One of our favourite creative projects in years past was a pub we did. As part of that large theme project we also did quite a number of dimensional signs. Instead of advertising name brand drinks and beers we instead designed and fabricated signs that told the story of the pub in the 'brands of liquor' we advertised.
We are now privileged to have won the contract to do another pub. As a small part of the theme work there willl be a series of dimensional signs that again illustrate the story of the establishment. In this case the story is of a faerie garden and the creatures who dwell there. Peter and I designed and are going to be creating three signs each to start with more as needed as we get further into the project. The signs will all feature 3D routing, plasma cut and welded steel brackets and some hand sculpted epoxy figures and elements. They are going to be both challenging and very fun!
To start the design process we wrote out the names of various types of spirits and also as many faerie terms as we could muster. Then we each picked three different ideas to work with. We began the projects this past week.
We are also helping to teach a routing workshop in Denver next week and will be using these signs as examples there in step by step exercises.
My first choice was Toad Stool Elixer (I am correcting the spelling to Elixir on the real sign)
My second sign is Trolls Bitter Ale.
Peter's style and approach is somewhat different than mine but it blends together with mine just fine. He chose Moon Wine for his first project.
His second design is called Forest Lady Spirits. It will feature a hand sculpted elf on each side which I look forward to seeing when it is done.
Posted by Dennis Raap (Member # 3632) on :
The signs make it look like a fun pub to go to can't wait to see the rest of them!
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
lovely! Thanks for sharing them!
Posted by Bob Kaschak (Member # 3146) on :
I like the look on the face of the Toad Stool.
The Moon Wine reminds me of the Blue Moon Beer logo.
Cant wait to see it come to life.
Peace, Bob
[ September 19, 2016, 01:02 PM: Message edited by: Bob Kaschak ]
Posted by Rusty Bradley (Member # 6938) on :
Not that Peter's roughs are not cool...but I particularly have always liked Dan's rough sketches...the care free line work reflects the whimsical nature of the final product so well.
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
Thanks for the kind words and encouragement!
We are making good progress on the pub signs. Peter got the Moon Wine sign ready for paint. I love how the back and front of the two sided sign worked out - different but very much the same.
It wasn't until I was ready to begin sculpting that I realized that I had spelled ELIXER wrong it should have been ELIXIR. So I ground off the panels and routed a couple of replacements.
Then I was ready to begin the sculpting. I had fun today creating two back to back faces for each sign.
There's three more signs in progress but not quite ready to post. Stay tuned...
-grampa dan
Posted by Bob Kaschak (Member # 3146) on :
I cant wait to see the Forest Lady sign. That has a nice elegant look to it.
Did they come up with the tag lines? (a pixie kiss in every bottle)
Peace, Bob
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
The client trusts us to do the signs right and hasn't even seen concept art. We came up with the names and slogans. In the process we hope to exceed customer expectations by a mile.
-grampa dan
Posted by Dave Sherby (Member # 698) on :
Dan, what did you sculpt the faces with? I know you've been a big fan of Magic Sculpt, but my batch is so thick I couldn't get that kind of detail unless I carved after it dried.
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
We use Abracadabra Sculpt (formerly Magic Sculpt) It has been reformulated so it isn't quite as stiff which is apparent when we take it out of the bucket. But we have always managed to get this kind of detail. The key is to mix small batches and work it while it is fresh.
To put the detail into the sculpt I use a 3" long piece of a paint stir stick which I whittle to a sharpened end with a knife.
Carving the epoxy clay after it hardened would be the hard way to do something like this.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
