Since we know the Merry Dragon sign is to travel thousands of miles, be handled much more than a normal sign would and also interact with thousands of visitors to the booth we opted for a weathered look for the sign, post and stand. That way any dings or wear and tear it may suffer along the way will blend right in. Today, I finished painting the last perfect brush stroked before going over the sign with with aging glazes. When that was dry I attacked the metal base and brackets with the sander and then applied a mild acid solution to the bare spots to encourage a bit of instant rust. With that I declared the sign finished.
A bit closer
With numerous signs on the go progress sometimes seems slow. Each sign gets no less than three coats of each base colour plus multiple glazes. each coat of paint has to dry before the next is applied. This means we work a little on one sign, then jump to the next and the next before returning to the first to begin the process anew. But the sign's colours are slowly deepening and the textures and woodgrains slowly coming alive. On occasion we also switch directions midstream, changing colours to create a slightly different look - all in the hope of making a better sign. It is exciting to see the gradual change of each piece. This is going to be an incredible collection when it is finished.
Gnome colours
For the gnome sign we went with typical colours for the garden gnomes we see almost everywhere. The sign is a visual pun and best told in that true to life fashion. With the bulk of the base colours now on the sign we will begin the glazing tomorrow. Those glazes will quickly bring the sign to life. Stay tuned...
