Snakey photostand

myminifactory

This is a snakey photostand inspired by "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The iconic drawing from the book shows the snake reaching its head towards the little prince before slithering away. I've always liked this picture and decided to create something based on it. This model consists of a base with a flat bottom that's very easy to print, which culminates in a long, straight neck with a head. In the mouth of the snake, you can place a picture - thicker paper like glossy photographic paper works best, but you can also use thinner paper. The picture stays snug and secure thanks to special geometry in the "mouth" that creates a bit of tension in the paper. In the pictures, this part is yellow. You can print it with or without eyes. The other part is a black inlay for the base, which gives it a look similar to the drawing in the books. I printed it black and you can attach it with glue or let gravity do its thing. If you've printed the basic body with holes for the eyes, you can also print a set of eyes - however, this is a difficult print (see printing details). My advice: try printing the eyes first, then the basic body. With a bit of force, they can snap into place, but it's better to use a tiny droplet of glue. This project was challenging for me, as I don't usually design ornamental models. I used parametric modeling software (FreeCAD) and had to get creative with designing this piece. I enjoyed the process and learned a lot.