We all have dreams, visions and big ideas we want to bring to life. We all want to share those things with the world around us. Be it a product for your company, or a character in your book, to a fun architectural design piece for your home or business, there are a lot of big ideas we often leave to the wayside. I’m here to tell you, those ideas don’t have to be lost. Where you may not have the tools or experience to bring something to life, we can help you make those dreams a reality.
At Dream Buildz, we have years of experience between us in making sculptures, architectural pieces, and props for trade shows, businesses, and events. I’d like to take you through our process, start to finish, to see how exactly we can bring your big ideas to life. In the end, you’ll see with our 3D foam sculptures and art, it’s not such a difficult process to start, and that soon, you can have the ideas in your head sitting right in front of you. Something you can use as event decor, a shop logo, a prop model of your product, or even as a part of the building your business operates out of.
The first step of 3D sculpture art begins with concept. We work directly with you to figure out how best we can represent your ideas as a sculpture. This usually involves a conversation where you work directly with our 3D Artists to come up with a design concept. We collect reference images, make sketches together, and there’s a back and forth where we work together to see what we can come up with. We’ll share our techniques and what we have the tools to properly make. Then, we take that concept and bring it to Blender, where our artists diligently work to make a proper model and rendering of what the final design may look like, which may of course be adjusted as necessary as we go.
With the final designs completed, we move on to the next step!
Now it’s time to bring the idea to life! Once the design is finalized, we take the model through a process where we splice it into distinct sections that we can cut out on our CNC milling machine. We load the machine with hard packed EPS polystyrene foam blocks, and set the machine to start running. This can take anywhere from an hour or two, to even a couple of days depending on the size of what we’re cutting, and the complexity of the parts. Sometimes, it’s necessary to swap out to milling bits to work on different parts of the sculpture. Smaller, delicate sections require a smaller drill bit in order to properly cut, in comparison to the large cuts the broader bits make through the foam. For those parts, the smaller bits would simply snap off before it made a dent, potentially ruining the piece. The whole process takes a lot of careful consideration and planning.
Once the rough cuts are finished, the result is certainly far from being finished. All the pieces need to be properly joined together, which we accomplish using a special foaming spray glue that we apply on the interior sides of the sculpture. When we push the two sides of the foam together, it dries in a matter of hours. With a proper coating of the foam, an extremely strong bond is formed between the pieces of the sculpture that’ll only be made stronger with future parts of the process.
With the pieces bonded together, there are still more steps to complete. There are still some very rough edges, and small gaps left in between where the glue expanded in the drying process. We call this part seaming, where we take a knife and clean the edges of the foam gaps. Additionally, we add a putty to the gaps that helps fill in small crevices. While it’s applied as a very moldable putty, it dries quickly as a hard surface, which we further sand down to try and create a seamless transition between the two surfaces.
With this step complete, we’re left with a solid, basic sculpture. But this sculpture won’t last in its current state, and it doesn’t look particularly good. So there are still a ways to go!
It’s important to us that we present a product that looks fantastic, and lasts over many years. To deliver something reusable, something you’d be proud to display at a trade show, or another event. Maybe you’ve ordered a sculpture of a character in your new book, a company mascot, or maybe even a model of your very own product. These things need to stand the test of time, and hold up to the conditions it may be put through- be that weather, moving, or even normal wear and tear, like people brushing against it on accident.
For this, we also have a multi step process. First, we start with sealant. This step creates a durable, hard outer shell that protects the sculpture from water damage, and impacts. For his, we use a spray on Non-volatile Urethane sealant, which helps provide a smooth, even application across the surface of the sculpture. To ensure there’s little overspray, we do this application in a large tent, as it can otherwise spread to our other projects, or even other buildings nearby. Believe me, that overspray is a difficult thing to get rid of once it’s dried, so imagine how durable it must be on a sculpture where it’s properly applied. Once all the coats are applied, we give the project a day or so to properly cure before working more with it, to ensure the mixture has properly set.
Then comes our final step, painting. The Urethane mixture dries as a solid yellow coat on its own, and it’s not an easy material to paint on, so we first apply a primer to create a solid layer to work on. Then, we get to work. Depending on what’s discussed in those first few steps, we source the proper paints. Need a shining, mirror like coat of metallic silver? We can do that. Fine details, full coats, even material coats like rough rock and stone can be applied. Sometimes, it can take a bit of experimentation to find the proper finish in mind, but we can aim for most anything.
After all is said and done, we end up with a finished product! Once it’s packed with care, it’s ready to ship out anywhere in the states. Once it’s to you, it’s yours to use how you like. You can take it to trade shows, expos, pop up shops, festivals and even keep it in your place of business. The possibilities are endless with out sculptures
Our sculpture work isn’t even the end of what we can do for you, either. We also offer services such as large scale 3D Printing, foam wire cutting, and other forms of CNC fabrication such as wood or metal. And even that’s just our services here a Dream Buildz. Take a look at Luck Dragon Media, and see everything else we have to offer you and your business!
