Color sample board for the Aultman Taylor project.

 I  thought I would post an update on the Aultman Taylor decal project. Here's a couple of photos of the color and detail study that I did before starting the actual artwork. I've now moved on to the full-sized artwork and will be posting more pictures over the next couple of weeks.  Thanks, comments welcomed

Gold Leaf workshop with Ken Soderbeck

A couple of years ago I had the good fortune to take a workshop on Gold-Leaf scroll work and creating water transfer decals that were used to decorate antique fire apparatus. A dear friend of mine surprised me with an offer to send me down and learn a skill that is quickly fading into the past. The class was taught by a fellow named Ken Soderbeck,  located in Jackson, Michigan, just outside of Detroit. This was the second and final workshop that he gave. I went down a couple of days early so I could spend some time with him before the class started. From the moment I walked into his studio, I was aw-struck. In front of me was so much eye candy, I had a hard time taking it all in. I was absolutely speechless, which is rare for me. Ken was a wonderful soul and was very open to sharing his knowledge. After a brief introduction, he offered me a chicken sandwich, and we sat and talked for the rest of the afternoon. As it turned out, Ken had been a sign painter before becoming involved in restoration work. This didn't just include the scroll and pinstripe work, but the entire restoration from ground up. I had never seen anything like it before. The detail that companies would put into their equipment was stunning. The workshop was a wonderful experience, and I had the good fortune to meet people from across the states. I was the only Canadian to take part in the class, so I was named the one that traveled the greatest distance in the class. Ken suffered a major loss last year when his studio burnt down, taking most of his collection with it. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the things he lost, can never be replaced. He has since re-built and is being creative as ever. I thought I would share some photos that show Ken's work / pieces from his collection and his studio. If you get a chance, check out some of his work at  http://www.firegold.com/soderbeck.htm. The site actually belongs to a fellow named Peter Achorn, who dedicated a page to Ken's work. Peter is also a very skilled craftsman, and has some beautiful work on his site. Take some time and check it out. Thanks for dropping by.

 

Scenic paint work on the film set of Passchendaele

I thought I would do a post on some of the film work I've been involved with. Since starting my business in 1987, I've worked as a sign painter / paint coordinator and scenic artist on a number of movies and television shows. For the movie Passchendaele, I held the position of paint foreman, and was responsible for the war-torn town and battle field. On a show of this size, I'll work with a number of different types of artists to create the look. I had a crew of up to 26 people working with me at any given time, from sculptors to scenic painters. My job was to give the crew direction for all the surface textures and scenic paint work, once the construction crew finished their part. That includes all the styrofoam carving /stucco and concrete work and of course the scenic paint work you see. I work closely with the Production Designer to help turn their vision into a reality. It can be quite a challenge at times between working with a large group of people, and the weather, to achieve the finished look. I'll try to post more on this subject in upcoming posts. Hope you find this subject as interesting as the hand lettering side of the blog. The photos of the set below, shows the set at different stages of completion. We do a lot of westerns here in Alberta, so this was a nice change.