Turning Photographs into Wood Art

Some of my favorite projects to do is turning photographs into wood art. Each piece is unique and has special characteristics that mean something special to the customer. Taking something that a customer loves and turning it into artwork preserves that thing along with the memories that surround it. Some of the most common request that I get for these types of custom projects are vehicles, pets, homes, etc.

I enjoy creating these because each one is custom and there is not another like it. I get to create a plan and pattern that develops into something that no one else has done before.

Of course there is something to be said about using set patterns created by accomplished pattern makers such as Judy Gale Roberts and Kathy Wise, but it is a lot of fun making up your own as you go.

Sometimes making these wood art projects from photographs do not go quite as planned and there is often redesigning and additional planning needed, but this is where it gets interesting and fun.

If you are interested in ordering a custom piece from a photograph, simply use the “Contact Us” tab on our homepage http://www.cmobleydesigns.com to send us a message. All that is needed is a photograph and approximate dimensions and we will do the rest.

We are proud to announce that our Etsy shop is up and running. This allows us to accept major credit cards and etsy gift certificates. Please visit our newly updated “Intarsia Shop” tab on our homepage to view our updated inventory and purchase items.

We also have a contest drawing going on through Facebook. To enter into the drawing for this Rose intarsia piece you can

1) Subscribe to our Blog at http://www.cmobleydesigns.com

2) Like our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/chrismobleydesigns

3) Share our Facebook page with your friends

Your name can be in the drawing multiple times. We will hold the drawing as soon as we hit 200 Likes on our Facebook page.

Good Luck!

An Unexpected Break from Woodworking

I had an unusual experience yesterday that is leading me to take an unexpected break from woodworking. Now, I only expect this break to last a few days, so no need to worry. The strangest things seem to happen to me, and my immediate family for that matter, that I could not resist telling the story.

Yesterday, I took my manual transmission work truck to get its state inspection done. Since I don’t drive it very often, I had been neglecting to get it done for quite some time. I took it to a local all-in-one shop that does tires, oil changes, inspections, etc. The gentleman doing my inspection was very nice. I pulled my truck into the parking lot and let him know what I was there for. He quickly jumped in my truck and had it in a bay to begin before I knew it. He immediately began doing an examination of the vehicle. I really liked the fact that I did not have to wait for service and I would be on my way shortly.

I stood in the doorway between the office and the bay that my truck was in watching the mechanic do his work. A lady with two young children were also they’re getting the tire fixed on her car. The woman was in the small office’s waiting area while her two children were playing in the parking lot right outside the doors. The mechanic went around to the driver’s side of the truck and checked that the parking brake worked and then released the parking brake and walked away.

A few seconds later, my truck began to roll since it was on an incline. It was headed in the direct path of where those two children were playing. My heart dropped and my father instincts kicked in. I yelled for the kids to move as I ran to the truck that was moving at a good speed. Either the children did not hear me or they didn’t understand what was going on because they didn’t budge from the spot they were occupying. I got to my door and flung it open. I managed to get one foot inside the vehicle and get to the brake just as the truck door slammed into the railing frame of the roll up bay doors on the shop.

My hand was crushed! I had been holding onto the truck door for stability while trying to get my foot inside. When the door of the truck collided with the door frame of the shop it pinned my hand there between them. I was in an awkward position. If I let my foot off the brake, it would increase the pressure on my hand, but I could not get my other foot inside the vehicle to push in the clutch so that the truck could be put into gear. This is when I became aware of my surroundings. The mechanic was in shock of what was going on and he was unsure of how to help me. He ran around the truck several times looking for ways to free my hand. I finally worked my other foot inside the vehicle. At this time, I have both feet inside and I was able to push the clutch in and get the vehicle into gear so that I could get free.

As soon as I was loose, another mechanic jumped in the truck and got it out-of-the-way as I assessed the damage of my hand. I have little feeling in the top of this hand from a prior injury that left me with the nickname “Slash”. I don’t know if this is a good thing or not. I knew my hand was bad, but because I don’t have complete feeling in it, I could not tell how badly I was injured.

The mechanic that was doing the inspection on my vehicle could not have apologized more. He ran across the street to a local pharmacy and got bandages and peroxide to clean the wound it left. He finished the inspection at no charge and even gave me a soda while I waited. Everyone kept urging me to call for an ambulance and go to the hospital, but I did not want to cause a fuss over just a few broken bones and a cut.

Then I had to tell the wife what happened! This was almost as scary as the event itself. She of course was extremely concerned and urged me to take a hospital visit. I calmed her and let her know that I was fine. As the evening went on, the swelling in my hand increased. This morning, now that all of the shock has worn off, I am swore and almost positive that my hand is fractured at the very least, but I cannot let that slow me down! I plan on taking a few days off to let the soreness where off and then I plan on being back in action! I am not quite sure why these odd incidents keep occurring to me, but at least it has left me with a good story!

We are proud to announce that our Etsy shop is up and running. This allows us to accept major credit cards and etsy gift certificates. Please visit our newly updated “Intarsia Shop” tab on our homepage to view our updated inventory and purchase items.

We also have a contest drawing going on through Facebook. To enter into the drawing for this Rose intarsia piece you can

1) Subscribe to our Blog at http://www.cmobleydesigns.com

2) Like our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/chrismobleydesigns

3) Share our Facebook page with your friends

Your name can be in the drawing multiple times. We will hold the drawing as soon as we hit 200 Likes on our Facebook page.

Good Luck!

After seeing some of my work, my boss approached me one day with a request for his father. His father’s birthday was quickly approaching and he wanted to do something special. I talked to him about his father’s interest and hobbies because I strive to do something special and that means something for each and every customer. I enjoy seeking out what a customers passions are and incorporating this into a custom design. I think it makes the piece special to each person. I learned that he owns a 1956 Panhead Harley Davidson, and his passion was working on and restoring this bike. I wanted to incorporate this into something for him. I thought for a while on what could be done. I called my daughter who does CAD work and asked her if she could draw up a design for this project. She drew the engine part so that I would have a template, but we could not decide on what else to add.

A few days later while looking over some prints of an eagle, it hit me. I decided to take the design of the engine and add wings to it and the Panhead Eagle design was born. This is one of the largest designs I have created and it is composed of hundreds of small pieces of wood. In the design, there are a few bolts holding the cover in place on the top and front of the engine. Instead of making these out of wood, I decided to actually use bolts. I did this by cutting the stem off of the bolt and just using the top. This adds a lot of character to the piece. This project is one of my favorite creations because of how detailed it is. I was very excited about completing this piece and handing it off to its new owner. The reactions I normally get from my customers seeing their piece for the first time really make what I do worth it. I was later told that this piece is hanging in his shop where he works on his bike. I am always looking for new things to do, and this one was defiantly a very rewarding challenge.

We are proud to announce that our Etsy shop is up and running. This allows us to accept major credit cards and etsy gift certificates. Please visit our newly updated “Intarsia Shop” tab on our homepage to view our updated inventory and purchase items.

We also have a contest drawing going on through Facebook. To enter into the drawing for this Rose intarsia piece you can

1) Subscribe to our Blog at http://www.cmobleydesigns.com

2) Like our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/chrismobleydesigns

3) Share our Facebook page with your friends

Your name can be in the drawing multiple times. We will hold the drawing as soon as we hit 200 Likes on our Facebook page.

Good Luck!