The Sign Invitational Retrospective ( Part 1 of 5 )

If you would have told me in September 2015 that this crazy idea Dan Sawatzky and myself hashed out in Denver would turn into this amazing event, I would not have believed you.

This past week, the Synergy crew spent the week in Orlando setting up, organizing, and tearing down what was one of the most exciting things we have ever been involved in. Over the next few days, Aubrey Gealsha ( recent hire and illustrator extraordinaire ) and myself will be writing a series of articles here on the blog showcasing what went down in Orlando at The Sign Invitational 2016.

For Now, I leave you with the results of the competition and pics of those entries.

Multicam USA

Coastal Enterprises

Enroute

Signcraft Magazine

1st Place – Peter Poanessa, Keene Signworx
2nd Place – Roger Cox, House of Signs
3rd Place – Jim Dawson, Synergy Sign & Graphics
4th Place – Phil Vanderkraats, Signs By Van
5th Place – Peter Sawatzky, Imagination Corporation

Peter Poanessa of Keene Signworx with his winning entry

Roger Cox and Periandros Damoulis from House of Signs with the 2nd Place finish

Jason Bair, Aubrey Gealsha, and Myself standing with our 3rd place entry.

Phil Vanderkraats and Donna Shriver from Signs by Van took 4th place

Peter Sawatzky from Imagination Corporation took 5th place with his Artistic Android

-Jim

Published with permission from Synergy Sign & Graphics. Source.

The Sign Invitational. Update

So, here it is. Our concept rendering for our entry into The Sign Invitational

We are extremely excited to get started on the fabrication. 5 weeks out. I hope we can get it all done.

-Jim

Published with permission from Synergy Sign & Graphics. Source.

A New Angle.

Here are some shots of our latest install. We would like to thank Amy for trusting us with creating their masterpiece. Metallic latex paints were used on all surfaces of this one.

The sign was fabricated using our Multicam CNC router to carve 30lb density Precision Board Plus. All programming was handled in Enroute Pro 5.

Stop by and see this one. The pictures do it no justice.

You can find Amy and the crew at :

1114 Bowers Ave NW, New Philadelphia, OH 44663
Phone:(330) 364-5759

-Jim

Published with permission from Synergy Sign & Graphics. Source.

Never stop learning. Again.

I consider myself somewhat of a power user when it comes to using our cnc machining software, Enroute Pro 5.1. So why in the heck and I spending 3 days training on the software in Denver, Colorado?.

Simple. I’ve said it repeatedly…. Never stop learning. When I found out that my friend Dan Sawatzky was going to be here, It was a no brainer. I grabbed Bryan from the shop and we made the trip out.

Dan has become one of my most trusted friends and mentors over the years. Any time we get to spend together usually ends in many hair brained ideas, and a few really good ones. This year was no different.

In addition to Dan, Jeff Hartman coordinated the whole event. He taught and hosted us at his shop every evening after class. Jeff is a great teacher and knows Enroute in and out, as he should, since he and his brother in law are the creators.

In more news….we’ll be announcing an amazing event in the near future that came to fruition during our class time together.

That being said, I don’t care how good you are at anything. You can always learn more by helping others and you might just have that eureka moment in the process.

Later this week, we’ll talk about the Letterheads meet in Cincinnati!!!!

-Jim

Published with permission from Synergy Sign & Graphics. Source.

“He who kills with one leap…”

A well-known company in the theme park and display business, Monster City Studios (MCS) of Fresno, California, has been in business for over 15 years and produces high quality advertisement displays. Using Precision Board Plus, MCS has begun a new project that took Coastal Enterprises by surprise.

A geometric Jaguar is quite the odd concept, yet MCS has been able to give a realistic touch to this piece. Routed out of PBLT-30 for durability, this Jaguar head weighs almost 100 pounds! From the tip of the nose to the back of the head measures 19 inches, the base of the head to the top is 21 inches, and the width is 16 inches. Following up with great hand-detailing, it’s no wonder it will be one of the main displays for a new mall being built in Arizona. With a coat of resin and paint, the Precision Board will be brought to life!

Fresh off the Frog 3D CNC

Cleaned up with hand detailing

The finished design waiting to be coated and painted.

Pictures don’t due justice for the true enormity of this piece. From head to tail, the replica is 8 feet long and the rock base it is sitting on is 16 feet long. The word ‘impressive’ comes to mind, but so does ‘intimidating’ as the power of this animal is captured really well. Here are a few more pictures and a video of the product in process.

Click here to watch the jaguar’s legs being machined