Company: Adagio Water Features

Client: Pragnash Patel Contact: Pragnash Patel

My Role: Designer and Production Artist

Project Details: Mr. Patel wanted to put this image on his water feature. Since our process doesn't allow for things like laser engraving, conversion to a half-tone is how these kinds of projects are approached. Previous to this project, I had only done bust portraits for several memorial water features/fountains.

These are the two starting images provided by the client. I chose the left image due to its greater preexisting contrast and somewhat coarser detail. Why is that important? It translates into a half-tone pattern more effectively. 

The process of converting an image to a half-tone pattern, via Photoshop, is relatively straightforward, although it can take some experimentation to create a visually acceptable result. Narrowing the scope of the artwork for application is also important when it comes to the actual dimensions of the water feature.

The artwork went through a couple of refining iterations, including after the initial placement proof was sent. While it essentially looked the same through the entire process, minute refinements provided a much better final cut.

Cutting the stencil: Cut time for the stencil was ~1 hour. Tweaking the cut speed and pressure minimized smaller parts of the stencil from being pulled up from the backing paper.

Process Challenges: The standard stencil material I use is 22.5mil thick (Hartco 310 Series) and while adaptable to a wider variety of surfaces and detail levels than one might initially think, it ended up being unsuitable for the level of detail this project had. So, it ended up being experimentation time. Gerber 220 high performance vinyl is 2mil thick. It was the only other material I had available as potential stencil material. There was serious question whether it would weather the brutality of the sandblasting process.

Final Results: The gamble ended up working. Although it took almost 45 minutes of strategic sandblasting, the vinyl protected the mirror and the final result was effective and not at all unpleasing. Photographing it was something of a challenge due to the surface being a mirror. However, with enough angles and white interference, I think the final result was showcased effectively enough. My hope is to finish everything with photos of the installed feature from the client.