First Go at Portraits! (Feedback appreciated) :)

Hello Everyone! So I made my first attempt at making some portraits for family and i have to say overall i am pretty happy with how these came out! :slight_smile:

On certain ones i used the material provided in the Proof Grade pack when i received the machine and on a few others i used cheap HD birch plywood. I thought i was buying Baltic birch but apparently not. lol The birch ply was super difficult to engrave as it leaves behind alot of residue and alot of the color tends to fade after its been cleaned/blown off. A quick coat of clear sealer helped the blacks pop out a little more but overall not too bad for a $13.00 sheet of 48x24 :slight_smile:

The 2 larger ones of our dogs and the logo were made out of Bamboo cutting boards i bought at the $.99 cent store for 6 bucks for a pack of 3. S,M,L. Cant beat that! Not sure if its pure bamboo but the GF etches it like a charm and leaves beautiful finishes on them! In case anyone wants to head down and swoop some up! :slight_smile:

I also did our company logo engraved on the Acrylic provided by GF to later be used as an LED sign for our window. Super happy with that one!

And lastly i took some $.014 tiles from HD, hit them with some PlastiDip and engraved a few horror themed coasters(Need to seal) But overall the detail is great and they are super fast and easy to run. :slight_smile:

ITS FUNNY HOW ALL OF A SUDDEN EVERYONE HAS MY NUMBER AGAIN AND EVERYONE NEEDS CUSTOM STUFF LOL!!

Any tips, feedback both positive and negative are GREATLY appreciated. Its the only way i will get better :slight_smile: I’ve been pretty hard on myself with these projects so i dont think any of them look toooooo good but im sure the process will improve over time. :slight_smile: Thanks everyone!

Surfing

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I am not experienced enough with engraving to critique the good, the bad and you can do this better.

I will make a comment on your creativity. Wow, just wow on your engraving. I think it looks fantastic!! The first picture is phenomenal.

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WOW! Thank you so much @JimmyWayneWestie!! Truly appreciate that!! I give credit to that specific one coming out so well to the fact that it came straight from a vector file designed by our logo designer. He provided us with all kinds of super high resolution images which i have learned the GF absolutely loves!! Thanks again my friend!

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I am not familiar with this technique. How is it executed?

So plastidip is a rubber based(could be wrong) spray paint that is very popular among car enthusiasts as it can be used with minimal cleanup to paint entire cars, wheels, trim etc. It is extremely fast drying and peels off like tape when you dont want it anymore. Furthermore its almost impossible to mess it up as it dries evenly and within 20 minutes or so. i leave it for an hour just to be safe. Super cheap at about 7 bucks a bottle. i painted 40 coasters with 1 can! :slight_smile: please see pics attached for bottle and applications it can be used on.plastidip

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I remember years ago this product was also liquid. People were taking handheld tools and dipping the handle into the product to create a soft handle or a colored handle. I mother did it with garden tools.

I do recall seeing this as well. Its transitioned more to a spray from what i have seen now. Just happy its still around for our use :slight_smile:

I have a complete car kit in the closet right now. I plan on making my black c7 vette “cinnamon red” this fall. The complete kit is cleaning supplies, masking, and even the paint gun and compressor. Those kits you get gallons of the stuff. I think I have 3 gallons of grey primer and 3 gallons of the red as well.

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Thats going to look amazing man!! please send pics when it done! :slight_smile:

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Those are terrific!

Really glad to see you getting things going. You seem to be much happier and more comfortable with your GF.

Thank you very much!!!

I am glad to report that I am!!! Where I went wrong and turned into a negative Nancy was when I assumed the GF would be an easy plug and play, which it technically is because it is very easy to use but I set the standard for myself very high and when I hit a bump in the road I get hard on myself. After a bit of soul searching and learning to “chill out” as my 5 year old tells me I am a new man and in love with my GF. Sorry to anyone I may have brought down with my negativity, I can assure you that’s not who I am :slight_smile: you guys and gals all RULE!!! :slight_smile:

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The rule is you have to have some frustration. Then you get that taste of success. Then another… and pretty soon you are better at searching the forum for that obscure tidbit that means the difference between success and failure. and BOOM.

you love it.

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I couldn’t have said it better! Thank you!

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Great minds think alike. :thinking: :thinking: :thinking:

OK Steve now I’m convinced you’re just trying to make me cry. I’m not saying it worked but my eyeballs are feeling a little sweaty. :slight_smile: I appreciate everyone in the GF family. Respect.

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Some nice work!! Congrats!

Thank you so much!!!

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