And then he was gone!

It is always exciting when a sign is delivered or a customer comes to pick it up. These days our clients often watch the signs progress on our blog. We had communicated often by mail in the last weeks as well. As they drive up the driveway they were even more delighted with what they saw. He was after all bigger than life! Once the inspection was done we went into the office to do the necessary paperwork and then I fired up the forklift to move him to the trailer.  There were a few anxious seconds as I approached for the stand looked a little tall but there were a couple of inches to spare.

With lots of help he slid in pretty easy and we bolted the stand to the floor in a couple of minutes while the owner added a couple of straps to the top of the stand in case of sudden stops or turns. This bull had no chance of getting loose! We decided to weld one more small brace on the bottom of the stand just for peace of mind. I fired up the welder and in a few seconds it was done. Everything was checked one more time for this beast was traveling a thousand miles before he was home. Then, as quick as the excitement had started they were gone.

As I walked back to the house tonight the yard felt strangely empty. I knew the bull was going to a good home, but wondered what his name would be...

-grampa dan

Sculpting progress

At the workshop my project served as filler. When I had a few minutes I would sit down with it at the table and do a little work. The students would watch, ask questions and see how it was done. With the big class and a busy schedule I only had time to work on one truck.

The black spots on the Precision Board chassis are from welding splatter - only surface burns. I worked up the springs first, then the differentials. The exhaust system was next and then the bits and pieces of detail. I probably spent about half to three quarters of an hour on the undercarriage in total. The holes drilled in the bottom of the tires match up with short pieces of threaded rod which are glued into the rock base under the truck. After the pieces are painted I'll drop some epoxy in the holes and slide the truck on the top permanently.

The styrofoam needed to be hard coated before I could sculpt the rock over it. This involved pressing a thin layer of Abracadabra Sculpt over the foam and letting it harden. I wasn't worried about getting things too smooth at this point, only covering the foam.

The final layer of rock was sculpted under the tires to look as if it was there before the tires. This involved keeping it at the same angle as the wheels.

While Sarah mixed the sculpting epoxy I put a little on at a time, carving in the cracks and fissures.

Then I used a ball of heavy duty foil, which I crumpled up to press into the soft sculpt to create the texture.

We made good progress in a couple of hours. This thing is coming together pretty nice. The old Willys Jeep looks pretty dramatic perched precariously on the top of the rock.

Stay tuned for more progress...

-dan

What's in a Sign Magic Workshop? Part three.

First thing Saturday morning we took a field trip to the MultiCam Western Canada offices. It was a great way to show the things we had learned and talked of in the EnRoute lectures.

As the students began the painting Bec kept a close eye on the projects and answered the many questions to make sure everyone was successful.

Everyone got to try out a variety of techniques.

The sculpting project followed a theme we have done a number of times... 'B' is for BUG. Everyone got the same challenge. Use a pre-routed leaf with a letter 'B' on it and create a 3D bug to go with it. The results were as varied as the folks who attended. Every solution was imaginative and GREAT!

When people weren't busy on their bug sculptures they were painting their dimensional letters and practicing their glazing techniques.

Some took advantage of the one-on-one time with Jeff for a private tutorial in EnRoute.

Through every minute people were busy taking endless pictures, looking at the many examples in the shop and studio. Some took the time to browse my library and found some great treasures.

So much more happened through those three magic days, it was not possible to capture it all nor write of it here. It was in a word...  MAGIC!

Thanks to Donna for the wonderful job she did capturing it on her camera.

-dan

What's in a Sign Magic Workshop? Part two.

I looked through all my pictures from the workshops and surprisingly have none of the lectures in progress that were of the quality to post here. So we'll have to go with this one taken before the workshop started. The library is where the formal teaching takes place. Surrounded by thousands of books, periodicals, photographs, models, samples, toys and other trinkets we begin a journey of discovery. Here we explore how I do design, where I get my inspiration, and how I pull things together to make our unique signs. We also delve into the various aspects of Enroute and routing on a CNC machine. 

We take frequent breaks to make sure everyone is alert and awake, able to soak in all we are presenting. And at each break there is a new home made treat,  along with fresh coffee, teas, and cold drinks. We need to feed the mind, soul,and body to the max.

It is wall to wall learning, total immersion in a creative world like none other. And each mealtime fresh, hot, wholesome, home cooked meals await out in the shop. During mealtime we discuss our businesses, family and other important subjects, getting to know each other and the things we care about.

The shop time is also packed with information. We explore the specialized materials, tools and methods we use daily. Better yet it is done hands-on, with some demonstrations and lots of try it yourself time.

We look at every aspect of our craft, from cutting, prepping, gluing, priming, painting and glazing. Every question is answered as best we can within our experience.

Each student is given a number of pre-routed sample pieces to work on. Some are done step-by-step and others are a here's the problem, come up with a solution kind of fashion. All materials and tools are provided.

There are samples done in all stages for reference. And contrary to what is imagined, it is all pretty easy when broken down into small stages.

Rebecca, with more than 15 years of experience is out painting instructor. She describes each step, explains the whys and why-nots, answers questions and demonstrates each step of the process.

Then it is time for everyone to get their hands dirty by actually doing it themselves.

I'll show the results in the next post...

-dan

What's in a Sign Magic Workshop? Part one

I often get asked what we teach at one of our Sign Magic Workshops. In short it is very hard to describe... but let me give it a try. The pictures will help a lot I'm sure.

The purpose of the Sign Magic Workshops is to share not only our routing 'secrets' but also the many other tools and methods we use to finish our signs. We seek to teach as much of the things I have learned and discovered in more than 40 years in this business. The hard part is to do all that in three days.

We generally have a guest instructor from EnRoute come and give us a hand with the technical stuff. This time it was none other than Jeff Hartman, one of the authors of the program. Jeff knows more about EnRoute than almost anybody and is a great teacher too! Jeff also is available in any non-classroom time for one on one instruction, making sure everyone gets their questions answered. In this picture he is showing Mark some of the intricacies of of EnRoute. Mark is a power user of the program and brought some pretty tough questions to the workshop. Jeff is working on the solutions.

Through each day of the workshop Jeff and I gave a series of lectures showing various aspects of sign creation from design through the creation of files. My jog was to inspire and challenge folks, while Jeff took it on himself to provide the answers.

A good portion of the workshop time is done out in the shop in a hands-on fashion. One of the topics is on the basics of welding, plasma cutting and the creation of structural frameworks with metal. For those who haven't ever tried welding or plasma cutting we encourage to try it to prove it is not such a scary thing. 

As outlined in this blog we often use a variety of material on our projects. Sculpted concrete over a welded steel frame is one of those methods. So on Thursday evening we add mesh to a framework and then put on some fiber-glass-reinforced concrete. In this shot I am describing the process while a couple of students do the task behind me.

In this shot Roger is completing the last of the tie wires to firmly fashion the expanded lath to the frame we had previously welded.

We discuss the various formulas of concrete that can be mixed, where they might be used and then it is time to get our hands dirty by actually doing the task. As always it looks easy but takes practice.

The concrete covered stump was set aside while we did other things. We had a lot to cover over the next three long days. But when it was ready everyone gathered around to give the next phase of the project a try... and that was carving the concrete. The rough bark textures, wood rings and knot holes were all painstakingly carved in. These folks would never look at a theme park in the way they had previously. And all were thinking of ways to incorporate this marvelous technique into future projects.

Later in the workshop a base coat of paint was applied as well as a series of glaze coats to make the stump look very natural. The purpose of the exercise was to show how even with the seemingly most complicated things, by breaking it down into simple small steps they could actually do the project.

Most of this project happened Thursday night. The workshop didn't officially begin until Friday morning. Stay tuned for more...

-dan 

Group fun!

WOW! Another great event! Each Sign Magic Workshop is shaped in a large way by the people who come. Their participation, questions and enthusiasm largely determine the direction we take during the event.  This group was over the top, arriving early. staying late and going full blast in between.

A special thanks to Jeff Hartman who did a fabulous job teaching the workings of EnRoute. Thanks as well to the folks at MultiCam who opened their doors and shop to let our group see our theme work there as well as the fabulous machines on display. That side trip was a highlight of the workshop! Thanks too to the folks at Coastal Enterprises who supplied the Precision Board, primer and glue we used during the workshop!

We gathered outside our magic doors for the traditional group photo. The smiles displayed were genuine and reflected the mood during the entire workshop.

A special thanks to all of our crew who prepared the meals, endless snacks and treats, and those who helped out in the shop to make the tenth Sign Magic Workshop go so smoothly!

-grampa dan

Great start!

This morning bright and early the first of the attendees arrived for the workshop, By mid morning there were two. At lunchtime another joined the fun and through the afternoon the rest arrived. Everyone was eager to get started and once the introductions were done we kicked things into gear. 

We played with the plasm cutter and welder and then started in on the sculpting concrete project. Everyone tried their hand at this new (for them) art form. By this time the ice was broken (and melted away) and the questions were coming thick and fast. The sharing and learning had begun for real.

This is a great group that is hungry for knowledge and hands-on experience. The workshop doesn't start officially until tomorrow....

This is going to be fun!

-dan