Makers will create simple LED wands and then use them to make light paintings, capturing images with a digital camera (with a long-exposure setting). In the process, they will learn about simple circuits and long-exposure photography.

Session Goals

By the end of the session, makers will

• Build different types of glowing wands with LEDs (light-emitting diodes).
• Tinker with materials and circuit designs to change the size, shape, and effects of the light sources.
• Team up to create light paintings and stories.

✓ Getting Ready

This session has two parts: 1) building light wands and 2) creating light paintings.

To prepare for the session, try light painting yourself, ideally with at least one other person participating and helping with the camera. Save the photos from your light experiments, and make a slideshow of the images you create to share with your makers as examples during the demonstration.

This session is inspired by the Exploratorium’s The Art of Tinkering by Karen Wilkinson and Mike Petrich (2014) and the work of the staff and mentors of the Flagship Clubhouse at the Museum of Science in Boston, MA.

Materials

• Digital cameras with long-exposure settings, or smart phones with an app installed that allows for long-exposure photography (such as Slow Shutter Cam or LongExpo)
• Tripod (if available)
• Single-color LED lights
• Blinking RGB (tricolor) LED lights
• CR2032 (coin) batteries
• Pipe cleaners
• Clear tape
• Straws or craft sticks
• Translucent materials, such as wax paper, glass jars, ping-pong balls, drinking cups, and glue sticks
• Conductive materials to extend the circuit, such as copper tape or wire
• Additional light sources such as flashlights, toys with moving lights, cell phone screens, or electroluminescent (EL) wire (optional)

Space and Tools Setup

1. Set up a light and a dark space. Ideally, this activity uses two rooms or spaces: 1) a well-lit space for building light wands, and 2) a darkened room for taking photos of the lights in motion.
2. If you don’t have two separate spaces, you can start by making the wands and then darken the room to take photos.
3. In the well-lit room, arrange the craft and electronic supplies for building wands.

1. In the darkened room, set up one or more digital cameras on a tripod or table.
2. Adjust the camera settings. Adjust the camera settings so that the exposure remains open. The camera should remain steady and not move, so you will need to set the long exposure setting (sometimes labeled “shutter priority” or “bulb”) to longer settings (between 2 and 10 seconds).
3. Start by turning off the flash. Later, you can get some interesting effects if you turn the flash on again to get a pop of light to capture images of people.

Opening

You can start the session with a group icebreaker. For example, during such a session at the Flagship Clubhouse at the Museum of Science in Boston, volunteer mentor Lauren led the creative activity called “Exquisite Corpse.” Each person was given a piece of paper and asked to fold it in thirds, from top to bottom. Each person then drew the head of a creature at the top of the sheet, without showing it to the person next to them. Then they folded it back so it was not visible and passed it to the next person. The next person added the creature’s body without looking at what the last artist drew, folded it, and then passed it to the next person who drew the legs. When the sheets were unfolded, the makers were intrigued and amused by the drawings they had created together.

Demoing

Light painting is not an obvious process, since the light is captured over time. Make sure to begin by sharing examples to inspire and illustrate the activity.

1. Show examples of light painting photos.

   Introduce the idea of making light paintings. Show examples of light painting photos that you have made or found online. Ask the group what they notice about the different photos.

2. Share examples of light wands.

   Show the makers examples of light wands that they will be able to make using LED lights and batteries.

3. Demonstrate how to capture light painting images.

   You may also want to demonstrate the technique for light painting in the darkened room, including how to use the cameras for long-exposure photos.

Building a First Project

Begin by building simple LED light wands.

1. Make a simple LED wand.

   Choose an LED. Use clear tape to attach the LED to a coin battery. Attach the longer leg of the LED to the positive side of the battery, and the shorter leg to the negative side.

   

   

   The LED should light up. (If the battery is flipped, it won’t light up.)

   Wrap the battery and legs in tape so that they are secure and none of the metal is exposed.

   

   

   

   Add a pipe cleaner as a handle for your light wand. Wrap the pipe cleaner around the battery, and extend it so you have a long wand to hold the light.

   (Because pipe cleaners have metal inside, make sure that the pipe cleaner only touches the tape and not the metal battery or LED legs.)

   Wrap the pipe cleaner firmly so the light doesn’t fly off when you wave it. You can add tape to make it more secure.

   

   

   You can also use other materials to make wands, such as craft sticks, pencils, or straws.

   You can also decorate your wand with craft materials.

2. Try light painting.

   After making the light wands, work in teams to experiment with light painting in the dark space.

   Arrange for someone to manage the camera and take the photos.

   Take turns creating light paintings individually or in small groups.

   Have the photographer press the shutter release button while the painter draws simple shapes in front of the camera.

Makers can alternate between building light wands and painting with light.

Taking It Further

Now that makers understand the basics of light painting, they can begin to explore more techniques and effects.

Exploring Light Effects

Show the group examples of light paintings that use more advanced effects and techniques, such as drawing silhouettes, using multiple colors, or writing a word.

Generating Ideas

Ask makers to brainstorm ideas for light paintings that they want to create and techniques that they would like to try.

Open Make

During the Open Make time, encourage makers to experiment with new techniques.

For example, they can make wands with multiple lights. They can use blinking LEDs to make a dotted line. They can make thicker lines using materials that diffuse the light (such as clear straws, glue sticks, ping pong balls, and cotton balls).

Or they can paint the silhouette of an object by moving the light behind it.

Here are some additional ideas for light paintings:

• Draw sketches, words, or symbols.
• Trace objects or add to items already in the frame, such as by drawing hats or wings on a person who is standing still.
• Make group projects where each person draws a part of the drawing.
• Create an animation by taking a series of photos.

Story from the Clubhouse Network: Take It Outside

The Awa City Clubhouse in Whanganui, New Zealand, decided to arrange a light painting field trip. Clubhouse Coordinator Masina Kenworthy said,

We waited until it was dark outside and headed down to the river. We have a mighty river that flows through our city. At nighttime the lights from the road and town make beautiful reflections on the water. Our makers wanted to experiment with those lights in their photos. The river is constantly flowing, and they were able to capture the moving reflections in the photos.

Sharing and Reflecting

We recommend making time to gather everyone into one group so they can reflect together and make notes in their journals. You can ask the makers to share how they tinkered with their light wands, how they achieved different effects, and how they were influenced by each other’s ideas.

Documenting and Displaying

You can help makers document their process while building light wands and taking photos.

Work with the makers to put together a slideshow of all the finished photos, and then watch it as a group. You can also print out the light paintings and display them on the wall.

Story from the Clubhouse Network: Glowing Jump Ropes

Janette Nelson, at the Sorenson Unity Center Clubhouse in Salt Lake City, UT, extended the activity by introducing electroluminescent (EL) wire.

Two of the girls participating in the activity jumped rope for ten seconds, creating ghostly effects with blue and green patterns. One of the girls had a red light in her hand, which added a splash of red.

They discovered that light painting was fun and easy to do. It was a good opportunity for all the participants to have creative freedom. Each maker was able to explore their own ideas and then also work as a team to make new patterns and mix colors.

One of the makers said, “I did not know that we could make LED light into art!”

Another said, “The thing that was hard was when the jump rope got stuck on my shoe. The thing that was fun was when my friend joined me. She saw me jump roping and wanted to do it too. . . . But I wish that we could do this again because it was fun—you guys should try it!”

Additional Resources

• Light Painting guide from the Exploratorium’s Tinkering Studio: tinkering.exploratorium.edu/light-painting
• A light painting overview from the Children’s Museum of Houston: cnx.org/contents/_s0eT9AP@1/Light-Painting