Let me tell you something... I have some really awesome friends! Yes, yes, let me brag a bit cause they're really great, I swear it! You may remember, last year I blogged about a couple of my "fancy friends" in different posts, but recall my two friends who made a cookbook together in "fancy friends #2"? Well the designer from that endeavor has started a little something I'd like to brag about cause it's super neat!
Meet Adam:
But they start out like this:
The next step kind of look like this:
And then they turn out a little something like this:
I think it might be a little more interesting and informative from his perspective so I asked him to tell us about his process: "I start every piece the same: I roughen up the wood, paint it, stain it, paint it, then stain it again. I've discovered a unique painting technique that enables me to achieve the 'vintage look' that I've been embracing. I then work with the purchaser to design exactly what they're looking for; whether that's colors, city information, or a completely custom design."
"I print the design and match it to a piece of 'vintage wood' that I think will work best. Next, I do a matte medium transfer of the print to the wood, and once that's finished I seal it. Then I draw on it, or use marker, or I paint it, or spray paint, and I sometimes use stencils. I then add on some final details to make the composition more dynamic and give the piece more depth. Lastly, I put a final gloss seal on it and ship it off to my (hopefully) happy customer via the pony express."
How's that for a process? Sounds fun, doesn't it? They look really awesome, and watching him make a couple was interesting and really inspired me. When I asked him why he was embarking on this little business adventure, he said "It lets me explore and create by instinct, and not so much design principle learned in school, although I believe it does influence a lot of my aesthetic decisions. I have fun playing with mixing the different mediums to figure out how they interact and the different effects you can achieve with them. It's exciting because even if someone orders a design that's on that site or one I've already done, every single one is different. I learn something new with every print, and it keeps the process interesting."
Now that you know allllll about Adam's schtuff you need to check it out, design one, and order yourself or a friend one!
