St. George Plantation: Less is more

Mr. Billboard, you've been downsized

We were recently included in the entry redesign at St. George Plantation. It includes a new fence with massive pedestals and landscaping. The redesign also featured a new scaled down dimensional sign. We had provided the original entry sign at least a decade back.

The replacement is placed much closer to the actual entrance than the original and simply did not require it's massive size.

 As a matter of interest the original St. Geo. Plantation sign remains the largest sign (20 ft x 5.5 ft) built in my career, It was one of the largest sandblasted signs in North Florida and designed by Cade and Associates Advertising.

The home-owner's design committee sought an elegant look. A clean, non-rustic design approach was the direction we followed. In this layout I relied upon clean lines, subtle manipulation of contrast and generous negative space to direct the viewers eye to the graphic center.  Font selection was also in the forefront of my mind while designing.  Chuck Davis, founder of letterheadfonts.com created LHF Stanford Script. 

Some procedures:

There are many ways to build a sign. Selecting the right tools is very important. On this project I successfully straddled the fence dividing traditional carving and modern computerized routing.

The basic, 1/2 inch thick HDU elements were first cut out on a small computerized

machine called The CarveWright.

The top edges of the script lettering were removed with carving tools.

Here I was clearing away the corners created by the router's bit.

The chiseling was followed with sandpaper bonded to 

a tongue depressor.  As you can see the upper characters have a smooth rounded face.

After the characters were primed and painted polyurethane construction adhesive was spread on the backs. The lettering and osprey graphic were affixed

a top their embossed counterparts on the 2 inch thick sandblasted panel shown below.

Slight texturing and levels of dimension can add variety within a design.

This variation within a layout holds our attention and gives the positive impression that a lot more is going on even though the composition is quite simple.

The back of the sign would be in view. The pressure treated 4x4 posts

were wrapped with white .04 gauge sheet aluminum.

P/T while durable in the elements does tend to crack and warp eventually.

This aluminum treatment is a eye pleasing solution for exposed structural framing.

A Southern Compass Finds True North

Some clients just "Get it"

Lanny Lewis and his partners at Southern Compass Outfitters saw an opportunity at the revamped Miracle Plaza on the outskirts of Tallahassee's Midtown area. With only some of the retail spaces actually completed this open air shopping center is already gaining major attention. In todays retail market a brick and mortar presence simply is not enough. Sophisticated consumers are looking for a complete shopping experience as they venture out. Lewis's corporate background in marketing and branding came into play as he planned a focal point for the new store.

 Lewis and company went so far as to meet me at a lumber supplier in order to select the actual boards which would be fashioned into the finished piece.

They drool for old school

At SCO they were looking for a sign to be stationed upon a masonary wall, thickly mortared using reclaimed brick. It turned out awesome. The focal point sign simply had to be painted in order to have authenticity, under the drop down lighting. A computerized, cookie-cutter approach was not going to get it here. Here is a brief look at my process.

After the panel's boards were assembled. I brushed on 5-6 very thin washes of acrylic paint building up to some what opacity towards the graphic center where the logo would be.

With Photoshop's insertion of sophisticated effects in modern day graphics at the mere click of a mouse (Such as elements within a layout that fade to nothingness). The traditional sign-painter must plan and skillfully manipulate his quiver of techniques to achieve them in reality/paint.  These fades are strategically placed to enhance the legibility of content by not allowing two elements to conflict.

Please visit Southern Compass Outfitters, They are excited to be here with their unique lines. Clothing brands for both life-style and the outdoors.

A Veterans Haven at TCC

Going beyond the ordinary

A close up view of LIBERTY: UNFINISHED GRACE

A piece painted for an Independence Day event several years ago. Incorporated into a wall treatment.

  When Bill Hunter of Tallahassee Community College called us out to discuss creating a simple timeline of  U.S. military history in the college's new Veterans Center, neither of us had a clear idea of where the project would ultimately lead. I had worked with Bill Hunter, David Wildes, Ann Robeck and others in Facilities and Construction for nearly a decade. Up until this undertaking the sign projects on campus were of a straight forward nature.  I was very pleased that TCC's administrative team allowed me to give so much artistic input, not only on the timeline but other decorative treatments within the center.

The Veterans Center will be a place where TCC's student veterans can relax, study, be acknowledged and advised about their benefits that they have earned for their service.

TCC's Fallen are also remembered.

Faculty and staff are recognized.

A close-up of the timeline and its placement in the entryway below.

I wish to acknowledge Steve Owens along with Administration at TCC: President, Jim Murdaugh, Vice President, Teresa Smith and Vice President, Sally Search for their leadership in turning this dream of TCC's student veterans into a reality.

Westminster Oaks: A Labor of Love, Part II

Getting in a slow hurry

  As I continue to relate my Health Center sign experience it would be wise to interject a few pertinent facts to avoid giving you to a false impression. When you see photos compiled into a short piece as in this blog, it is easy to assume that all of this work came about at once or within a very short period of time. The truth is this project came to fruition over a period of several years. First the sketches were created and estimates given. Some of these hand drawn roughs even saw publication within the pages of SignCraft Magazine before Westminster Oaks' Shannon Sauls and I actually moved forward with the production of the cafe signs themselves.



A snippit of a page from an article I wrote about quick-sketches featuring the roughs.

 Those pieces for Canopy Oaks and Garden View came first (shown in part I) and were made in secession with several months in between. She was very gracious to give me the breathing room that required to pull these off.  I was experimenting with several techniques that were new to me,  Sauls demonstrated an unusual level of confidence in us. I assured her that her patience would be rewarded by something special.

Cafe of the Friends (According to an internet French to English translation site)

 Cafe Des Amis's sign was for the last of the eateries. The client had shown me a painting of a french, side- walk cafe and requested that the direction of Amis's design be based upon that object of art. I took the dark blues and brick reds and incorporated them into my design. Over the top very opulent decor was envisioned. What follows is a peek into how we pulled off this piece.

 

The main feature of this piece was to be the decorative frame. This runs against my nature as sign-painter making any part of a sign more interesting than it's message. The frame was not off the shelf it was a custom design start to finish. A machine carved piece of 1/2" sheet PVC. Then finished with a specialty paint which has a high content of metal ground into it. While the paint is still wet a acidic wash it sprayed on to it creating an actual patina. 

Creating production files for the CarveWright machine can be simple or as complicated as the designer wishes to go. Above: a hand drawn half face was rendered then scanned. The scan was imported into Adobe Illustrator document. This scanned drawing would serve as a guide that vectored lines would be painstakingly placed over. Once the half face was completed the lines would be duplicated and mirrored for the other half (no sense in re-inventing the wheel on a symmetrical design). The vectored shapes were assigned gray scaled fills with special attention places upon gradients.

The CarveWright Designer Program has the unique ability to take a gray scaled image and assign different carving depths to the graduations. For the finished file the deeper cuts were the darkest grays, the lighter shades remain closet to the highest plane of the PVC. Shown below: The file used and a photo of the carved components after they were removed from the machine.

For the love of the brush

We finally leave the high tech portion and return to my realm.

The type face that was selected was Atkinson's French Condensed. Type face may be actually misleading because it was a sign-painters alphabet not necessarily used in this form for the printing press.

This Alphabet was pulled from Frank H. Atkinson's master work, "Atkinson" Signpainting Up To Now. Originally published in 1909. It has remained a wealth of information and an inspiration for more than a century. It is a window into sign-painting's past. Much has been lost, forgotten and shamefully abandoned merely for the sake of speed.

A close-up of the painted portion of Amis' panel shows a crackle effect. This antique texture was developed by a personal friend of mine, Mark Fair of Montgomery, Al.

Mark was the first president of Creative SignMakers of America. His work has been featured in trade magazines and major motion pictures. The link below will take you to an article featuring his crackle technique which appeared in Signs Of The Times.

www.signweb.com/content/fabricating-antique-style-signage

Creating the cafe and bistro signs for Westminster was a terrific experience. It allowed me to move further towards an understanding of dimensional sign-work.  Including: layering, carving, sculpting and some specialty painting effects. I do hope that the little extras are brightening the days of the Health Center's residents which was everyone's intent.  

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Uncommon Courtesy, Retro Design & Free Markets

Chef Rebecca Kelly at left

The first time I met Rebecca Kelly was at a local coffee and bagel place near my home. It had not been open too long when I decided to stop in one morning. I was greeted warmly by a courteous, eager young lady. I ordered a large "regular" coffee. Then I asked for some honey they apparently kept it behind the counter. Now on a blog like this I usually bore you with the details of a particular sign technique or color scheme not how I take my morning coffee.  I know you really would not find it important. Which this brings me to my point. The next day when I stopped in, I was hoping to be served by the same warm person. Can you imagine how blown away I was when she said, "Good morning Mr. Sauls." She was already pouring a large regular and handed me the honey. I do not recall introducing myself the previous morning. I can only assume that she had noticed my Sauls Signs embroidered logo on the shirt I frequently wear. I knew from the get-go that Rebecca would always make good. Over time we would develop a friendly give and take and it was not long before her greeting shifted to, "How's my favorite graphic-artist?"

I was shocked and disappointed one morning to learn that Rebecca had moved to another location and then was gone altogether.

A New Venture

Several months had passed and I received a phone call. Before I could finish my obligatory Sauls Signs may I help you, I heard "How's my Favorite Graphic-artist!" Rebecca was launching Street Chefs and needed graphics for Stella, her new, old food service truck. Which we were happy to provide. Although at that point I thought the whole food-truck thing to be sort of silly, my gut told me if anyone can make it go here in Tallahassee it would be her. 

It was not long after that that I began seeing Stella parked at different locations around town and even parked on ML King Boulevard, in front of my shop each Wednesday at the newly re-developed Doug Burnette Park (part of the City of Tallahassee's Gaines Street revitalization). It was there that she told me of the Food Truck Association, of which she was president.

 Rebecca later told me of her cooperative work with the City of Tallahassee to bring a Food Truck Court to Tallahassee's downtown and G.St. area. It was to "Occupy" the empty city property where the former Johns Building had sat.

Chef Kelly once again called upon us to create a sign, this time I would be designing for the City of Tallahassee's approval as well.

Street Chefs Video Clip can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0PguxnUZak&feature=player_embedded

Smooth Sailing

 Any designer can tell you that designing for folks unknown, through a third party can be a prickly task.

So I listened closely to Rebecca's wishes and designed something colorful and with some bounce to it.

 I was delighted by the respect that the city's people showed to the integrity of my design. All of their input was reasonable. Typically this is where layouts can really get off coarse. 

Here is the hand painted sign on my bench at the shop.

I felt that the retro look I sought for could best be achieved by choosing type that had a hand drawn flair. The script was designed by my friend Charles Borges de Oliveira, of California. Charles had been a sign painter before moving exclusively into typeface design. The man understands the brush and his scripts are always something special.

 

My Daughter Marianne, Helped me with the install.

Now I shall ruminate

I was glad to see Mark Beaudoin at the soft opening of the Food Truck Court. Mr. Beaudoin is with the City's Real Estate Division. It had been years since I had seen him. We were both impressed by the turn out at todays pre-opener. State workers were lining up to be served by the 4-5 food service trucks and it is my understanding that very little advertising had been done. It was exciting to be there installing the sign as the soft opening was actually taking place. As a fiscal conservative I am delighted to see this project here. It will bring in revenues to the city on a property that is off on the tax roles, provides a lucrative spot for the Food Truck Entrepreneurs, gives me a better variety of lunch choices and get folks down to the Gaines St.

 I own a small business in the All Saints Neighborhood, just off Gaines St. A Sauls has operated a business at that location since the 1920s. It is my understanding that at one time this runned down industrial like area had been a fine part of town. I see this FTC as a ingenious move that can only be helpful in moving things along towards a happy place. And all without muddying up my free-market sensibilities. On a selfish note it was great to get some business from the city and see progress after enduring the G. St. Construction. I am glad to see light at the end of the tunnel.

Now next time you see Beaudoin tell him to try one of the sliders from Street Chefs or a buffalo chicken taco from Taco Gringos. This should give him another reason to smile.

Cape St. George Lighthouse Progression, Part III: Let Your Light Shine Before Men

Machines, Men & Muscle: It's not all paint chips and crayons. 

When you have been a sign-maker for a short time you'll realize that it is like wrestling

an octopus.

This craft demands that you know a little about many other crafts and trades. The variety of overlapping skills that are required to do this creatively means networking and relying upon the expertise of others.

  Allen Boatright of Boatright Timber Service milled the old growth cypress posts for the project. Allen is a family friend. When asked if he had anything (cypress) he could cut 14 foot posts from,
he mentioned a couple of logs in the timber-yard that had been drying for two years. When I arrived he had already milled the CSGL's posts and was milling some planks on the powerful band saw shown to the right. Boatright sits on the Board of Directors of The Florida Forestry Association, has served as National Chairman and is Chairman of Florida's "Log A Load For Kids" charity.

  

For at least 25 years I have been able to count on David Watson and his staff

at Iron Images, Inc.

Watson has the down to earth quality of taking my ideas

and doing what it takes to make them happen, properly.

The powder-coated, welded framing is secured to the custom milled posts, before they are set in the ground.

 A Surprise for the Folks at CSGL: 

 

The restored Light is from circa 1852. I wanted to include just one more special touch. So I deviated slightly from my originally submitted design by carving "1852" into the post ornamentation. Sixteen of these 1/2 inch disks were fashioned on the CarveWright machine. 

The MDO sign panels are "sandwiched" between the layering of the carved and blasted HDU head-piece. It was coated with two applications of fiber glass resin, and finished with 100% acrylic paints.

Terry Kemp, Secretary of The St. George Lighthouse Association and Pandora Schlitt a  CSGL supporter,

were present for the long awaited installation of the

Park's newest addition. 

A special thank you to Jim & Terry Kemp, George Floyd of the Apalachicola Maritime Museum and The Franklin County Tourist Developement Council.The Cape St. George Light sign will easily be one of the most memorable

projects of my career. St. George Island has changed dramatically since my childhood visits. Any trip to the island remains special. Please visit the CSGL Park and climb the Light's spiraled staircase. See for yourself why Franklin County can be so proud of what these folks have accomplished.

Cape St. George Light Progression: Part II, Spacial Embellishments

Adding Dimension

 In the first part of the progression I shared some of the painting techniques utilized on the CSGL project. Here we continue as I reveal some steps we used to create graphics with sandblasting.

Paper patterns are cut out by hand and panel shapes are drawn around the patterns to be cut out with a sabre saw. Multiple layers of the logo components will be stacked together until  a sturdy depth is achieved.

 

Next a rubbery adhesive stencil is rolled out and affixed to the panels. The graphics/letters are drawn on to the stencil. Here we wish the letters to be recessed, so our letters are cut away and peeled off. The raw green areas are left exposed and when blasted, material will be removed by the abrasive sand. Below are the raw elements of the Visitors Center/Maritime Museum art.

Little Touches add a Lot:

 

The loosely assembled head piece shot at an angle allows us to see both the layering of the HDU pieces as well as the pleasing chisel-carved tapering on the banner's layers. Rather than simple stacked planes, Which were my original plan.

More Soon to Come