MULTICAM: Merry Dragon pub sign

WELCOME!

It is hard to believe that it was almost ten years ago I witnessed a CNC router in action for the very first time. I was fascinated with what I saw and simply had to have one! Although I had been in the creative end of the three dimensional sign business for most of my life I didn't really know what I would do with one - but I just knew it could do fantastic stuff.

Through extensive research and LOTS of hands-on practice I quickly found out that my MultiCam router was capable of just about anything imaginable.This journal will chronicle that journey to date and continue each week with two or three entries as I continue to explore just what is possible with this wonderful tool... -dan

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Merry Dragon pub sign - part four

With the sign fully assembled and the carving done it was time to do a little hand sculpting. I started with the bare armature, coating that with sculpting epoxy and then bulking it out with crumpled balls of tinfoil. I built it up layer after layers until I had the basic shape down pat. At that point I could start in on the detail. I began with the tail and worked my way up to the top. In the top two photos he is complete save his face and arms.

The next day I finished off the last details. It took about ten hours to sculpt the dragon in total.

Then it was time to begin the paint. I started with the base colors, all hand brushed and water based. I was using Modern Masters Metallics which cover well and blend easily. The dragon first got a coat of gold. The second coat was a brighter gold color on top blending through down to a apple green on the bottom. The sign is a light metallic blue for the base coat.

Next week I'll begin the glazing and build up the colors gradually, first with the dragon and then down to the woodgrains on the sign and post. I'm still a little undecided about the metal dragon bracket and the base but that will be worked out as I proceed. Stay tuned...