Blogs
Four more name plaques
With the first Sculpting Magic Workshop now only four and a half weeks away we are in full get ready mode. Most of the name plaques are routed and sample boards are almost done. About one third of the name plaques are making their way through the painting department with more to follow soon. I thought a picture update of a few more of the plaques would be of interest. It is fun to come up with endless new ideas.
Instant age
The rules of the Sign Challenge competition require that our pieces be shipped in a two foot by two foot box and then be pulled out and displayed on top. Rather than drape the box I decided to make it a part of the display. To maximize the size of the centre piece it meant the walls of the box needed to be as thin as possible. Steel construction was the obvious answer and with our MultiCam CNC plasma handy the job was easy.
The magic is in the paint
No matter how one’s dimensional work is done, whether by using software and a router or if it is done by hand the real magic happens with the paint. The current Sign Challenge piece is a good example. The routed tracks and hand sculpted vehicle body and character look great un painted.
Fun details bottom to top!
I’m having a blast sculpting the details on the Sign Challenge piece. It’s a chance to go wild with rivets and have some creative fun. There’s detail at every level of this little piece. The engine is a four cylinder Hemi and was a great deal of fun to do.
Mud magic
The Viking ship project for Motiongate in Dubai continues. The galvanized frames were wired using galvanized lath and special order galvanized tie wire. Then we could begin the sculpting process.
On track…
My grand daughter Phoebe and I managed a little sculpting time this weekend. We finished the base of the sculpture and mounted the tracks. We even got a good start on the lower portion of the vehicle. I’m happy so far. I’ve designed the box and stand as well as the upper portions of the imaginative vehicle.
Sign Challenge SURPRISE
There’s only seven weeks to go before the 2016 Sign Challenge in Orlando at the International Sign Association Expo. I’ll bet there are a bunch of sign makers now scrambling to finish designing and building their entries. Peter and I were a little smug in the knowledge that we had our entries ready to go for some time now. Then I talked to our friends at Coastal Enterprises.
TEDx Talk by Dan Sawatzky
Last week I was privileged to give a talk at a local TEDx event. My talk was titled “It’s time to RETIRE!” For those interested in seeing the video I include it here…
Going from the gold
The 2016 Sign Challenge to be held at the International Sign Association Expo is coming fast! Peter’s and my entry pieces have been ready since the new year but before we sent them off we had one more piece to build. It’s the trophy that all of the entrants are hoping for. The design of the prize is meant to reflect the competition itself. The dimensional letters are stacked up inside a crate.