The MultiCam CNC router is a wonderful tool. It works fast and accurate every time. But every once in a while it is fun to do a project the old fashioned way. The good people at Coastal Enterprises are to have a booth at the International Sign Association show in Las Vegas. I offered to whip them up a little sample for their display.
The sample piece had to demonstrate the qualities of Precision Board. It's easy to work, holds detail well and when painted can resemble whatever we imagine.
I chose a TIKI as the subject - just for fun. I decided to do the piece by hand to demonstrate it's ease of use. I drew some quick guidelines on the block of 40lb Precision Board, then fired up my air powered die grinder. It took less than an hour to carve the block into the rough shape.
Another half hour with the grinder filled in the detail. The next stage was a coat of FSC-88 WB primer. I used a small brush and purposely added just a little more texture.
When the primer was dry it was time for three coats of the base color.
Once the base colors were good and dry it was time for some fancy magic. The glazes were started with a warm orange/brown. I slathered it on and then wiped it off judiciously.
Then it was time for a red/brown. This time I wiped it off just a little harder leaving the darker color in the cracks to show off the texture to it's maximum advantage. The tiki was already looking pretty fine.
I then used some green, red and white paint to add in the color needed to bring it to life. Some missed spots and brush strokes were purposely left in place.
The last step was to add a dark glaze. It instantly added character and age to the piece.
