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Quick, Portable Shadow Boxes from Foam Core

Portable Shadow Box
I needed to come up with shadow boxes for my Drawing from Life class that are portable, have attached lighting, quick to set up & take down and reasonably cheap.  No small order! 

So shopping I went.  I had a several ideas of what I could use, cardboard boxes, black fabric bins...but in the end I decided to go with black foam core.    The boxes are made from four pieces of foam core cut to the same size, in this case roughly 13x14".  I then taped three pieces together along the longest sides, alternating the side that I taped on. 

This way the "boxes" fold flat like an accordion in seconds.  The third piece of foam core is the same size and sits on top.  I wanted to leave the top unattached to keep things portable but also, this way I can slide fabric over the back panel if I choose for different set ups.  The base is just black construction paper that I will cut to size. 

The reason I chose paper rather than foam core was to keep costs down but also this way students can trace their still life set up with white chalk so that the following week they can quickly set up their objects in the correct positions.

The light is a cheapo clip on LCD light from the dollar store but does the job.  If I had a set up that could stay set up I would invest in better lighting but as the room needs to be set up for each session, this will do. 

Well, that is one box down, 10 more to go.  So excited to try these out in class next Monday!
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