{"id":11365,"date":"2017-07-06T21:58:26","date_gmt":"2017-07-06T21:58:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/?p=11365&post_type=story"},"modified":"2020-05-26T16:47:25","modified_gmt":"2020-05-26T16:47:25","slug":"the-art-of-limbitless","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/the-art-of-limbitless\/","title":{"rendered":"The Art of Limbitless"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summer 2017 | By<\/em> Angie Lewis\u00a0\u201903<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Limbitless Solutions<\/a> didn\u2019t start off with the colorfully detailed, custom designs for which they\u2019re now known \u2014 such as the Iron Man<\/em>-inspired arm their first recipient, Alex Pring, received in 2015<\/a>. It wasn\u2019t until the UCF student-run organization that creates free, 3-D printed bionic arms for children<\/a> noticed Alex changing the colorful fingertips on the original arm he received that they realized how important it was to give kids arms that show off their personalities.<\/p>\n

This creative customization is what inspired Stephanie Valderrama \u201916 <\/strong>to volunteer for the nonprofit. The graphic design major<\/a> says she often found herself in the engineering building, admiring its innovative, fun spaces, when she came across a display of Alex and the work Limbitless Solutions was doing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[blockquote source=”” cite=”” color=”#15139a” css_class=””]\u201cI saw the [arm] sleeves and noticed that they were hand-painted,\u201d she says. \u201cI like to paint, so I thought I would volunteer and start there.\u201d[\/blockquote]<\/p>\n

After first putting her graphic design skills to use on one of the organization\u2019s Indiegogo campaigns, which helps to raise much of the money to create and build bionic limbs, Valderrama finally got to show off her artistic abilities, designing and hand-painting the intricate details on many of the arms.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the inside scoop on Valderrama\u2019s favorite bionic arm:<\/strong><\/p>\n

[divider][\/divider]<\/p>\n

[photo id=”11440″ title=”Pegasus-su17-Artifact-ConnorPortrait” alt=”” position=”left” width=”100px”][\/photo]The Reveal
\n<\/strong>Connor Moline was born with a partial left limb due to amniotic band syndrome. He was 12 years old when he received his Minecraft-themed arm as part of Limbitless Solutions\u2019 12 Arms for Christmas<\/a> project in 2015. \u201cThat was my first time seeing the reaction of a child getting my arm,\u201d Valderrama says of watching the family\u2019s home video. \u201cHe opened his wrapped box and said, \u2018It\u2019s my Minecraft arm! It\u2019s so cool!\u2019 He turned it all around and had this look of amazement.\u201d<\/p>\n

[divider][\/divider]<\/p>\n

The Theme
\n<\/strong>When beginning the design of Connor\u2019s arm, Valderrama had very little knowledge of Minecraft. And she had never heard of Connor\u2019s favorite character, the Endermen, who have long arms and purple eyes and leave behind floating purple particles when they teleport. \u201cI decided to explore the video game realm and played some games to immerse myself,\u201d she says. \u201cI took inspiration from the cubical form and colors for my sketches.\u201d<\/p>\n

[photo id=”11449″ title=”Artifact-armonly-web” alt=”” position=”center” width=”100%”][\/photo]<\/p>\n

[divider][\/divider]<\/p>\n

The Design
\n<\/strong>Valderrama knew the design would be tough since Minecraft is pixelated, much like video games in the early \u201980s. To achieve the look, she used spray, acrylic and metallic paints in designing this arm, which is made from the same plastic as Legos. \u201cWe had just bought metallic spray paint and never used it before,\u201d she says. \u201cThe sparkly texture made the sleeve all the more interesting, and it fit with the mystical character Connor loves so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

[photo id=”11443″ title=”ucf_57042959-web” alt=”” position=”center” width=”100%”][\/photo]<\/p>\n

[divider][\/divider]<\/p>\n

The Ultimate Payoff
\n<\/strong>Connor\u2019s mom, Wendy, says he was most affected by \u201cthe fact that he was finally getting the opportunity to feel \u2018whole\u2019 for the first time in his life. He spent much of that evening testing out the arm and opening and closing the hand, trying to pick up small objects. Several times, I would notice his full hand holding the prosthetic hand. At first, I didn\u2019t think anything about it. Later on, I realized, he has never had his other hand to hold \u2014 and now he has one.\u201d<\/p>\n

[photo id=”11442″ title=”ucf_25044054-web” alt=”” position=”center” width=”100%”][\/photo]<\/p>\n

[divider][\/divider]<\/p>\n

The Reaction
\n<\/strong><\/strong>For most kids, the real approval comes from their friends. And thanks to Valderrama\u2019s spot-on design work, Connor\u2019s Minecraft masterpiece received unanimous approval from all. \u201c[Limbitless Solutions] did an outstanding job on the artwork of his arm,\u201d Wendy says. \u201cHis classmates at school thought it was a pretty neat design when he showed them. All of our friends and family loved the look of the arm, but beyond that, it was the smile on Connor\u2019s face that lit up the whole room.\u201d<\/p>\n

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