Pierre-Luc: Relief Artist
I wanted to add Relief to CNCKing.com for quite a while and thanks to Pierre-Luc, that dream became a reality, he has lots of stuff to add but the hold-up has been on my part juggling several projects at the same time with little relief in sight! I use to call this stuff vectors but have since changed it based on his advice to Relief on the site.
I asked him if he wouldn’t mind being interviewed so others can learn a bit about his craft and thankfully, he agreed!
What tools do you use to create your relief models?
Corel Draw & ArtCAM Pro 2009
How did you learn how to make relief models?
When I was first hired by a local Pewter craft shop in 2001 straight out of my studies at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design. Aitkens Pewter hired me and they were already using ArtCAM to create their pewter product designs as well as a desktop jewelery CNC machine to create the plastic patterns for pewter mold creation. I worked there learning that system for over a decade before embarking into my current freelance position.
How do you know if your relief model will work in real life as your tools are all digital? How do you go about testing them virtually?
ArtCAM has a very accurate toolpath simulation program that generate how the piece will look. It has a library full of toolbit that can be used to customize the toolpath simulation. I also have a few colleagues in my town that have CNC machines that I occasionally use to carve certain projects now and then. Combined with my experience using the exact system that I’ve used for the past decade I am confident in how all my designs will turn out, the only variable in my system is having the customer know his or her own machine setup as everyone’s system varies depending on their own personal knowledge and setup. Human error is inevitable at times but a well programed toolpath simulation never lies!
How many models have you made so far and where do you get your inspiration?
Wow, there’s a tough question. If I would average 5 models per week while working at Aitkens Pewter, I’d say I’ve done over 2,400 models which have all been tested on a CNC machine in order to produce them commercially for clients and inhouse production. Since the start of my own PLA3D company in August 2012, I have worked on over 120 models, both custom and inhouse production.
What are the biggest challenges you face when making relief models?
Currently the biggest challenge with relief model creation is keeping my modeling time within my quote. Since I love doing this stuff and get lost into my work I often forget about time and more often than not will spend up to twice as long hand carving and tweaking my work until I’ m 100% satisfied with what I’ve done. If I were to accurately quote my jobs per hour I would never get any customers to agree to pay what I put into every piece. In a related note, certain subject matter can often be the cause of the extra time needed to successfully finish a model. Portraits and certain organic subject matter can often be challenging and are very sensitive for the client which can become very subjective with each model artist. To be able to recreate someone’s loved one who has passed or is near and dear to their heart can be one of the most challenging and stressful jobs to attempt and will often result in countless hours of modeling and re-modeling until it’s just right.
You can see some of Pierre-Luc’s awesome Relief work at CNCKing.com under the heading Relief!