Charge on 428

The Mold & The Molding

The Mold Tamer cruiser is destined to be a real head turner.

John Polito from Polito Home Inspections Inc. approached me a couple weeks ago about his retired Mt. Morris Police car. His new business, The Mold Tamer, and that old cruiser, seemed like a perfect fit to go a little wild with.

 Working with a small gif image from his site, www.moldtamer.com I was able to dig up and tweak a couple of images that fit the bill. I then mashed them up with a shield and a "tech" type style to finish the look. With a stellar graphic produced to my specs perfectly from SpeedPro Printing, I was able to quickly assemble the advertising. Prepping the rig is another story...

There were thick plastic bumpers on all four doors obstructing the workable area. Normally
moldings are stuck on using an automotive
grade double stick tape. Apparently they used what ever they had laying around to re-
adhere the loosened appendages. Let's just
say- the adhesive was a bear to remove, taking me several hours and a trip to the spray-n-wash to clean it up. Thankfully I was pumped up with excited anticipation for the final product to let that get me down.

Red-Hot Lake Lady

Livingston County News 6-12

One again I feel most fortunate to be involved with a rewarding project such as this. The firemen I dealt with while developing the graphics for the fire & rescue boat were extremely relaxed and professional. Although I'm sure they had received multiple quotes, I was able to secure the job as well as give a little back to the community. Conesus Lake is now a safer place to enjoy all she has to offer.

Semper Fi - Pie In The Sky

Good Gracious- I'm proud to be an American!

It's the land of freedom and prosperity.

A place where one can forge off on one's own and make a living doing such fun things (like this project) and get actually get paid for it.

Our local Marines recruiting office was recently remodeled by a friend of mine. He also owns the building in which the office is located. I was honored that he thought of me to help him to fulfill the requirements of his tenants- The US Marines!

I must admit, it was a bit of a challenge to acquire the proper paint colors necessary. All I was provided was a PMS color number, which is mainly for inks. Fortunately I had an insider at a local print house who had the PSM color chip book. I was able to borrow it for a few hours so my local Sherwin-Williams could electronically reproduce the two colors. Problem solved. Oddly, the "silver" and "gold" were very similar. Not for me to judge though. I just do what I'm asked to do as well as I can, and I feel satisfied with the outcome- and most importantly- so was the customer!

All in the family

 This project was fun and interesting due to the level of planning and personal association.

The signs were commitioned by my aunt and uncle to represent the family homestead.
I was proud to be considered for this project. They certanly finish the entrance off nicely.

Let's Go Kart

  Spring has sprung, the birds are chirping and motors and engines across the state are roaring to life.
The batteries are charging, the oil is getting changed and the cleaning and polishing is at a frantic pace.
I'm witnessing this first hand across the street at Minnehan's Fun Center, where the bats, clubs and most importantly, the go karts are coming out. In the off season, the center bought eight new karts for their circle track. The cars are all painted in an array of solid colors but are nude as a newborn baby. The owners approached me to label them with  NASCAR like branding and their logo. I was happy for the opportunity to do so, but I concocted a way to expand on that idea, and bring in community sponsorship into the mix, thereby taking the financial burden off of their shoulders. I designed a multi-tier order form, offering a sign for the track's fence as well. To my surprise, all the business' that wanted to be involved, took the full sponsor package.
The first of the decorated karts is complete. Only 4 more to go...

A Smartphone Synced a Website

  Thankfully I have a smart IT guy with the clairvoyant four-site that advised me to get on board with the brilliants that is all things Google.
   As I conceived signblazersigns.com I stressed that an "ease-of-update" theory must be a priority. I wanted control over the loading of new photos. That's why we decided to use Picasa as a photo gallery. We skinned over the stock page format to seamlessly blend with my site. I then built category folders within Picasa using the free software provided. All I had to do is load all my photos from my camera to my laptop once a week or so, and they were viewable to the word. Little did I know at the time that the process would get even more streamlined.
   The upshot in the game plan came as I discovered the Android powered Motorla smartphone. This devise allows me fantastic freedom and ease of accessibility beyond any expectations. I carry a handheld pipeline to the heart of my company website (this blog included)!
  The current procedure:
     1. Choose the subject (a sign etc.) and take a photograph.
     2. Tap the screen to expose the menu- choose the "edit" option. At that point I can do some simple alterations such as: crop, brightness/contrast, etc.
     4. Then save and name the pic.
     5. Choose "share" from the menu an select "Picasa", then the desired album and "Upload"
     Vuala-- For the world to see!

   There's also many alternate ways to configure Picasa albums via PC or from the phone. I recommend setting up your albums from the PC in order to take advantage of the broad visual interface. The small screen is very limiting until used in the above described manor. After the initial learning curve, I found the process easy to retain and fluid.
   This has not been an advertisement for Google. What this has been is an illustration of a well executed plan using a free service and a handheld device.
   Happy Picing!

  

A Non-Advertising Advertisment

   I've done plenty interior wall paintings and a few barn sides in my day,  but this old alley brick wall was my first with an uneven surface to contend with. The objective was to produce a simple but effective sign for a jewelery store without infringing upon his allowed sign allotment. Generally, symbols trump words anyway. In this case it's absolutely true...

   To start the project, I rented a 3000 psi pressure washer from my local hardware. It managed to remove most of the loose paint, but also managed to eat into some of the actual brick and mortar. A little less pressure was needed. I then used a gallon of high quality semi-gloss and a 3/4" nap roller to coat out the area in need. The next day I went to work masking the shape out.
   Back at the shop I prepared the stencil using my 40" vinyl cutter and a roll of vinyl paint mask. I was somewhat apprehensive about attempting to use this product on the uneven surface, but it was a nice sunny warm day and the material stretched a bit as I massaged it into the low spots.

This picture (above) shows the first layer stencil applied.

This picture (above) shows the second layer mask applied. A couple pieces were left out, ready to paint!

An odd color pallet for me, but to achieve a translucent quality it was necessary to use pastels.  Wal-Mart had a nice selection of spray paint that day!

  I added some diagonal highlights into all the individual color blocks to indicate a see-through prismatic element.

Back-masking was needed so I didn't contaminate my previous work.

This picture (above) shows a final mask layer allowing me to spray a shaddowing effect. This helps to bring out the light colors off the wall.

All the mask removed. Almost there. Just the freehand highlights and a darker outline to make it pop.

Believe it or not, the further you get away from it, the better it looks. From close up it seems a bit washed out, but from the street it's quite an eye catcher.
Many thanks to David Mann Jewelers of Geneseo for the opportunity to expand my portfolio. I'm certain it will drum up some conversation among the locals.

Long Point Park Project Update

  Well, It's been a hot busy summer with plenty of ups and downs (mostly ups).
I completed a (personal) record number of 18 gym floors decorated and had a blast in the process! We're now approaching  fall, which means a bit of a fall-off in the warm weather which tends to coincide with a fall-off in business. A transition that is sometimes more difficult than the weather to acclimate to. Fortunately it appears that an anticipated project may come to fruition in time to entertain me through my seasonal decline. That project in reference is the Long point Park Sculpture.
   It was nice afternoon for a meeting that took place in close proximity to the future home of said sculpture. The reporter from The Livingston County News sat with the project leader, two artists and myself to discuss the finer and larger points of the concept. We hope to ignite the public interest along with a fund raising campaign by the positive words in the article.
   I intend to start mocking up portions of the sculpture to explore my ideas further very soon. This, in turn, it should help my artistic contributors on their end, by defining the space in which they're sculptures are to be incorporated.
  The meeting was certainly a step in the right direction. Refuelling a low level motivational tank. I'm now looking forward to a fall, fall-off to shift into second gear. With any luck, the public will demand to see more.

A Walk With Gym

   
    From design to fruition- what a divine process. It never ceases to amaze me- with the endless verity of projects I undertake- that there is a never ending spectrum of special ways to handle each conundrum.
   What I set out to understand today was the direct relationship between my paint mask product and the entity installing it. To be blunt- I want his job. Or at least- I want the revenue his position demands. But more importantly- I know I can do it better and more efficiently. And in turn- generate more time for his specialized employees to do what they do best- install hardwood floors.
   What I'm proposing is nothing short of a hostile takeover of a division of the specialized process of painting a basketball court. The elbows are sharpened and I'm ready to employ them. Just give me a chance to prove my hypotheses and (I feel) we will all prosper from the en devour.

Nice work!

Too Muggy for Blogging

Summer is changing my mind about blogger.
I may trim back to once a week for now.
We're going Google Plus soon so...

Tweety Droid

   I thought I saw a baltimore oriole while enjoying the sunset this evening. It's rather ironic because I just had a conversation with my grandma on Wednesday about her seeing one. I questioned what I was seeing because they're rather rare in this area, so I brought up a picture on my Droid to confirm. I still wasn't certain so I kept googling until I came across this site:
http://www.birdjam.com/birdsong.php?id=2
   It's beautiful song automatically starting playing. It played for 30 seconds or so until I saw the same bird pop up. It had to have heard the audio because it kept coming closer and closer until I could see it perfectly.
   What a nice treat. Thanks Droid. Couldn't have experienced it without you!

The "Why" Part of the Brain

   In my world, creativity is directly related to my state of mind or mood.  Some days, I'm seemingly unable to engage the necessary faculties to produce innovative designs. I'm not sure why this is, but I recognise it and adapt. I shift gears and go into manufacture mode and pump out all the small jobs that don't need creative attention. Occasionally, a conversation or event can alter the current mood and allow me to dive headlong into an idea or design development. Why? 
   It's an ironic control issue. The more I try to drive my brain in a direction, it seemingly applies the break, slowing the process. If I leave it to drive itself, it sometimes drives erratically, forcing a countering action. Some days creativity seems to be in a glider plane on autopilot, starting from a lofty point, then gracefully meandering to the obvious destination. Why?
   Some nights I go to sleep with a problem I wish to solve. A very sound rest occurs and the problem pops into my head as if the hand of god placed it there. Other times, I dream of a problem as if it were a tin can that I kick around until it's unrecognisable. I assume that there's many factors related to sleep that contribute to those questions. But why?
  I guess there's no clear conclusions for these questions. The billions of neurons  fire like a lightning storm in my head can't construct the reasons, but if I can just help guide the outcome, I will deal with it.
  

Frankenprinter

   Back after major surgery and a glimpse of hardware heaven, the big printer is back and ready to print to the best of it's ability. He's been transplanted with a few custom fitted parts especially designed to replace flawed engineering. 
   Amazingly enough, I managed to guess the correct specs on a gear that had melted away due to a leaky hose union. Who would think to use a plastic that's adversely effected by the actual ink that the machine uses? I, in turn decided to replace it with an aluminium gear that will not deteriorate under those conditions. Although, the new pump I installed has an updated connection designed not to leak. Thankfully that shouldn't ever be an issue again. Oddly though, the new pump did cause another unfortunate problem. The gear that I replaced still had the original hub with a plastic nipple that seated into a plastic dimple. I noticed that the connection was a bit snug so I sanded it down a smidge and added a bit of lube to attempt to remedy the issue. As it turned out, it didn't work. It melted the nipple clean off, welding itself into the female recipient, while spinning the gear loose. The whole lot was then replaced with an aluminium rivit, ground down to fit the socket. Dr. Frankenstein- eat your heart out!
   Once I made the decision to resurrect the anaemic beast, I through all of my McGyver skills at it. Thank goodness my new friend Tony was there to lend a helping hand and some good ideas. His knowledge about printers makes me look like a caveman.
  To wrap this laborious story up:
The monster has awakened from it's slumber, to slave and encumber. Ink flows through it's veins, no more will it strain, to decipher the binary numbers.

Referbished: An Update

   It's always nice to put projects to bed. Especially the ones that have caused brain-strain throughout the process.
   Roger from Roger's Hair Craft in Lakeville came to pick up his referbished carved redwood with 23k gold leaf lettering today. He seemed pleased with the outcome. I saw it for the first time in the daylight and the gold damn near blinded me in one eye!
   This project wasn't as bad as I projected. Mainly because Bruce and his magic brushes performed so precisely. Plus, the original paint was in decent shape and it brightened right back up with a little elbow-grease.

The installation was done by his crack remodelling team who did a splendid job with the siding. An excellent choice of color I might add. It accentuated the sign's tones quite well. I would have liked to see the brackets hidden however, but it's too late for that- the holes have been made. Other than that small detail, I'm delighted with the finally (the payment has already been deposited). Thanks Roger and thanks Bruce of the help. Another project laid to rest. Can't wait to see what he does with the other repaint project. That's for another posting. Go Bruce!

Here's to You, Heroic Hammer Monkeys

  When it rains it most defiantly pours! The Gym floor decorating business is in full swing. WNY Floor Co. has been piling on me the last three weeks. A few little quickies, but one whale of a job which I came close to completing today.
  What a fun challenge this bugger has been. I've had to pull out some old tricks and a few new ones to make this happen. The biggest challenges are yet to rear their ugly heads though. The task of actually installing those massive panels of paint mask intended to flank the multi-colored floor adornment. I thank my lucky stars I'm not the craftsmen destined for that task. I will, however be handy at the end of a smart phone, ready to field a barrage of questions pertaining to the specifics of this manifestation. Don't get me wrong, I'm there in spirit. In fact, I've already been there-- in my mind. This has all been virtually constructed using several methods. I've been over it time and time again- trying to work out the kinks and pitfalls.
   Kudos to the hammer monkeys in the field. These guys translate all my scribbled nonsense into time transcending artwork, worthy of television time. My only regret within this process, is that I never get to at least shake those men's hands for their exocutionary prowess. Cheers my mythical heroes. You have your work cut out for you!

Go Cart, Go!

   Involvement in community seems to be of utmost importance to many of my fellow business owneres in this area. They all tend to practice shopping locally and encourage others do do the same. I certainly concur. Without that type of loyalty, we would leave it all to the big companies, possibly located outside our state, or worse, outside our country. The trick is to entice the residence to adhere to the same mindset.
   Recently my neighbours purchased 8 new go-carts for their mini-amusement park operation. They were very intent on decorating them as soon as possible. After learning of their intentions, it dawned on me that they might be missing out on a golden opportunity to involve the community and incidentally earn a few duckets to put into the new rigs. Currently I'm concocting a proposal that will bring this entertaining pass-time together with local commerce.
   The rest of the story is yet to be told. What I can say is that there is plenty of interest around town in cart sponsorship. With any luck it will generate a buzz worthy of a waiting list and a renewed commitment to small town shops. Vrooom... let's go!

The Man with the Golden Brushes

   It's important to know One's limits and understand that sometimes it's better to hire an expert for a task that may take One longer to accomplish alone.
   That's exactly what I did today. I called upon a fellow sign maker, or perhaps more accurately, a sign painter. Bruce has been spending most of his time painting homes rather than signs lately so he was he was happy to use a rainy day to get back to his roots.
   A few days ago I wrote about a couple of restoration projects I decided to take on. Well, time has become a factor so I decided to ask for a little help. Bruce came through with his case of fine brushes to add the sizing (or glue) necessary for me to add the new gold leaf to the nice old carved sign. After spending a good bit of time washing and preparing, he got right to it.
  I was surprised that the process took as long as it did, but I'm glad that he took the time to do it right. Tomorrow I will apply the gold and see the true skills that brought to the table. Thanks Bruce!

Old Dog, Old Tricks

   Approximately 28 years ago, I learned how to plot provided points onto a home made grid with the intent drawing some sort of silly cartoon character. Who knew that there was actually some validity to that exercise rather than a middle school afternoon time filler. I was able to apply it to my work in effect further my existence.
   I pride myself upon having a full bag of tricks. It's necessary to constantly compile techniques and information if I want to stay competitive while working with many varieties of media and materials. Who knows when I will need to reach into that bag. It's just been a while since I've had to reach that deep down.
   The purpose behind this method is to take a small graphic and make it larger. In this case I'm able to use the computer to scale up the artwork then build the grid over it. Once I accomplished that I was able to precisely pinpoint the location of a series of arks that create the majority of the perimeter of the drawing.
   I can't help to be profoundly hopeful of the success of this project. Thank you to my 6th grade teacher for introducing my to graph paper.

Gardening in mourning

   It seems that due to blatant neglect of any common sense by the neighbouring field's tractor operator, all of my plants in my garden have been destroyed. Apparently when you back the spray rig up to the edge of the field, which happens to be 10' away from my garden, and blast the Roundup weed killer wide open, it tends to have ill effects on tender young plants.
   I realize that they have their own agenda and time schedule, but some curtsey would be appreciated. The home owner here actually witnessed the event, so they could have warned us of what was to take place.
   I personally raised those plants from seed starting several months ago. Many of them were exotic strains of peppers which cannot be replaced even if I were able to receive compensation. My hopes of a fruitful season are sadly over. All I can do is learn from the mistakes and perhaps post some signs next year stating the obvious: DON'T SPRAY MY GARDEN WITH HERBICIDE!