Melissa Ng – “I Gave Myself A Time Limit Of Three Months To Learn How To 3D Model And 3D Print Something And Whether Or Not It Was Worth Pursuing”

Melissa Ng makes intricate Dreamer Masks and fantasy wearable art for ambitious creatives who want to take people’s breath away. 

With a love for blending new and old processes and a knack for fantastical elegance, she creates all kinds of fine complexities. As a New York-based self-taught artist who started 3D printing in 2014, combined with a background in media and public relations, plus her experience as an owner of two other small businesses, she has an unconventional approach when it comes to creating art. 

Within less than a year in the 3D printing arena, she won the Adobe & Shapeways 3D Printing Design Competition with her very first 3D print, she then helped design the aesthetics on a gorgeous 3D printed prosthetic leg, and she created masks for a JiHAE music video starring The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus. 

Since then, she has expanded beyond 3D printing (although it is still used throughout the design process). You can find her Dreamer work on her website, Lumecluster.

Nora Toure: Melissa, could you let us know about your background and what brought you to 3D printing in the first place?

Melissa Ng: My background is in media and public relations. Aside from Lumecluster, I also manage two other small businesses. Back then, I was looking to fill this weird void in my life but I didn’t know what it was that I was looking for until I learned about 3D printing one day at a NYC Maker Faire in 2013.

Nora Toure: What was your very first experience with 3D Printing?

Melissa Ng: One day back in 2013, I realized my lifelong desire was to be a fantasy artist. But the big question was… what kind? I tried countless mediums over the years on my free time (acrylic paint, charcoal, watercolor, sculpting, digital painting, ink drawing, pyrography, laser cutting, etc.) but nothing ever held my interest for long. 

But when I stumbled onto 3D printing at the NYC Maker Faire back in October 2013, I saw an opportunity to do something new and challenging. But I didn’t want to blindly waste my time or money, so I gave myself a time limit of three months to learn how to 3D model and 3D print something and whether or not it was worth pursuing. 

By early 2014, while I was making my first 3D model, I learned about a Shapeways & Adobe design contest. So, I entered my first 3D print into the contest, which I happened to win, and got to display my piece at a NYC gallery. I decided to take that experience as a sign that I might be onto something.

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