Park Hotel Missoula. Silhouette.

[nthusiast]

Well, Thank you all for the complements.

The sign...The "PARK HOTEL" lettering is easy with Plastruct letters.  The "Dine/Dance" part is another story.  The best picture I can find is the one Otto posted.  I have tried to trace it and manipulate it with the software I have but have not been happy with the results.  Drawing it is tricky as well.  The font is very unique and would need to be done letter by letter I believe.  The squiggly light bar is another tricky feature...and the martini/wine glass.  Any ideas?  Help?

Google "Art Deco Fonts" and spend a little time clicking on links. I bet you find something close. Here's one site that looks promising (looks like shareware): https://www.dafont.com/theme.php?cat=115&page=3&fpp=50

Some websites allow you to preview words and phrases before purchase. Type in your words and do a screen grab. Once you have that file you can trace it in Corel or Illustrator or modify by pixel in Photoshop or other raster program. It's what I do for preliminary layouts if I don't own the typeface (I'm a graphic designer). If the design is approved by my client then I buy the font.

Regarding out-of-pocket expenses: uniqueness is priceless IMO. I was wondering if it was worth the hardware investment, and I believe we can all answer "yes".

Beautiful work. Thanks for sharing.

[hegstad1]

"Best of The Railwire" build right here!  Just fantastic work, Andrew.

But, because this is The Railwire, I gotta point out that perspective on the interiors.  They start to pull me back out of it. 
I bet you could fashion a shallow depth 3D interior, and even add some lighting to really make that lounge pop!

I'm afraid you may be right on this Mark.  I will leave it for now but I may have to rethink it.

[hegstad1]

Google "Art Deco Fonts" and spend a little time clicking on links. I bet you find something close. Here's one site that looks promising (looks like shareware): https://www.dafont.com/theme.php?cat=115&page=3&fpp=50

Some websites allow you to preview words and phrases before purchase. Type in your words and do a screen grab. Once you have that file you can trace it in Corel or Illustrator or modify by pixel in Photoshop or other raster program. It's what I do for preliminary layouts if I don't own the typeface (I'm a graphic designer). If the design is approved by my client then I buy the font.

Regarding out-of-pocket expenses: uniqueness is priceless IMO. I was wondering if it was worth the hardware investment, and I believe we can all answer "yes".

Beautiful work. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the link!  I was able to find a font that was close for free.  It's ARB 66 Neon Block.  After downloading onto my computer I typed "DINE, DANCE" using the Silhouette software. The first image is the stock font.  Note that the "N"s need to be different.



Next I needed to add the serifs to the "n" and "D"s



Now I angled the serifs on all of the letters as well as the ends of the Es and C.  (I see on the next photo that I forgot to angle the "E" in dance).



The last thing to do is angle the "Dine".  The font does not have an italicized version so i skewed each letter individually.



So, as it turns out, this is a one sided sign with the back painted black.  This is where I will apply artistic license again and have the sign as well as the "Park Hotel" lettering facing the front of my layout.  Now for the squiggles.

[peteski]

Most excellent!

[nthusiast]

Outstanding typography!

[Cajonpassfan]

Most excellent!

That was my reaction, too! Wow!
Amazing (and amusing) to see how much work and imagination goes into an N scale sign that will be what, less than a square inch? I'm loving it!
I'm also surprised the proto sign is not double sided.
Very nice work. Now for the poles and all that wiring at the depot ...😜
Otto

[hegstad1]

Thanks again guys.

Here is some more work on the sign.  I made it a mirror image of the prototype so it can be viewed from the track side of the layout and I was able to cut the "glass" out of the original image and add it.  I squished the "DANCE" letters a bit too.  The squiggles have me stumped.  I don't think it will lose much if I skip it!  My brain is fried and I'm getting lazy.

[peteski]

Thanks again guys.

Here is some more work on the sign.  I made it a mirror image of the prototype so it can be viewed from the track side of the layout and I was able to cut the "glass" out of the original image and add it.  I squished the "DANCE" letters a bit too.  The squiggles have me stumped.  I don't think it will lose much if I skip it!  My brain is fried and I'm getting lazy.

Nice job, but the DINE part should be more centered over DANCE.  I have some ideas on how to do the squiggles in Corel Draw (do one, then just duplicate it), but I'm not sure how your software works.

I imagine this would be a neon sign - are you going to light it up and animate it? 

[Chris333]

Couldn't you print what you have on white paper and then cut it out leaving a white halo around the top and squiggles down the side?

[wazzou]

Or, just print the green, black or whatever color sign that is and cut the enlarged halo and squiggles from styrene with the Cameo, then attach your printed sign to it.

[peteski]

I've been thinking about this sign.  On your flipped artwork the left-slanted DINE lettering looks odd to me.  If the sign is only going to be visible from the back of the building, then I would make the sign as it is in that photo (letters slanted to the right) then just put the squiggles on the opposite side, so the sign still looks correct, facing the other side.

[wazzou]

Thanks again guys.

Here is some more work on the sign.  I made it a mirror image of the prototype so it can be viewed from the track side of the layout and I was able to cut the "glass" out of the original image and add it.  I squished the "DANCE" letters a bit too.  The squiggles have me stumped.  I don't think it will lose much if I skip it!  My brain is fried and I'm getting lazy.

@hegstad1
Looking at the prototype once again, it looks like the position of DINE isn't where it should be above and in relation to DANCE. 
It looks like you have the I centered above DANCE when it should be closer to the N.
Should be an easy adjustment.
Well done.

[peteski]

I keep looking and finding stuff.    The DINE lettering also seems too large in relation to the DANCE letters.  While on the original sign the DINE lettering is larger, but not by as much as on the redrawn sign.

[hegstad1]

I keep looking and finding stuff.    The DINE lettering also seems too large in relation to the DANCE letters.  While on the original sign the DINE lettering is larger, but not by as much as on the redrawn sign.

You're right.  Endless tweaking.

[hegstad1]

@hegstad1
Looking at the prototype once again, it looks like the position of DINE isn't where it should be above and in relation to DANCE. 
It looks like you have the I centered above DANCE when it should be closer to the N.
Should be an easy adjustment.
Well done.

That is because the drawing is reversed from the picture