Yes, We're Open

Yes, We're Open!  I'm sorry that it has been so long since I've posted anything new.  But many thanks to the thousands (yes, it has been thousands) of visitors that have come to see what I have to offer.  

My blog has helped to lead me to a new theme park project.  Like all theme park projects it is top secret and I can't report on it until there are official public announcements, or the park opens to the public, whichever comes first.  The project is keeping me unusually busy so my postings will not be daily, but I will make them as often as I can.

My last posting was a SketchUp drawing of a shop from the film, "Pleasantville."  Well this is the same shop now open for business.  And what a wonderful business this is -- it's filled with my most popular work.  Leading the way by a long shot is the map from Neverland that I created for the Paris Disneyland version of the Peter Pan attraction.  "The Munsters" house is another popular favorite, along with a plastic house of a very different sort -- the Monsanto House of the Future.  And for some reason the Tomorrowland signpost seems to attract a lot of attention.  

Please keep checking back, there will be more to see.

Gone Fishing

Vacations are a time to take a break from the routine for some new, diverting, enjoyment.  Well it's that time for me.  Of course, for me enjoyment is my work.  I'm starting a new project and for a time I won't be able to make my usual postings.  As soon as I'm back online I'll have more to share.  (No, I won't be able to share anything from my new project.  They are always secret until they open.)

In the meantime, please don't be shy.  Take a look around the blog.  There are 139 postings here and I'll bet that you haven't seen them all.  Choose a topic that you like from the labels on the right.  Or, better yet, head down (on the lower right) to the Blog Archive.  Start at the bottom and check out an entry a day.  I'll be back before you know it.

The attached image is from my Pleasantville model.  Like so much of my work this SketchUp model allows me to explore it from any angle.  I've chosen a storefront and added a sign in the window.  Then I did have to add some blinds to make sure that the place looks closed.  But the sign certainly indicates the promise of return -- probably with big fish and big fish stories.

Pleasantville

With my enthusiasm for mid-century design, it was a forgone conclusion that I would enjoy the art direction from the feature film, Pleasantville.  The entire Main Street area was constructed new for this film, in the parking lot of a California State Park.  After the film was completed the entire street was struck (removed) along with any evidence that it was ever there.

Despite the theme of the film, I’ve chosen to render Pleasantville in full color, rather than just black and white.

I have no drawings from this film and I had nothing to work from except for my knowledge of how big things are.  If one knows the size of a brick one may count bricks and determine the size of a building.  I created the entire street, in SketchUp, from study and speculation.  I found lampposts in Google 3D Warehouse, but I wasn’t happy with them so I built my own.  The only thing borrowed is the 50s car.