While the whole sign world around me carefully sands their project smooth to make them appear as if they were made by a machine we take a radically different approach. We use machines to make it look like we did it by hand. We do this by adding texture. I started with the edges and back of the sign. Using an air powered die grinder I quickly go over the entire surface making it look like I used an adze to shape the massive timber. The routed woodgrain on the front of the sign completed the illusion.
The process is quick. Once the flat surfaces were textured it was time to start in on the three dimensional pictorial. Rough, broad strokes defined the mountains and glaciers. Smaller vertical strokes formed the trees in the foreground mountains.
I filled in some gaps and sculpted the crops with a sculpting epoxy medium. The plants were sculpted on to a vanishing point. Once I had finished the sculpting it was allowed to harden over night. In less than a half a day of handwork this large sign was ready for paint. Our multiCam had saved us countless hours of labor.
Next up is the paint...
-dan
