Fun with Names

I had some fun making some names for some special kids I know (though we have never officially met).  My daughter's boyfriend's sister's family just adopted two young gentlemen from China recently.  I decided to welcome them to the good ol' USA with something fun.  Also, I made something for two terrific little sisters, who have been so welcoming to their new brothers.

Below are the early sketches I drew on the computer, just to figure out what I wanted to make.  On the right side, I drew up a tighter version in black line.

 Next I printed out the black line version, and spray-mounted them onto a board.  I bought myself a new scroll saw, just to work on this project.  I'd been thinking of getting one for a long time, and this was the perfect excuse.  Once I had cut out the shapes, I peeled off the paper copy.

The next step was to coat each of the names with a layer of gesso.  This would help seal up the wood, and give me a base to paint on.

Next I painted the basic colors I needed with acyrlic paints.  I'm only showing the dragon versions, but the process was similar when I painted the mermaids.  I added details with black and white markers.

And here they are, all finished.  I added a layer of spray-on clear varnish, just to seal them up and protect them.

I'm sure I'll be making something like this for my grandson in the near future.