Plaques & Letters: Legacy Line Portraits & Emblems

BAS RELIEF: Add-To Cost: $1,150 up to 10" high. Add $50 per inch for larger images.

Although we can use almost any quality photograph, the better the image the better the modeling. Remember, the finished image will be an artist's interpretation of the photograph.

An image of the clay model is emailed for your approval. When approved, the clay model is used for the bronze casting. While the clay model is a monotone, the finished casting contains highlights. The bas relief is often mechanically attached to the plaque background. Has a finished depth of 3/8" to 3/4".

Steps for receiving a traditional clay molded bas relief plaque attachment:
Step One: Submit a Picture	Step Two: Review your hand-sculpted clay molded image.	Step Three: The image is cast.
		Step Four: Æ The image is attached to the base plaque.

Many find the distinction between Bas Relief and Flat Relief imagery confusing. Enlarge then compare and contrast the treatments below right. Bas is sculptural. Flat isn't; it's either upper level A or lower level B; no dimensions in between. Think of bas reliefs = "rolling hills", flat reliefs = "plateaus". Click Here for an audio/visual explanation.

FLAT RELIEF: Legacy Line has talented artists on staff to create this kind of approach. However you may have a suitable drawing already. Art Charge: $250.

Portrait Options to the Right: Click on any of the three Æ small images and a larger image of it opens in new window.

ETCHED HALFTONE: The image is a halftone on an etched plaque, then attached to the cast plaque. Add-To Cost: $175.

Etching process allows to replicate your photograph, line drawing or complex artwork. Method utilizes a halftone dot pattern made from a 50-line screen. Halftone portraits resemble newspaper photographs, and have visible dot patterns. Recessed dots are black infilled to contrast with satin finished background.

Best photographs for halftone etched portraits: High contrast with bright white areas, dense black ones & minimal grey tones. Monotone photos will produce poor results.

EMBLEMS:

Legacy Line has the capability to add a custom emblem or logo to your plaque in different ways: The plaque can be made with the emblem/logo as part of the plaque. Detail is limited by the casting process, depending on plaque size. Other method: Do the emblem/logo on a separate etched piece, then attach to the base cast plaque. This process has nearly no detail restrictions. (Below image was cast integrally with the plaque.)

Here's an example of a Recent Line Art Project:

Volunteer Fire Department wanted an "Old-Timey Hook & Ladder" on a cast bronze plaque as line art. They had no artwork. (Neither we nor most others have files for every image imaginable). We recommended they find clip art on a website like Microsoft ClipArt Online. Customer struck out with search. "Out of the goodness of our heart" (read: "A Momentary Lapse of Reason") we offered: "Find a picture that you like and we'll make it castable for a vector-art-only-charge." BUT: There's tons more to it. Subjective decisions direct how "tones" are treated as lines & shapes, raised & recessed areas...an arduous process. We--like many--outsource overseas to be competitive. (Outsourced art costs 10% of US labor.) Our Indian source does a great job...when instructions are followed. Instructions were: Please see attached...I DO NOT NEED ART FOR EITHER casting_art.jpg OR custom-flat.gif OR example_fire_truck.gif IMAGES. Those...are attached ONLY to provide guide for how emblems need to be treated.... CONSIDERATIONS: Do not provide a background for the Fire Truck.jpg image. The truck will be silhouetted as per example_fire_truck. Please use raised vs recessed treatments on that...as guide for this [project]. ...Silhouetted Fire Truck.jpg truck is 8 5/8" x 4" on final plaque. Lines must be at least 1/8" thick--in finished size-- in order to...cast." Image Enlargements Open in New Windows.

Originally submitted image.	Received tonal image.
No tones or colors were requested, stipulated on previous projects. Line art is either Black/Raised, or White/Recessed. Skipping several Instruction Files and Notes here, we then proceeded with:

"Unlike your submission, it's not possible to have a different-colored background to differentiate the background from the recessed areas... Therefore... all needs to be [done] with lines & shapes. Please see attached. What's black is black. What's pink is black. When they butt... the area all becomes black. THESE ARE THE RAISED AREAS...alterations in pink so you'd...see the changes. ...What's white is white. What's blue is white. YOUR GREY "BACKGROUND" IS ALSO WHITE. THESE AREAS ARE RECESSED. When they butt ...the area becomes white...I did the alterations in blue so you'd...see the changes. Note that many lines have been beefed up--steering wheel, etc.-- BEFORE AND AGAIN NOW--so that they're castable (at least 1/8" thick)." When that still didn't soak in, we drew & submitted:




Here is the Ultimate Result:

PUNCHLINE: Consider submitting your own usable line art to save time & money. Or request an Etched Plaque attachment of your image instead. Art creation is a discretionary, time-intensive process, regardless of who does the production art, and...."Time is Money"....