Big Boss Robot

Digital - Physical Board Game ● October - December 2024 ● Illustrator and Painter

Big Boss Robot, created through the course, Managing Creative Projects at the University of Texas at Austin, aims to teach to concept of burn-down time to its players in a immersive and enjoyable way. Each round, players will work as a team to navigate across the tiles and collect resources to repair the limbs of the large robot board before the sprint is over.

Documentation

After receiving the initial 3D test prints for the feet and tiles, the Physical Art team completed a paint test and documented key takeaways for improving future iterations. They found that the foot featured intricate and deep ridges that remained even after extensive sanding, making it difficult to create a smooth base for paint application. Additionally, the engraved tile designs were too detailed to be painted accurately. The acrylic paint also dried significantly darker than its mixed shade and required multiple layers to achieve full opacity. The team requested higher-grit sandpaper and primer to better prepare the limbs before painting. The team also suggested to simplify and extrude the tile design to ease the painting process. They noted the need to mix more saturated and lighter colors to compensate for the darkening effect during drying.

Once the Fabrication Team successfully printed the limbs with precise measurements and details, the Physical Art Team began working on the final pieces. Using higher-grit sandpaper and sanding blocks, they refined the ridges on the 3D prints for a smoother finish. They also discovered that applying a light, even layer of primer created the best surface for painting. Anticipating that acrylic paint would dry darker, they adjusted by mixing more saturated and lighter colors. As a result, the final paint application dried to a vibrant hue, perfectly capturing the intended cartoon, toy aesthetic. After the paint completely dried, a clear coat was applied to ensure no chipping and flaking of acrylic. For more detail, the team applied eyeshadow to the parts to mimic rust, in order to support the narrative that the large robot is in need of maintainence. This process was done to all the appendages, the head, the hands, and the feet.

Once the Physical Art Team completed the limbs, they moved on to prepping and painting the player characters. They followed the same process but with even greater precision, as the pieces measured only 1 by 1 inch. Painting the characters’ expressions proved challenging since no brushes were small or precise enough for the fine details. To overcome this, the team experimented with gel pens and found them to be an effective solution. Unlike traditional paintbrushes, gel pens offered a fine, controlled tip that allowed for clean, crisp lines without the risk of bristle drag or uneven strokes. This method was particularly useful for creating the lime green expressions, which needed to resemble an analog computer screen and match the digital animations displayed inside the robot’s head.

After redesigning the tiles, the Physical Art Team awaited the new prints. However, frequent misprints from the school's 3D printer caused delays, pushing the painting process right up to Thanksgiving break. Realizing that their three-person team couldn’t complete all the tiles in time, they coordinated with their professor to host a paint night. With the help of other students who joined in, the team was able to finish painting all the tiles, turning the challenge into a collaborative effort.