I threw out my old character and created a new one based on the Cheshire Cat from Alice In Wonderland.
The toy is going to be ~12inches wide x 14inches tall. The body/stripes are made up of acrylic with two types of dichroic film applied to the surface which are laser cut and glued onto another piece of acrylic.
There is a lazy susan behind the head which allows the head to spin in a circle. The face of the cat is created by a light mounted from the tail casting a shadow on perpendicular pieces of wire (to be acrylic in next version).
Process:
Steps 1-2-3: Translate sketch to illustrator file with individual laser parts.
Steps 4-5-6-7: Apply dichroic film to acrylic, get bubbles out with credit card, test laser wooden pieces and assemble to confirm functionality.
Step 8-9: Arrange tiles, remove masking tape, polish off burnt glue residue from edges.
Step 10: Prototyping the led and shadow effect.
