Dan Sawatzky Is Looking Ahead to Sign Invitational 2020!

Coastal Enterprises, manufacturers of Precision Board HDU, is proud to host guest blogs written by some of the signage industry’s biggest movers and shakers, posted to the Precision Board Blog.  This guest blog is written by Dan Sawatzky with Imagination Corporation in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada.  This month, Dan wraps up his 2019 ISA Sign Invitational victory (making for a three-peat!).  Not one to rest on his laurels, Sawatzky has already designed his 2020 entry and routed the beginning pieces out of Precision Board HDU.  Lucky for us, he’s giving us a sneak peek!

sign invitational

In Dan Sawatzky’s own words…

I was delighted to hear my name announced as one of two winners in this year’s Sign Invitational. It was the third win in a row for me. I won in the large category but from what I hear only squeaked in ahead of Jim Dawson who also had an awesome piece.  Mo Flint won the smaller, table top category with a beautiful piece! The other competitors also had some wonderfully imaginative pieces. I hear everyone is already thinking about what they are going to do next year!

Next years competition is being changed up significantly. There will only be one category. All pieces will need to fit on a 2’ x 2’ table. The theme is ‘LESS IS MORE’ which can be interpreted in countless ways I’m sure. I take it to mean smaller in size but bigger in every other fashion. I’ll be pulling out the stops without a doubt.

sign invitational

Shortly after this years winners were announced there was a quiet time at the show. I whipped out my sketchbook and began scribbling down my ideas for next year. I flew home that night and while I was waiting at the airport for my plane I did a few more sketches to nail down the concept. A couple of day’s later I finished the concept art. I’ll be building two similar pieces for next year’s event. One will be my official entry for the Sign Invitational to be displayed in the Signs of the Times booth at the ISA show. The second similar piece will be displayed in Coastal Enterprises booth. They have promoted and supported this fun contest from the start!

Last week I started building the first of the routing files. I will be using a wide variety of weights of Precision Board HDU throughout my pieces (Ed note: higher densities of HDU are more dense and thus weigh more). My goal is to build the pieces as light as possible. This means using lower densities of the board where possible. But the reality is that the piece has to also survive shipping over 6000 miles return and all the bumps and drops that may happen in between. The folks who handle the freight at the show can be a little rough at times as well. So certain pieces of the fabrication will be made with higher densities of board to add strength to the sculpture.

The first components to be fabricated was the wheels and frame of the truck. To shorten the truck as much as possible and to add to the fun character of the piece the wheels are more of an oval shape than round. With the files finished it was time to actually begin work. I had a piece of 1/2” thick 40 lb (PBLT-40) Precision Board tucked away for just such a project. The wheels were routed in two halves which will be glued together back to back. The truck body will actually be physically supported by a hidden heavy duty steel rod that will go down into the base because even with 40 lb board I wasn’t confident the piece would survive the journey without the extra reinforcement. As the pieces came off the router I glued them together and am in the process of cleaning them off to ready them for paint.

There is still a very long way to go before it looks like much but I’ll be posting progress here from time to time.

If there are other sign professionals who want to get in on the fun of next year’s Sign Invitational competition drop me an email and I’ll send more info.

sign invitational

Sawatzky’s Imagination Corporation is a small family company that specializes in the design and creation of dimensional signs and environments. They tackle projects of any size from small signs to entire theme parks. Their work has garnered numerous national and international awards.

Dan Sawatzky is best described as a creative force and visual storyteller extraordinaire. His art career spans almost fifty years of magic. Dan’s passion is to design and create imaginative places that take people from the normal world to a setting of delight and wonder.

Coastal Enterprises manufactures Precision Board HDU, a versatile, cost-effective and eco-friendly urethane sign material that is particularly effective for making professional-looking indoor and outdoor dimensional signs.  It is a closed-cell rigid substrate that does not rot, warp or crack.  You can request free samplesget a quote or sign up for periodic newsletters packed with helpful information.

Designing Signs for a Tourism Farm Sawatzky Style

Coastal Enterprises, manufacturers of Precision Board HDU, is proud to host guest blogs written by some of the signage industry’s biggest movers and shakers, posted to the Precision Board Blog.  This guest blog is written by Dan Sawatzky with Imagination Corporation in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada.  This month, Dan tells us how he plans to use PBLT-30 Precision Board HDU and other materials to design signs for a tourism farm.  To do that, he takes us back to the drawing board with a look at his preliminary design ideas.

signs

In Dan’s own words…

We love to use 30lb density Precision Board high density urethane in our projects and do so at every opportunity. Most often we combine this premium product with other materials and components to create our award winning designs. In the process our goal is to create long lasting signs which really work hard for our clients. Each of our projects always has to start with a very strong design, of course, and we are always seeking to push this envelope as far as our clients will go.

A current project of ours is a large tourism farm in the US midwest. They have successfully operated and prospered for more than thirty-five years, building almost everything in house with their skilled team. Recently, the owners of the farm approached us to help them out by re-branding and re-signing the many food outlets and attractions on the farm. They loved our style and wanted to kick things up a notch. With more than fifty food operations and attractions on the property there is plenty to do over the next few years. This was the perfect opportunity for us to design and fabricate our signature dimensional signs and add a whole lot more visual fun to the farm operation.

We’ll start with a number of key projects this year and then work our way through the farm. I’ll do about twenty designs for the first phase. It is a VERY FUN and exciting project! In the next few months I will chronicle some of the projects as they make their way through our shop. Stay tuned…

 

Sawatzky’s Imagination Corporation is a small family company that specializes in the design and creation of dimensional signs and environments. They tackle projects of any size from small signs to entire theme parks. Their work has garnered numerous national and international awards.

Dan Sawatzky is best described as a creative force and visual storyteller extraordinaire. His art career spans almost fifty years of magic. Dan’s passion is to design and create imaginative places that take people from the normal world to a setting of delight and wonder.

Coastal Enterprises manufactures Precision Board HDU, a versatile, cost-effective and eco-friendly urethane sign material that is particularly effective for making professional-looking indoor and outdoor dimensional signs.  It is a closed-cell rigid substrate that does not rot, warp or crack.  You can request free samplesget a quote or sign up for periodic newsletters packed with helpful information.

Creating Faux Stone Artifacts with Precision Board HDU

Coastal Enterprises, manufacturers of Precision Board HDU, is proud to host guest blogs written by some of the signage industry’s biggest movers and shakers, posted to the Precision Board Blog.  This guest blog is written by Dan Sawatzky with Imagination Corporation in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada.  This month, Dan tells us how he used PBLT-30 Precision Board HDU to create ‘artifacts’ (in this case, faux stone statues) for the North Star suite of the Hazelnut Inn.

artifacts

In Dan’s own words…

The website of the Hazelnut Inn describes the North Star Suite thus…

Local lore holds that the North Star was once the home of Temperance Longbottom. An eccentric explorer, Ms. Longbottom gathered artifacts and curiosities from every mythical corner of the world and built her estate around them.  Spend the night in the captain’s quarters of an ancient sailing vessel. Relax in a tub for two. Curl up by the fireplace. Explore the lush private garden, filled with whimsical artifacts. Staying in the North Star is simply a delight.

With this legend in mind we are busy creating the many ‘artifacts’ to be housed there. Two statues are among this collection and they are in construction currently in our studio. We decided the perfect medium would be PBLT-30 Precision Board HDU. For the basic shape Peter downloaded two 3D models from the web. These were imported into EnRoute and sliced into sections two inches thick. The two statue slices filled two full sheets of Precision Board. Since we planned on doing the bulk of the modeling ourselves, and in the process modify the statues considerably, we used a 3/8” bullnose bit with a 50{afbea94bd31582343c3017644f03ec8d7d8fa2386ecb82c250661e06c0c6e111} overlap. The reliefs were pretty rough and basic but provided exactly what we needed.

These slices were then glued up using PB Fast Set. A steel frame was embedded with two heavy duty threaded steel rods protruding out of the back. These will go through the exterior of the wall to be securely bolted to the interior framework of the building. We used plenty of course threaded screws as we assembled the Precision Board, countersunk to hold the material in place while we finished the piece. After using some sculpting epoxy to fill screw holes and apply other details, Peter used a die grinder to surface and shape the model. Some portions of the statue needed to appear broken, and by using a chisel and brute force, Peter did just that. The result was very convincing!

artifacts

The first statue is now in the painting stage with base coats applied and already looks pretty fabulous! By the time we finish the paint it will be impossible to tell from a real stone statue.

Sawatzky’s Imagination Corporation is a small family company that specializes in the design and creation of dimensional signs and environments. They tackle projects of any size from small signs to entire theme parks. Their work has garnered numerous national and international awards.

Dan Sawatzky is best described as a creative force and visual storyteller extraordinaire. His art career spans almost fifty years of magic. Dan’s passion is to design and create imaginative places that take people from the normal world to a setting of delight and wonder.

Coastal Enterprises manufactures Precision Board HDU, a versatile, cost-effective and eco-friendly urethane sign material that is particularly effective for making professional-looking indoor and outdoor dimensional signs.  It is a closed-cell rigid substrate that does not rot, warp or crack.  You can request free samplesget a quote or sign up for periodic newsletters packed with helpful information.

Sign Invitational 2019 Update from Dan Sawatzky

Coastal Enterprises, manufacturers of Precision Board HDU, is proud to host guest blogs written by some of the signage industry’s biggest movers and shakers, posted to the Precision Board Blog.  This guest blog is written by Dan Sawatzky with Imagination Corporation in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada.  This month, Dan gives us an update on his 2019 ISA Sign Invitational entries (made with a variety of materials, including PBLT-30) and some insight into his creative process, especially when it comes to the little details that pull the entire story into focus.

sign invitational

In Dan Sawatzky’s own words…

The fourth annual Sign Invitational at the International Sign Association EXPO is to be held on April 24-26 in Las Vegas. That means the pressure is on to finish up my pieces and I have no doubt the others in the competition are busy as well. I am doing two entries this year. Because I am twice defending champion I suspect everyone will be putting their best foot forward and I’ll be ready with my attempts in answer.

The contest is being hosted by Signs of the Times Magazine, booth number 2135 at the show. There will be four large entries on display and five small ones in the smaller table top/wall mount category.

My first piece is in the large category with the build envelope measuring 2’ x 2’ x 6’ tall. That leaves a lot of room for creativity and a ton of detail. Over the last year (since the last Sign Invitational) I have been putting in a few hours each week building the clockmaker’s factory. Although I had a fairly firm plan in mind when I started, I knew I would be adding a bunch of little things as I went, all in the service of telling the fun story. I finished the bulk of the sculpting some time ago and then began painting and glazing which brought the building to life. As I worked I would think up some little idea and then I would sculpt a little more, then go back to painting. That process is almost complete and I am very happy with the efforts so far. This piece has an incredible amount of detail packed into every square inch.

sign invitational

We love detail in our shop. And it is sometimes surprising how much the seemingly mundane items make the story believable. Our journey begins on the ground floor of the building. Beside the well worn front stone steps is a scooter, leaned up against a no parking sign. A somewhat beat up garbage can is tucked in the corner. A rusty down pipe drains the roof. Around back the delivery truck is parked against the wood decked loading bay. I still have to add a dolly load of boxes to that area. On the other side of the building is the ancient and well used steam boiler. We can almost feel the heat wave and hear the steam hiss from the rusty rivets. (A hidden miniature smoke machine will provide that effect when it is at the show.) Loose rocks and bricks litter the area and even more details are yet to be added. It is amazing just how much you can squeeze into a space two feet square.

The second, smaller category has a build envelope of 3’ x 3’ x ?.  The ‘official’ rules leave this dimension as a question mark and open to interpretation. On my piece it is 17” deep.  It can be either table or wall mounted. I am building an entry for that category as well although it will not be officially entered in the competition. Instead the time piece will be on display in the Coastal Enterprises booth (#860) as a way to help promote the competition at the show. Precision Board has been a proud and enthusiastic sponsor from the very first year.

This piece is well on the way to being finished. I routed the last component today using a small piece of PBLT-30 Precision Board HDU of course. This piece is called ‘Slowing down time’ and is the back side of a large steam driven clock. There is still some sculpting to complete for this piece and I will also be building a small table/stand for the display.

Both pieces have been a great deal of fun with no clients holding me back or trying to art direct my efforts. I am enjoying the leisurely process of both of these builds and this approach has allowed me to go completely wild in the process. I look forward to seeing all the other entries at the Sign Invitational and welcome everyone to come and cast a vote for their favourite.

Sawatzky’s Imagination Corporation is a small family company that specializes in the design and creation of dimensional signs and environments. They tackle projects of any size from small signs to entire theme parks. Their work has garnered numerous national and international awards.

Dan Sawatzky is best described as a creative force and visual storyteller extraordinaire. His art career spans almost fifty years of magic. Dan’s passion is to design and create imaginative places that take people from the normal world to a setting of delight and wonder.

Coastal Enterprises manufactures Precision Board HDU, a versatile, cost-effective and eco-friendly urethane sign material that is particularly effective for making professional-looking indoor and outdoor dimensional signs.  It is a closed-cell rigid substrate that does not rot, warp or crack.  You can request free samplesget a quote or sign up for periodic newsletters packed with helpful information.

Adding Pizzazz to the Hazelnut Inn Window Trim!

Coastal Enterprises, manufacturers of Precision Board HDU, is proud to host a series of guest blogs written by Dan Sawatzky of Imagination Corporation, posted to the Precision Board Blog on a monthly basis.  This month Dan Sawatzky tells us how he uses 30lb Precision Board HDU to add fine detail to interior or exterior trim on windows (and have some fun while he’s at it!).  His current project is spicing up the trim on some of the windows for the Hazelnut Inn, currently under construction.

trim

In Dan Sawatzky’s own words…

We are making great progress on the Hazelnut Inn project. The carpenters have now finished the concrete work and wood framing and the last of the roof shingles are in progress. That means we can really start to get to business with the detail work at last.

When it comes time for fine detail on interior or exterior trim our first choice is most often 30 lb Precision Board. A current project is a good example. The windows of the Copper Crown suite need to be fancy. It is a castle after all. We looked at many options including rounding the tops of the windows… but after a lot of consideration opted for rectangle windows with lead work between the panes. Above them we would install custom routed panels made from 30 lb Precision Board, of course. There are four windows in the tower which will perch above the master bedroom of the castle and reach a little more than forty feet vertically. Each window transom will sport the initials of a member of Peter and Hailey’s family. It’s a detail that will most likely get seldom noticed but it will be there for those who really look things over.

trim trim trim

The routing files were created in EnRoute and the outer profile matches the edges of the windows. There are four rounded panels on this tower which will bear the initials of Peter, Hailey, Juniper and Henry.  The Precision Board was routed on our MultiCam CNC machine.

The tower is being prefabricated in our studio/shop. The framework is welded steel and will be coated with fiberglass reinforced concrete. We’ll then have the inside sprayed with foam for insulation and then we’ll plaster the inside walls and paint. It will be lifted into place as a finished piece, along with the tower roof, complete with shingles.

 

We’ll be creating hundreds of detail pieces through the three suites of the Hazelnut Inn over the next year or so… all in the interest of making a unique boutique hotel quite unlike anything else in the world. Stay tuned…

trim

Sawatzky’s Imagination Corporation is a small family company that specializes in the design and creation of dimensional signs and environments. They tackle projects of any size from small signs to entire theme parks. Their work has garnered numerous national and international awards.

Dan Sawatzky is best described as a creative force and visual storyteller extraordinaire. His art career spans almost fifty years of magic. Dan’s passion is to design and create imaginative places that take people from the normal world to a setting of delight and wonder.

Dan has been sharing his progress on the Hazelnut Inn for some time now.  You can read previous blogs below and stay tuned for more updates in the future as this project comes to life, bit by bit!

Dan & Peter Sawatzky’s Fantastical Hazelnut Inn Signs

Making the Hazelnut Inn Model with Precision Board HDU

Building Curved Shapes with Precision Board HDU

Coastal Enterprises manufactures Precision Board HDU, a versatile, cost-effective and eco-friendly urethane sign material that is particularly effective for making professional-looking indoor and outdoor dimensional signs.  It is a closed-cell rigid substrate that does not rot, warp or crack.  You can request free samplesget a quote or sign up for periodic newsletters packed with helpful information.