything is locked in, that all the elements are clearly visible, that enough hidden openings have been made for the light to make its way forward. I use a light table that gives a partial idea of the rendering of the plans when superimposed.

At this stage, there is still time to correct or even redo plans or details that would not work.

The preparation of the container

The wooden box or glass bell that will come to accommodate the paper plans must then be prepared: sanding of wood, drilling holes for electrical connections, staining, varnishing or polishing.

The LED strip is then installed at the bottom of the box. Its positioning differs little from one box to another. I only adjust some parts when areas need more light.

Is the box ready? So all that remains is to carry out the assembly!

The final assembly

Each of the plans is fixed in the container, starting with the plan closest to us, and finishing at the bottom. At this stage, I still often modify small things, notably by adding openings in addition, myriads of small holes, hidden animals!

The depth effect is largely due to the space provided between each of the planes. Thus, after fixing a stratum, I use strips of feather board to create distance between my plans.

Then comes my favorite moment, the first lighting! I then discover for the first time the final rendering of my editing. It’s really always magical, even if sometimes I am no longer able to see only the defects. Despite this, I believe that all my actions are turned towards this ultimate moment: where the light is!!