Gruffles come to life!

I often get asked what it is that I do for a living. My answer is that we specialize in 3D projects with a definite cartoon bent. The next question is do I find enough work to keep me busy? The answer is yes - times ten people. Few could even imagine this possible - especially in a small town far from a large city.

As time goes by and our reputation grows we are getting more of this specialized work all the time with no end in sight. It's very cool!

We've begun work on the signs for the various rides which will all feature one of the Gruffle characters we have designed. It is great fun to translate the 2D concept art into 3D versions of the characters. During last weekend's Scupture Magic Workshop Peter and I worked on two of the characters as our demonstration pieces.

Peter tackled Specs who will sit atop the sign (in a crows nest of course) for the Crow's Nest, a spinning drop ride. Peter still has to sculpt the top portion of Spec's torso and the arms yet but he is a fun character already.

I worked on Tupper, the accountant, who is master of the spinning coaster called Pieces of Eight

In the next while we'll construct the armatures for the posts and bases of the signs around which we will sculpt the concrete. To these we'll add the dimensional lettering and then fancy paint to finish things off. This is dimensional sign work at it's wildest.

-grampa dan

Ship in the shop

The shop was full today until just before quitting time. Then everything we worked on through the day was removed to make room for the ship one last time. The weather is to be damp next week according to the weatherman and so the ship needs to be indoors for it's final coats of paint and glazes. Once the ship was slid into position other pieces which were also ready for their final finishes were tucked around it. More wait outside for when there is room.

It's going to be a busy week when the crew returns after the long weekend.

-grampa dan

It's a team effort

While I get a good amount of credit for the work that comes out of the shop the truth is that many people work on just about every piece. The two tiki pieces that were sculpted today are a good example of this. I did the design for the Scurvy tiki while Peter designed the Dudley tiki. Jack welded up the primary structures. Peter did the pencil rod armatures with some help from Matt. Matt Philip and Marty tied on the wire. Marty mixed the concrete and he and Peter troweled it on. The carving was a team effort with Peter, Janessa, Marty, Angie and I all doing parts of these two pieces. The painting will involve the rest of our crew before they are done.

The Dudley tiki is a wonderful example of the art. Comprised of three carved timbers, stout ropes will be wound around the junction to make it 'hold' together. The large eye bolts 'driven' into the back of the top log will be used to fasten the knotted rope dreadlocks. Once painted this piece will be very dramatic.

The Scurvy tiki is also a lot of fun with lots of small details that add to the story.

Thanks to everyone's efforts each and every piece we do is much better than any one person could do alone.

-grampa dan