The Name Thingy Project

I'm sitting on the living room floor of my oldest daughter's house. We've been in Oklahoma for the past week getting things together for daughter number two's wedding. The nuptials happened yesterday and everything went very well. I've been sharing on this blog my plans to create a large styrofoam cutout to help decorate the wedding reception. Here is my report of how the "Name Thingy Project" turned out.

The work actually began when I did the "dry run" back in Brookings. (See below what I did as a practice project.)

I think I drew a version of this a half of dozen times. This was the one that I chose to create. It was important to create a shape that would have stability. The sweeping lines underneath their names helped to make it strong.

I set up shop at daughter number one's church across the road from their home. They were very gracious and kind to me—letting me use up a good deal of the floor space in their sanctuary to work. A few days before the wedding it was suggested that I create a smaller version to be hung over the guest book table. That created more pressure on the use of my time.

I copied the design onto a transparency and projected the image onto a large piece of styrofoam that my (first) son-in-law picked up for me at Home Depot.

Then, while being careful not to bump the projector, I traced out the design onto two 8th foot panels.

Then I cut out the image using the lines as my guide. Back home, when I did my dry run, I tried using an electric knife, but the styrofoam I used then was a standard thickness. The panels I got in Oklahoma was a compressed foam and too hard for the knife. The youth pastor at the church was kind enough to loan me his sawzall to use instead. That worked great for the large cuts, but for the tighter spots I utilized a hot knife.

After cutting the image out I painted the back and the edges with flat black paint.

I was able to find a latex metallic gold to use on the face. Many of the metallic paints are oil based and will eat into the foam if you use it.

My father-in-law, Tom, helped me a bunch. He worked hard to clean up the edges of the cutout.

After that I outlined the letter with an olive green, which was one of my daughter's wedding colors. The image always pops whenever you get to the outlining stage.

We were able to string a cable out across the area we were trying to fill with decorations in the church's fellowship hall. Then we used fishing string to hang the name thingy and several Chinese lanterns. That's my next future son-in-law working on the ladder. My oldest daughter, Tarah, is the one holding the cutout up.

Then we hung Chinese Lanterns on either side.

The finished product. What do you think?

A view of the reception area from above.

Here is a photo of the smaller cutout hanging over the guest book table. I had a lot of people say nice things about my work. Most were wondering how I got the things from Oregon to Oklahoma. I wanted to say that we flew out a craftsman from Oregon to make the design for us, but I was enjoying hearing their complements too much to lie.

After the fun was over, it was my sad responsibility to dispose of them. After all, what does one do with a 14 foot name thingy? 

So, I took them outside, popped them over my knee and dumped them in the dumpster. Isn't this a sad photo?

BUT WAIT!?! That's not entirely true...

We just couldn't destroy the entire project.

So...

We...

Snuck over to the newlywed's home and hung the smaller cutout over their bed—waiting there for their return. I guess they will have to decide it's fate.

I'll post some photos from the wedding soon. You can find several that I've already posted on my Facebook page. It was a beautiful event and my daughter looked VERY beautiful.

You Wanna Be a Rock Star?

This is the beginning of a doodle that I've been working on in my spare time. I'm not sure why I went with this guitar guy—just thought he would make an interesting drawing.  It's actually on a larger piece of paper than I normally draw on—17x14.  That's part of the motivation—having room to draw in a bunch of stuff. I'll see where it goes. I have a drawing of a LARGE family that I started on last night. Plus I have a finished caricature waiting to be picked up that I can't publish because it is for a friend that might look at this blog sometime. You can expect me to be updating this doodle from time to time.

Blogger has a new way to customize your template, so I fiddled with that a bit.

The wedding plans continue. We'll be making a trip to Oklahoma in July. I'm sure that the ladies will fill my time with all the "stuff" that they have to do to make this wedding come off.

Speaking of weddings... June 9th marked 31 years for Marylynn and I.  I posted these to Facebook Wednesday and thought that I might share them here with you.

The just pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Richard Green.  Some things have changed.

I'm telling you, the stars were real!

Let's get out of here!!!

Having my cake and eating it too.

It's off to Colorado for the honeymoon! This is back when they still used rice.

So You Wanted Pictures?

The rehearsal Friday evening.

The decorations for the reception.

My wife, other family members, and friends spent hours getting this room together. The whole church was very impressed with what we had accomplished in that room.

The cake

Wedding Wall

I painted this wall myself as a backdrop for the reception dinner - and to cover up a bunch of doors and stuff behind. I spent a lot of time putting it all together. I was kind of proud of the way it turned out.

The decorations in the sanctuary.

We had a metal pail with hydrangeas decoration theme going - thus all the hydrangeas drying out in our laundry room all summer. This was something that my daughter (the bride) dreamed up, and my wife, mother-in-law, youngest daughter, and a friend spent a long time putting together. I think that they were proud of the way things turned out.

A close up of the pew decorations

The video screen slide that my youngest daughter put together for display during the wedding ceremony.

I am proud of her computer artistic abilities. She's passed me up, and now I'm asking her questions about how to get stuff done. (Lot's of pride in these photos.)

Banner #1

Banner #2

My middle daughter's boyfriend put together these banners to cover up some bulletin boards in the church foyer. The photo of the hydrangeas was taken by my middle daughter this summer on our front porch in anticipation of getting these banners made. This was something she wanted to do for the big event.

The wedding party.

The flower girl - Alison.

Isn't she cute!?! My daughter had a close friend from college that died in a car accident named Alison. This Alison carried a Gurber Daisie, the favorite flower of the friend, in the wedding. The parents of Alison (the friend), came all the way from Michigan to attend the wedding.

The family - with the new SIL

The ladies bustling the dress before the reception - quite a task.

At the head table at the reception.

Cutting the cake.

Eating the cake.

Tossing the bridal bouquet.

Guess who caught it! My youngest daughter! I understand that her boyfriend ran and hid when he saw her catch it. He'd better! I'm not ready to even think about my youngest getting married.

First dance as husband and wife.

Dance with my daughter - the new Mrs. Warren.

A quick exit surrounded with the sparklers we bought back at the 4th of July. (The wife thinking ahead)

The Warrens

There you go! You wanted photos? Now you have them. But, seriously, thank you all for your kinds words, thoughts, and prayers for the big day. It all came together well, and I was very proud of my family and church friends, the way they all pitched in. You wouldn't believe the crew of people that stayed around to help tear down and clean up after the wedding. I was amazed.

Now life gets back to "normal" (whatever that is) for a while. I've been trying to get some doodling in all along. You should be seeing more very soon.

This is posted with love to my blogging family out there on the internet. Get away from the computer screen and go hug someone.

Now! put the butter on the bread, because this boy is toast!

Nupituals

My eldest daughter gets married today.

What does it mean to be married? This is what the Bible says that it means.

A "Copy & Share If You Dare" doodle. (Check the information in the right column for the complete details.)

Re-Cricket Me

This was an illustration that I ended up having to redo. It's not a whole lot of fun for me when that happens, but I very much want my clients to be happy.

("Clients" - I sound like some kind of insurance salesman when I say that.)

Margaret wanted an illustration as a birthday gift for her son, Chris. Here he is. Hey!, looking at the photo, even I had to say that he's a good looking fellow. Wouldn't you ladies agree? The only problem is for most of you is that he lives in New Zealand!

(This is the second Chris I know from New Zealand.)

She wanted an illustration of him playing Cricket.

(You know... "Cricket"! Not the bug, but the love child of Baseball & Croquet - I think.)

When I finished, I e-mailed Margaret this caricature, and I got back one of those very polite... "Thank you. How do I pay you? Ummm, it doesn't quite look like him."

I hate that when that happens. I showed the drawing to my wife and she gave me a few suggestions. I tried to work with his face - as much as I can after already putting it down on paper, and mailed it back to her.

Then I got another photo of Chris from Margaret. Here's the second one she sent me...

Same guy? I think they're brothers. Still a good looking fellow, but definitely a different look in this photo.

(Now here's where I get up on my little caricature drawing soap box to tell you people... When you send me a photo of a loved one... A. Make sure that their hair style hasn't change, and B. Make sure that it actually looks like them. I've had people send me photos and say this doesn't look like them. Margaret didn't say that, but I'm assuming that the second photo is the more current version of Chris. No offense, I hope, Margaret. I just had to let that out.)

Anyway...

Here is the second piece that I put together for her.

I think she liked it. She thanked me, and paid me for it, but she never did actually say that this one looked like him.

What do YOU think?

"Bart" is his nickname. "Attack" is a Cricket term for a ball well hit. (I looked it up.) I don't understand the game, but there's a lot of things in this world that I don't understand - people mostly. But I draw them anyway.

Thank you Margaret for choosing me to celebrate Chris' birthday. I pray that the illustration made it there in time. (Today is the big day) And "cheerio" and all that from Oregon.

(Do they say "cheerio" in New Zealand?)

In other news: One week until the wedding of my eldest daughter. This is my youngest trying on her bride's maid dress. Ain't she purty?


Just get a shovel and start digging the grave now. I'm not going to be able to survive seeing all my girls dressed up for the big event.