Digits2Widgets
Digits2Widgets Red Nose Day
The nine noses were then 3D printed with D2W’s Nylon SLS industrial grade printers, which produced very fine detailed white noses.
Today marks Red Nose Day 2017, a charitable project driven by Comic Relief and sister project Sport Relief.
As is tradition the people of the UK, celebrities and general public alike, take on fundraising activities, some of which are broadcast during the evening’s telethon. Another fundraising activity is the purchasing and wearing of the now-iconic red noses – in more recent years, the charity was first founded in 1985, these noses have grown outwards into full faces with more than a hint of personality.
Wanting to get with the times, the creative team of the annual event approached Digits2Widgets with the idea of 3D printing one-off bespoke caricatures of nine celebrities. Comic Relief supplied 2D character artworks of the nine celebrities, developed in Adobe Illustrator both head on and from the sides. D2W did the rest.
D2W translated the 2D artworks into printable 3D CAD files. These were then adapted in CAD to form classic plastic shell clown’s noses with a slot at the back to pinch over the wearer’s nose.
The nine files were then 3D printed in D2W’s Nylon SLS industrial grade printers, which produced very fine detailed white noses. Then, Comic Relief’s professional model maker received the noses to apply the finishing decorative touches – most importantly the red colouring. The noses were first sprayed with a white 2-pack primer and then hand decorated, the colours painted up to the edge of the recesses to produce a crisp finish.
From start to finish, the whole process took just over two weeks and Comic Relief were able to use the celebrity-inspired noses for the launch of Red Nose Day in January.
As to who exactly the 3D-printed noses represent, that’s not for us to say – nor can we for image rights and licensing reasons – but there’s nothing stopping you from guessing.
