Roger Reiman - Design - Part 3

The Flags

Somewhere in the design process, we decided to incorporate the three unique flags that Roger Reiman won at Daytona. In order to use the flags as pieces of our design, they needed to be converted to a digital format that could be scaled, then dropped into the main panel renderings. 

As I mentioned before, I work mostly using the Adobe® Creative Suite® of software. More specifically, I use Adobe® Illustrator® to create vector files and Adobe® PhotoShop® to create and manipulate raster or bitmap images. Perhaps it would be good to provide a description of the two different file types here, for those not familiar with the terminology.

Vector Graphics File - Adobe® Illustrator®

A vector graphic uses geometric primitives such as points, lines, curves, and shapes or polygons, to represent images in computer graphics. More generally, it is a graphic made up of fills and outlines that will retain smooth geometry when scaled to any size. (see vector image below)

Raster Graphics File - Adobe® Photoshop®

In computer graphics, a raster graphic, or bitmap, is a dot matrix data structure representing a generally rectangle grid of pixels, or points of color. More generally, a graphic or photographic image made up of colored dots. When you scale a raster image, the dots get larger, creating a sawtooth image. (see enlarged raster image below)

   

File Format Use

We need to keep in mind, how the final draft of the design will end up being used. If we intend to use a plotter to contour cut patterns or masks, we will need to create vector based files. If we only need to print the final design, we could use a raster or bitmap image file.

About the Flags

The only reference images of the flags that we had to work with, were the photos that we took of them at the Reiman Harley-Davidson Dealership. The flags are framed behind glass, so we had various reflections to work around. Below is one of those images.

 

In order to create a vector of the flag, I had to isolate each element so that I could open them in Illustrator®. I copied and pasted each element into a new PhotoShop® document.

I then deleted all the background that wasn't needed, and saved the files in the PNG format, which retains the transparent background.

In order to recreate the lettering used on the flags, I found the closest font that I could, and modified it to suit my needs. I opened the raster image created in PhotoShop®, and put it on the lowest layer. I then added a new layer over the original lettering which contained an outlined version of the "close enough" font. I used the transparency tool when I needed to see the original reference layer.

I basically did the same thing with the AMA Logo which will be used on all three flags. Note the split line in the image below.

For the black and white portions of the flag, I took a measurement of the actual black and white squares, and used that dimension to create a scaled version of the flag. By using the exact size, I was able to scale the lettering to the same points as on the original flags.

Above is the vector image of the 1965 Daytona 200 flag. Below is the vector file of the flag in the outline view mode in Illustrator®. Each element on the artwork is an outline that can be filled and or outlined with any color, then scaled to any size. This is the type of file required to do any contour cuts on plotter/cutter type equipment.

From here, I wanted to make the flags look like they were waving in the air, and give them some dimension. I started that process by applying a warp filter in Illustrator®.

I then saved the file in the PNG format, which produces an image only were there is color present, and the rest of the background remains transparent. 

I opened the saved PNG file in PhotoShop® and applied warp, puppet warp, and displace filters to produce the 3D flag effects. The small grey square pattern that appears in the image below, is PhotoShop's method of depicting a transparent background.

Rinse and repeat for all three flag designs.

 

In the next post, I hope to start putting all the elements of the design together.

 

    

Roger Reiman - Design - Part 2

Design Setup

Time to start getting serious about the overall mural design for the Kewanee Walldogs - Roger Reiman wall. In my last post, I attempted to explain the process of design. It is now time to see if we can apply those principles to this project.

In an earlier post, I made a long list of accomplishment from Roger's life that I hope to express in the finished design. I will repost them here so we can use them to inspire possible design solutions.

• Born in Wisconsin Rapids, WI on September 11, 1938.
• Began riding motocycles at age 9.
• Qualified for his first AMA Grand National race in 1958 - Peoria, IL.
• Close relationship with Mother, Father, Sister Shirley, friends, and fans. 
• Father, Henry "Hank" Reiman was a former AMA Hillclimbing Champion.
• Ran his first Daytona 200 on the old Daytona Beach course in 1959.
• First national podium finish, 3rd place - Laconia, NH road race- 1960.
• Led laps in the last race held on the old Daytona Beach course - 1960.
• Won the first Daytona 200 held at the Daytona International Speedway.
• Also won the pole for the 1961 Daytona 200.
• Made guest appearance on NBC's "Today" show for his 1961 Daytona win.
• Given a parade and key to the city of Kewanee, IL for his 1961 "200" win. 
• 3-time winner of the Daytona 200 - 1961, 1964, & 1965.
• Went on to race in the Daytona 200 a total of 16 times.
• Ranked in the top 10 of the AMA series in 1962 and 1963.
• Won the AMA Grand National Championship in 1964.
• 14 Top-10 finishes of the 1964 17-race season.
• 1965 - Reiman won the only only Daytona 200 to be run in the rain.
• Reiman continued to race in the Daytona 200 until 1974.
• Took over the Family Harley-Davidson Dealership in 1970.
• Became the Head Mechanic for Evel Knievel - 1970.
• Raced in the "Battle of the Twins" Series - 1984
• Continued to race in Vintage series throughout the 80's and 90's.
• At 50, earned a podium finish - 1987 "Battle of the Twins" - Elkhart Lake, WI
• Was killed in a track accident in a Racing Legends event in Daytona - March 4, 1997

From our research, we managed to put together a good selection of images to draw from. I thought I would use these images to basically "sketch" my ideas into the scaled down art for the wall.

First up, I have to decide what scale will work best for this rendering? One factor to consider here is how large I want to make the maquette. Usually the organizers of the event ask each artist to create a maquette of the design, which will be included in a fund raising auction that takes place during the Walldog event.

The panel size for our wall is 12' high x 40' long. If we use a scale of 1/2" = 1' - 0", our maquette will be 6" tall x 20" long. This might be a good size to work on as far as computer screen size, but it might be rather small for an auction item. So, we will set up our file in the 1/2" scale, and resize it later to 1" = 1' - 0" for the auction maquette. Our auction maquette will then be 12" high X 40" long.

I will be using the Adobe Creative Suite to lay out my design. More specifically, I mainly use the PhotoShop and Illustrator programs included in the Creative Suite. You may use whatever software works best for you. Or work by hand, whichever you prefer.

In Adobe PhotoShop, I set my file up at 6" X 20" and use a dpi that will produce good results when it comes time to get the design printed (if necessary). I like to work above 200 dpi, but usually do not go above 300 dpi, to keep file size manageable. So I will be using a setting of 250 dpi for this design.

I start by placing various images into the PhotoShop document that I created. I can move them around as needed while trying to create a composition that makes sense. I decide whether to use the background or delete it. While exploring the collection of images, I am mindful of the goal of depicting the major accomplishments of Roger's life. 

First Sketch

This sketch manages to include several major aspects of Roger's life, from the list I posted above. I've added a few phrases to drive home or reinforce the reference of certain images.This first sketch, at the very least, gives us something to critique and move forward from.

The images in this sketch are arranged in a chronological order for the most part. Oldest images on the left side, moving to the most recent images, on the right.  

One thing to keep in mind while doing the design for a Walldog event, is the time you have to paint this project. Usually the project is to be painted during a 3 or 4 day event. It is also good to think about who will be helping to paint the mural. If you are trying to paint a fairly realistic looking pictorial, you will need veteran mural painters. If you are working with novice painters, you will need to simplify the design. Or use a combination of both.

One way to accomplish a mural design that is easier to paint, is to posterize some or all of the images to be used in the design. This can be done in several different ways, but I'll leave that up to you and the type of software you are using. Or you can do a simplified hand painted image and translate that to the finished design of your mural.

The image I used in the upper right hand corner, has been posterized in Photoshop, and uses fewer colors, and paint like "blobs" to simplify the details.

The Rest of the Story

You'll notice that I don't have Roger's name on the main panel design so far? In one of my recent posts, I mentioned the extra "negative space" that will be left above our main panel. We are using a wide rectangular main panel, but have space to utilize above the mural if needed. 

The image below shows how the 40 foot panel will look as you drive up to it. As you can see, there is a lot of empty space above the main panel. 

We decided to fill the space, by adding Roger's name above the main panel section.

While generating ideas in a design, it is common that one idea will spark another idea. Once I saw the name above the main panel, I decided it could use a bit more. I decided to add the flags above the name, to represent the 3 times that Roger won the Daytona 200 race. It would also allow me to remove the "3-time winner" phrase in the upper right corner, which would simplify the design a bit more.

As far as picking out which fonts work best with the design, I think I will go over that in more detail, in a future post. For Roger's mural design, I started thinking about fonts that might have been used on packaging from the 60's and 70's. But I didn't want to use a font that was tied too specifically to one decade, because Roger's career spanned several decades. I was sure that I wanted it to be bold, and as timeless as possible.

I then did a little more refinement, and made the font a bit more prismatic. I also started to think about adding gold leaf to the design, so I shifted the colors of the lettering to look like beveled gold leaf.

About Those Flags

In the research phase, we discovered that Roger had received a unique flag from each of his Daytona 200 wins. Best of all, his Friend Dennis Packee, had these flags on display at the Reiman Harley-Davidson Dealership in Kewanee, IL. We were able to make a run to Kewanee, and get pictures of each flag. 

Here is a photo of the flag Roger won at the 1965 Daytona 200 race:

In the next post, I'll explain the process of taking the flag above, and turning it into something we could use in the next iteration of the design.