This is a good example of how I can help develop a concept with sketches first. Then, build the entire pattern for the foundry. These patterns can include custom borders, background textures, custom depth requirements, clean graphics as seen on the top right. This is a design I made and had a company produce the same type of polymer the foundries use. I made a mdf (wood) bacjer and reverse border with protrusions for bosses and studs. I then applied clay to the background to create a custom texture. I can apply custom sculpted or flat graphics to any of these design. On this particular project I used sculpey clay. I really don't like it, but for the purpose of baking it hard and then applying it to the background, it did the job. The hardness offers good stiffness in the sand mold, so I wouldn't have to make an initial mold to cast a rigid resin.
I ended up making a polyurethane mold and making a wax copy to produce it through a lost wax foundry in the end, because the sand cast foundry I first used to cast it in aluminum couldn't get the aluminum to cast without alot of pitting and gas bubbling getting to the surface of the plaque. However, in the future I would probably just have this cast in a sand cast foundry for cost and time concerns. I was eventiually able to get the damaged, pitted aluminum plaque welded and repaired. Again, more time and cost.
