Workshop name tags 4

Old car insignias have always intrigued me. For Rafael’s name plaque I decided to create one. The type style I chose is called air conditioner. 
The vectors were basic. The open contour was modified by simply bending the two sides. 
I used the bevel tool to create a relief. It is fairly shallow.
The letter outline was created as a zero height flat relief. This was then merged LOWEST with the first relief.
Then I created the background relief, applying a subtle texture to the inner, raised portion. The lettering was created as a separate relief, positioned vertically and then merged highest to complete the file. It was now ready for tool pathing and routing.
-dan

Published with permission from precisionboard.blogspot.com. Source.

Workshop name tags 3

Cory’s name plaque  was to be a diamond shape. The vertical and horizontal lines play off this shape and a comic font offsets the squareness of the diamond. It uses a bitmap from my TEXTURE MAGIC collection called checkerboard squiggles.
The border of the panel is a basic flat relief. Then I modified this relief by using the bevel tool, but I set the perimeters to limit to the height.
Then I imported the bitmap, enlarged and entered it on the panel. 
The letter outline was created as a separate relief, adjusted vertically and then merged highest to the plaque.
The lettering was the last element to be added. It is a bevel with a base height of 0.15″. As quick as that the file was ready for tool pathing.  
-dan

Published with permission from precisionboard.blogspot.com. Source.

Workshop name tags 2

The second name tag was a relatively simple one. Jeff’s name tag would feature his name on a log round.
I imported the long round with splits bitmap from my TEXTURE MAGIC collection. The relief was a simple circle with a dome shape. The bitmap was then applied.
The lettering outline is then made into a relief, and then modified into a dome shape with a similar sized circle vector using the same settings as he original background vector.
Stay tuned for some more name plaques coming up.
-dan

Published with permission from precisionboard.blogspot.com. Source.

Workshop name tags 1

With the next Sign Magic Workshop quickly approaching (September 30 – October 2) it is time to start in on the name tags we create for our guests. I started with a sketch, as always. I designed in a hurry, ideas flow better that way, and scribbled down my ideas, moving on to the next as soon as I had it nailed. The details would come later.
The vectors were quick and easy… nothing hard here.
The relief was a simple oval, modified with a raised oval.
To create the texture I perused my TEXTURE MAGIC collection and selected one I like…  spaghetti. I enlarged it enough to make sure the 1/8″ ball nose bit to fit in everywhere. This was then applied to the relief.
The lettering border was made into a relief which was then modified with the oval to shape it to the same dome shape as the background relief. This was then merged (highest to the relief.
Then I applied the lettering.
When I created the bowl for routing the relief I took notice of the cool effect that happened when I created a separate 3/4″ thick relief. I decided I loved it. The spaghetti faded out on the edges and looked a lot like spaghetti on a plate.So I created a new oval slightly larger than the original relief. I used the limit height command to chamfer the edges. 
 This was merged highest with the original relief, completing the file.
-dan

Published with permission from precisionboard.blogspot.com. Source.

Sign design in a different light

When most sign makers think of a sign their thinking is limited to the flat substrate and what they might stick onto it. At our shop we think of a sign as anything that attracts attention to our customer’s business, product or service.
In the entry hall of the Fox & Hounds Pub we have a project that closely resembles a sign under most definitions. The sign is dimensional of course for that is our style. We take it further than that however. The base of the sign, a large barrel tied the sign into the theme of the restaurant and helps tell the story. The brick wall behind the sign also was part of our work. It is actually the back of a seating booth in the pub. The curved brickwork mirrors the extensive carved concrete brickwork we did elsewhere in the restaurant. The large beams overhead also are part of our contract. 
But there is more to the ‘sign’ we are creating. My design also included the fancy tile work on the floor. The work was to be done by another subcontractor but is an important part of the design. The lighting above is placed and focused to show the sign in the best possible light. Everything works together to bring attention to our customer’s brand. This is an effective and memorable sign.
-dan

Published with permission from precisionboard.blogspot.com. Source.