The endangered animal I chose to work with is the Hawksbill Turtle. The Hawksbill Turtle is most threatened by the illegal wildlife trade. Their beautiful tortoise shell is used in many products such as jewelry and ornaments. They are also affected by the lack of nesting and feeding habitats. They are an integral part of maintaining the health of coral reefs, and are also affected by pollution such as the plastic fork I used in the design. I definitely need to do some more collecting of recycling materials for future prototypes because I didn’t have much to work with.
Sketching
I started with a Starbucks coffee box that looked almost like it had fins already. I had the plastic fork from takeout, as well as six small plastic germination domes used for an automatic planter. I like that the dome was shaped almost like a turtle shell, although it turned out to be too small and rigid to manipulate. I started to sketch and formulate how I was going to design the turtle.
I was able to bend one of the germination domes in half to create the narrow beak that the Hawksbill Turtle is also known for.
I used larger pieces of the fork to create the turtle’s eyes.
I cut out the fins in the most natural way I could with the cardboard and scissors.
Final Product
While turtles cannot fly, I enjoyed seeing my creation in the air as if it was suspended in water. I hope these beautiful creatures stick around for a long time to come.
Will Politan ITP Blog 