The Dragon Lantern Holder

I was recently re-watching the movie Tangled when the flying paper lantern scene came on. I’ve always loved that scene and decided I needed a lantern like that for my own bookshelf.

I immediately jumped into Blender to start modeling this little guy. After navigating a few initial printing and support challenges, I finally achieved the look I wanted. However, I ran into a real-world physics snag: as soon as I placed the LED light inside the lantern, the whole model tipped over!

Realizing the center of gravity was totally off, I headed back to Blender. I adjusted the model's balance and took the opportunity to:

• Reduce supports even further for a cleaner print.
• Add nips to the hands so the lantern stays securely in place.
  To finish the look, I dry-brushed the dragon with silver to maximize those rim light reflections.

Technical Specs:

• Filament Usage: ~73 grams.
• Optimization: Fully manifold and refined for minimal supports.

Happy printing,
KadisGFX