For my project, I recalled a memory I have from my childhood. I took a trip with my mother just outside of Canton, Massachusetts and stayed at a bed & breakfast; there was a lovely garden in the backyard with a forest as its backdrop. At night, when we looked outside the window from our bedroom, the garden has be completely draped in darkness. Through the darkness we could hear the sounds of what seemed like hundreds of crickets chirping and frogs croaking. Drawn by the sounds, we looked outside and could see that the entire yard was sparkling with what must have been hundreds of lightning bugs! For me, it was a fantastical experience as a child.

First Step of my process was to create the assets for my scene. I decided to draw my creatures by hand with colored pencil instead of making them on the computer because I wanted them to have more of personal aesthetic.

Next I had to cut out each of my pieces. I wanted to put them on a darker background so that my elements would have a more striking contrast from the background.

Next I needed to plan out my circuitry and the mechanism for the switch that would short circuit the lights, turning them off.

I wanted to somehow incorporate the copper tape because I feel that it is aesthetically beautiful and that it is a shame to hide it completely. So my solution for this was to use it as a kind of branch or bush limb that one of my lightning bugs would be resting on.

Here is a short video of the project: