What is 3D printing? First let’s talk about 3D… the D stands for dimensions. A 3D object has height, length and depth (or has size in 3 dimensions). For example, a shoebox is 3D and a piece of paper is 2D. (For those of you who want to get very specific, the piece of paper is 2D as long as we ignore the very tiny thickness of the paper).
A 3D printer uses melted material to build a 3 dimensional object, layer by layer. It starts with the bottom layer, gradually working its way up to create objects as simple as a pencil cup and as complex as medical models! Check out this link of really cool things actually made with 3D printers.
With some simple techniques, you can make an impressive 2D image that appears to be 3D. Follow these steps to create the illusion of a 3D hand:
Lightly trace an outline of your hand with a pencil.
Then, using a ruler, draw straight lines across the paper, but only in the space behind the outline of your hand.
Connect the straight background lines with curved lines that mimic the curve of your hand.
Carefully draw over those lines with marker, the erase all your pencil marks.
Add more stripes of color to complete the illusion!
