Yesterday's Challenge

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I think blogging will be about lots of writing. I might as well get started.

In this blog I'll describe the challenges in one recent work day. Please let me know if there's clarity in what I've written. Is there anything likable about it? Or, did it put you to sleep.   *GULP*

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Here's the challenge...

Del'Osso Farms is reaching CRUNCH TIME! 

The BaconFest with celebrity chef Guy Fieri is almost here. The smell of sizzling bacon will waft through the air starting Saturday morning.

Weeks of work have already been done painting new signs and repainting the old ones. 

But... as the big day approaches... a few more last minute projects have been added!

*OUCH*

On Wednesday I was taken to a games area. The games area resembles a couple of open-sided barns. Twelve basketball hoops had been bolted to an inner wall and I was told that the "backboards" will need to be painted on the walls behind these bolted hoops.

I don't think they anticipated how bare these hoops would appear without the backboards. With white and orange backboards painted behind them, they'll look so much more realistic.

Below are pictures of the twelve hoops. They're divided into two areas of six: a northern area and a southern area. They're actually just side by side structures. The floor slopes so the basketballs will roll back to the shooters. Cool eh?

A whole bunch of kids are gonna have some major fun here this weekend!

As you can see in the photo, there are no backboards. I have to create them by applying the white and orange paint on the walls.

When my work is done, the basketball hoops will appear to have backboards on the inner barn walls behind them. They'll probably pull more people into the area that way.

To help me, I was given a couple of pictures of hoops and backboards. I was then told to "make it work ... do whatever makes sense."

Well.. that's cool. No harsh direction. Just go for it.

(I love it when people trust me)

Sounds simple, right? Everyone knows what a basketball hoop with a backboard looks like. No biggie.

But it wasn't so simple.

There were two problems which I quickly realized:

PROBLEM #1  The wood was ROUGH. In fact, in some spots it was VERY ROUGH!

Rough wood always soaks up more paint into it than a smooth surface does. 

PROBLEM #2  As I scaled the proportions of my sample pictures -- my heart sank. I couldn't follow the proportions of either of the two pictures provided.

Why not?

Because the top row of hoops was installed so close to the top of the wall that the proportions of the sample artwork wouldn't fit within the vertical space above the rim.

A properly scaled backboard would run up higher than the wall itself. THAT PRESENTS A BIG PROBLEM FOR ME!

So the backboard has to be sized down vertically to fit into the space.

As you think about my challenge, please also remember...

I'm out here on location!

I'm not in some office working out these design details on a computer.

I'm out in a barn-like building. It's after 9AM and I don't want to come back tomorrow because I have other plans.

I hope to paint all of these in just one long day. I'm thinking twelve of these in a twelve hour work day. An hour required for each one.

Is it possible? 

I thought about the answer to that question. The answer went like this, "It's only possible if I quickly get a proper-fitting layout on paper and make a pattern."

It's just the ONLY way. Once I have a proper pattern laid out on paper, I won't have to think anymore. I can just shift from thinking to painting, painting, painting.


I grabbed some four foot wide paper from my van and started laying out the proportions.

I looked at my sample art, stood close to one of the hoops and took measurements.

My sample image will just be a guide. I'll have to make proportionate adjustments "on the fly".

Here it goes!

What's the most important thing to do?

I had to get my bearings. I had to establish something concrete then work outwards to the harder stuff.

I was asking myself questions like, "What part of this backboard is the core?" And, "Where's my starting point?"

I noticed the orange box which floated just above the rim. That box was just as wide as the hoop itself (about 19 inches). But, I also knew that I couldn't make it as tall as shown in my samples. I'd have to "fudge" the size down vertically a bit. Again... I have to squeeze this whole thing down along the vertical axis.

My box ended up being 15 inches high by 19 inches wide. Only a slight distortion. Most people wouldn't notice that pinch of a difference.

Then I noticed that the sides of the backboard ran vertically from the base of the box to a spot about three quarters of the way up the box. But, over the top of everything is a curving arch too.

Hhhhmmm...?  Arches can be tricky.

Once I got all my bearings, I created my pattern. Here it is. It's gonna have to do!

Using this pattern I began to furiously paint for the next eleven hours straight.

Here is the first room nearly done. Notice the upper right corner of the one on the right side.

Here's a close up of some

brush work.

Below is a look at one room completely

done and the other room needing the orange.

The sun was getting very low in the sky by this time.

Finally, the other room was finished too.

JOB DONE!