Something Fishy Going On

My order of Magic Sculpt arrived while I was at the Walldog event.  I had to spend some time unloading and organizing things, but I couldn't go to bed until I'd worked a bit on the fish. 

I also started putting together the length of material that will hold the hanging light:

I like using some found parts when it's appropriate.  In this case, the pieces are left overs from something I needed for the R2D2 I made. I keeps bits and pieces like this just for situations like this. I'll be able to add light easily.

WallDoug At It Again

Only a few short years ago, I began attending an annual event as a member of a group called "The Walldogs". This year, over 200 artists and painters came together in Kewanee, Illinois to bring life to 15 murals. 
My friend Scott Lindley represented us well and helped the amazing town of Kewanee to participate in more than a little magic.  I had the amazing fortune to be asked to participate as a project leader. 
It was the 20th anniversary of "The Walldogs" and Kewanee helped us celebrate in style.

A massive cake was served, and fantastic food to go with it!

My team included a long list of walldogs and an even longer list of locals who came out to participate and put paint on the wall.  They all did great.

We had a great deal of fun and made many memories.  Many people couldn't help but share with us their own memories and important life moments that took place at Sandy's.  From a first job for a teenager, to a hamburger and shake date that turned into a 40 year marriage, they were all special and made us smile even more.  Now it's time to get back to my shop and jump into more signs for my client Jim Martin at Rhino and working on the mechanical fish that will give Dan a "what for".  I'm a very lucky man.

Here fishy fishy fish...

Just to get things started, I decided to put some paint inside the tank to see how it was going to look. I have much to do in there, but I couldn't resist seeing how my carefully painted rays of light that run diagonally across the waves would look with the LEDs.  I think it's looking good. 

Next, I put some of my sketches into parts.  These sliced sections will make up a portion of the body of the creature, with much sculpting to come.

Once I had these initial parts, I decided that I wanted him to be wider, with a much larger mouth.  By adding a strip down the middle, I could get exactly what I wanted.

Much more to do! Now, though, it's time to pack up to prepare for the Walldog event in Kewanee, Il. I'll be painting a mural about Sandy's...a hamburger and shake franchise that eventually merged with Hardees.
Stay Tuned!

Lights! Camera! Action!...wait...where's the fish?

Today I added some of the lighting.  I've used an LED strip which will light the creature inside.
I also built the additional center pieces that will build up the piece to allow space for the fish between the window and back...

To make the best use of materials, I cut the center pieces in quarters...so two sets of four (different diameters) was just the ticket.  My friend Dan put 38 lights plus a green one on his project. It looks very nice indeed.  I, however, am from America.  We have 50 states so it only seemed appropriate to have at least 50 lights.  I'm sure 39 lights was a lot to put in Dan's sign, so I completely understand his smaller total.  The extra dimension in my sign allows for just a few more.

If you haven't figured it out, we're all having a great time with our "challenge" (Jamie says he's on top secret work for the government of Canada and will have something soon.).  The jibes and teasing is all in good fun.  I have little doubt that the other competitors will all place in the top 12. I think we have 8 or 9 participating...including Jamie.

Next is a fish tale or is it tail? Stay tuned.

A Window into Changes.

Looking at my mechanical fish piece, I felt like the window was pretty "thick". I had wanted to dish the inside of the piece first, and simply overlooked it.  Once the piece was carved, it was clear I'd missed it. I mentioned it to Dan, and he said, "Make a jig and go ahead and cut the dish on the back, you'll be glad you did". It was the push I needed to take the risk.  It could have damaged the piece and set me back almost as far as Jamie on the project.
Here's what it looked like before:

You can see that the middle part of the window is amost 2" deep.  Here it is after the dish carve on the back:

The reason it's an important but subtle change is that much more of the creature behind the window will be visible from a wider range of viewing.  It was the right move, and the little push from my competitor was appreciated.

I also carved the piece that will act as the background behind the mechanical fish:

When it finished carving, I realized it just needed a touch more work.  I decided to add just a few more dips and curves.  I could have used a hand held grinder, but I wanted it to be subtle and avoid sanding.  I turned to some hand chisels...and within 3 or 4 minutes I got the look I was trying to get to.

The next step will be to create some "risers" to bring the window about 6-8 more inches above this background. I'll use HDU to build it up.  Stay tuned!