Before photography, lithophanes were a way to create glowing, detailed images using nothing but light and layers. Dating back to 7th Century China and widely adopted in Europe during the 1800s, these works were sculpted in wax and cast into porcelain. The word ‘lithophane’ means ‘appeared in stone’. Today, 3D printing is bringing this traditional art form back to life. Using a tool called ItsLitho I recreated scenes from around Selwyn as lithophanes. Once an art form that took months to complete, it now takes just minutes, giving us a new way to explore how light can reveal hidden beauty.

On display

3D printed lithophanes designed by Jacob Barber at Selwyn Libraries. Special thanks to the Rolleston Men’s Shed for cutting down the reflective panelling that sits behind the lithophanes, enabling them to be seen more clearly.

This photo shows the Prusa Core One 3D printer at Te Ara Ātea mid-print, building tall structural supports that are essential for creating such a large lithophane. These braces prevent the object from collapsing or warping during the long printing process. While they are eventually removed, support structures are a hidden but crucial part of ensuring the success of very complex and precise 3D prints like this.

Post-processing is an important part of 3D printing. After a model is printed, sanding helps smooth out the rough edges and visible lines left by the printing process. This finishing step makes the object look cleaner and more polished. For lithophane images, sanding is especially important. A lithophane works by letting light shine through different thicknesses of a thin material, creating a picture. If the surface isn’t smoothed, those tiny thickness changes can be harder to see, and the image may not appear as clear or detailed.