If you had asked me three weeks ago what Greek philosophers have to do with laser art I would have been at a loss for a response but all of a sudden we have covered two in less than a week. Without further ado, I give you Socrates on a rock. This is a gag gift for a kindred spirit who knows how to wield a semicolon and so much more!

Cameron had mentioned this paint on latex masking he had on hand from one of his other hobbies; there are many! We thought we’d try it on a rock to see if it could make painting an engraving any easier. It did!

You’ll see in the video that the displaced rock particles stick to the masking. It’s gummy but thin, is non toxic, and peels off with friction, we used our thumbs to rub it off. Best of all, even with the porosity of these rocks, the surface of the rock is unchanged.

The vector we chose was the best I could find but not at all an ideal file for this application. You’ll see what I mean but it was still fun, nonetheless!

I’m including the original file so you can see why it wasn’t ideal for engraving. It turns out, many images of Socrates are shadowed.

I’m kind of torn, I don’t know whether I like the painted or unpainted rock engravings better. How about you?

Dana