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With a rough composition in hand and an approval from the client, we had a production meeting to determine how to make the bookshelf within the budget that was given. The shelf is 2' x 16' x 8". We had $5000.00 to make it happen, and though we knew it might be risky to get overly detailed, we also recognized that this project had a huge 'fun factor' to consider. Pricing projects like this is quite subjective and is determined by three criteria: 1) time and materials, 2) inherent value of the project, and 3) the level of expertise involved in producing such a piece.

The actual bookshelf was programmed with Omega, and the parts were cut on the Sabre 408. The backer panel is 3/4" MDO plywood, and the sides, top and bottom are pine. It was assembled with glue and screws using a neat tool called a Kreg Jig: a double-hole drill guide for blind pockets-screw joinery. The outside edges were painted a light taupe, and the inside was painted a deep blue for contrast. Noella brushed in swirls and specks over the blue for added depth and interest.

The props were routed out of 1.5" HDU. We used cut-offs for everything, and so there is a mish-mash of popular brands of HDU. This was a great way to clean up the shop and come in under our materials budget.

The final composition of the project was a work in progress. We didn't nail anything down in the conceptual drawing so there would be lots of room for spontaneous inspiration and flexibility during production. An abundance of shelf-objects were cut out and a number of configurations ensued before we signed on to the final composition. In the end we have the wheels of progress churning through time. The computer mouse cord that I had in my concept became part of a real mouse tail adding a neat playful character to the mural.

Carving is perhaps one of Noella's favorite parts of the job here at Sign It, and together, she and Suzanne garnered rasps, chisels, grinders and sandpaper to bring our books and 3-D objects to life. Suzanne carved books using the reference photos I found during my research and samples from our library. Noella did the more detailed carving using a precision NSK grinder and foredom tool.

Each of the objects was given two coats of Jay Cooke latex primer and one latex top coat before being colored. We enjoy the freedom of working with latex paints. They are easy to mix and apply, and clean up is a snap. The fact that they dry so quickly is an obvious bonus, even when you're ahead of schedule. The girls in the shop applied the base colors to each prop and did some preliminary blending leaving room for Noella to tweak and detail.

Assembling the components was an event in our shop. After handling bits and pieces of the puzzle for two weeks, it was hard to contain our excitement as each book, brush, wheel, block and mouse was placed on the shelf. We used formuflex glue, air-nails, and the occasional screw to securely attach the 3-D elements. The trickiest piece to install was the mouse cord/tail. A wire was inserted into a 1/4" rubber hose and then manipulated around books and props throughout the sculpture. It was inconspicuously attached with an air-nailer.

The remainder of the work involved detailing the books, tweaking colors here and there, and playfully placing mouse cheese along a precipitous path. Books were lettered with both fictitious and actual titles, and rendered both by hand and with computer generated letters.

It was almost sad the day our project got wrapped and shipped - but that sorrow was surpassed by the crowd that gathered to admire the finished sculpture when it arrived in Massena. As with all our projects, we hope the passion that went into this creation will delight all who see it for years to come.

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