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
Showing posts with label Sculpture Magic Workshop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sculpture Magic Workshop. Show all posts

Monday, May 2, 2016

Time lapse of last Sculpture Magic Workshop

Through the years we have had numerous requests for a video of our workshops. We strongly believed that to properly experience a workshop you needed to be there, getting your hands dirty and engaging with us one on one. That belief hasn't changed. But thanks to our good friend JD who attended our last workshop we did capture much of it in a time lapse video. Even this is but a quick glimpse for it was only one room of the workshop and didn't include the meals, field trips or the things that happened outside.
There is so much going on at all times. Each time a question was asked we answered it verbally and also with a quick sketch or by referral to a handy sample. Much more than techniques are shared. My goal has always been to shake up every attendee to their core, making them question why they do what they do and what they wish to do in the future. In every workshop we've held, we immersed everyone in our unique world, surrounded and served by our extended family and staff. And we didn't throw our guests into the shallow end but right into the deep end of our pool. Our goal was to change lives and I believe it worked much of the time.
Was this truly the last workshop? Yup. At least in this format. I'll of course continue to attend conferences, teach at workshops sponsored by others and do speaking engagements as requested. I'll continue writing the blogs and magazine articles. E-books are in the works as well. This isn't the end but merely a turning of the page to go on to the next exciting chapter.


Sunday, October 18, 2015

Spring 2016 Sculpture Magic Workshops

Dates set for Spring 2016 Sculpture Magic Workshops
My email box has been full of late with requests for the dates of the next workshop. So full in fact we've decided to host TWO Sculpting Magic Workshops this coming spring. After looking over our schedules we have set the dates. The first Sculpting Magic Workshop will be April 15, 16, and 17, 2016. The second Sculpting Magic Workshop is set for April 29, 30 & May 1, 2016. The response has been great already and we look forward to two high energy events. There is space still available in both workshops. For more information go to http://www.imaginationcorporation.com/sculpting-workshop/


Saturday, February 1, 2014

MAGIC WORKSHOPS OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

As much as I love to dream up wild projects and then build them, teaching others to do these things is also a great deal of fun. Since 2007 we have been hosting workshops and welcomed well over a hundred eager students from around the world including across Canada and the United States, (and Hawaii), Germany, Sweden, Holland, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand.
I've been getting many emails lately, asking about our workshops and when the next ones might be held. We are pleased to announce that we will be hosting two workshops in the fall of this year.
The first will be our SIGN MAGIC WORKSHOP which is to be held Friday-Sunday September 26, 27, 28, 2014. This workshop will cover a wide variety of subjects including design, marketing, creation of 3D routing files, a little sculpture and our painting techniques. For those interested bring your workclothes for this is a hands-on workshop.


The second workshop wil be our SCULPTURE MAGIC WORKSHOP which is to be held the following Friday-Sunday October 3, 4, 5, 2014. This workshop covers our methods of sculpting including the design, building of the armatures and the sculpting of fiberglass reinforced concrete and sculpting epoxy. This too is definitely a hands-on workshop. Students will get their hands dirty as they weld, mix concrete, sculpt and paint.


I'm looking forward to sharing as much as possible through the workshops!
-dan

Friday, January 31, 2014

Workshops

With our massive project currently in production (into July, 2014) we will not be able to host a SIGN MAGIC WORKSHOP or SCULPTING MAGIC WORKSHOP this spring.

We are working on putting fall workshops together tentatively scheduled as follows...
Sign Magic Workshop   September 26-28, 2014
Sculpture Magic Workshop  October 3-5, 2014.

For those who want some EnRoute training in the meantime there are some worships planned by the EnRoute folks.
Dates and venues planned for these events are as follows...

Multicam Technology Center, Anaheim, CA  April 17-18, 2014
Multicam Technology Center, Chicago, IL      May 15-16, 2014
MultiCam Production Shop, Madera Arts, Atlanta, GA August 19-20, 2014
Multicam Technology Center, New York/New Jersey Metro Area
(Hackensack, NJ) October 16-17, 2014

-dan

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Sculpture Magic Workshop

The Sculpture Magic Workshop began four days after the last. This time we had four who attended the first workshop and then stayed for the second. This meant I had to keep things fresh, not repeating myself too much. Almost everyone arrived on Thursday afternoon anxious to kick things in gear and so we did just that. We managed to squeeze in more than forty hours of concentrated learning time. The projects the students did were nothing short of fantastic. We had lots of laughs from beginning to end. It all was great fun!













I can hardly wait for the next one in the fall!

-dan

Monday, March 19, 2012

Quiet here, busy there

The last two weeks have gone by in a blur. With two different workshops in ten days we've put in a tremendous amount of hours, but little actual routing time. This week things will kick back into regular mode.

The Sculpting Magic Workshop was great fun. We had a great deal to accomplish in the few days we were  in the shop. We had routed sample pieces to learn the painting techniques as well as the backing plates for the dinosaur sculptures each of our guests would sculpt.





We sculpted a variety of panels in fiberglass reinforced concrete. Each student learned how to sculpt brick, rocks and smooth to knarly wood grains.




The toughest challenge of the workshop was to weld up, wire and sculpt a twisted tree. Under my watchful eye each student did a wonderful job.




Our group was small but the enthusiasm and willingness to tackle many tasks previously not thought possible made for some wonderful projects. I look forward to seeing many cool projects from each of these guys in the near future.


 -dan

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Colorful menagerie!

Once the sculpting was done it was time to start in applying the color to our beasts. Primer, base coats, blending, glazes and details. We encouraged our students to go out on a limb, try some colors they might not ordinarily use, and in the process make their dinos come to life in a multitude of ways.

Each student was given the very same assignment and routed base plaque to start with. The end result was anything but the same... in fact far from it. And they were all shades of the rainbow in color as well when they were done. 




The end result was nothing short of a whole lot of FUN! 

-dan

Dino might!

The primary assignment for our students was to design and create a dinosaur head. Using our imaginations was certainly encouraged of course. Each student was given the same assignment and a routed backer board to build it on. It didn't take long for some marvelous creations to come alive at the easels. 





I had never seen dinosaurs like these! It would only get better when they were painted...
-grampa dan

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The magic of mud!

One of the many things we teach at our workshops is how we mix our special formulas of fiberglass reinforced concrete. It is designed and proven to trowel on easily and be super strong. It also carves easily - or at least much easier than regular concrete. Each student is allowed to try their hand at this task.

Then the fun begins. We start with the easy task... troweling concrete on a flat board. All did well at this task and their confidence grew immediately. These concrete covered boards were carved (when they had cured enough) to practicethe various styles and techniques.

Then it was time for a more advanced challenge. The students worked in teams of two, first welding up a sturdy armature, then applying the glavanized wire using specialized tools. 

The concrete coating was the next step. I did a quick demonstration to show how it was done... and then the real fun began.

The vertical areas were easy. As our students worked downward it quickly became evident that it would take more than a little practice to master this part of the job. For a first time effort they did remarkably well.
 
The upside down parts proved to be a little trickier.
 
The concrete was allowed to cure until it was perfect to carve. We'll show the delightful result and a lot more creativity in the next post.
-grampa dan

Monday, October 10, 2011

Sculpture Magic Workshop report one.

Our first Sculpture Magic Workshop was a resounding success. The students came from British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Arizona, Colorado and Washington. Our guests arrived Thursday afternoon for the most part, eager to get started. Four had attended previous workshops. Six had not. The range of experience was wide ranging as was the type of work they did. The questions started right off the bat as they were eager to learn all they possibly could. This would be a great workshop! Since everyone was so eager to start we did just that. While we waited for the last guests to arrive the ones that were there started preparing their panels which would be cemented and carved on Friday.


Friday morning I presented the first lecture, then we headed out for our first field trip. We visited the MultiCam office first, then headed over to the Fox and Hounds Pub to look at our current project. We enjoyed a delicious lunch while we were there. Then we headed back to the shop to officially start in on the hands-on part of the workshop. The student's first task was to mix up some fiberglass-reinforced-concrete and pply it to their panels. We did the carving a few hours later when it had cured perfectly for the task. Although the sample projects were small they employed the very same techniques we use in our shop every day.


While we waited for the concrete to cure it was time to start in on the primary sculpting project. The assignment was to design and sculpt a dinosaur head. While we had plenty of reference material at hand each student was encouraged to use their imagination to make something truly original.

As we would find out, in the next couple of days, this class had plenty of imagination! Stay tuned for more...
-dan