Magical Painters
As Halloween approaches there are some details that need an artist’s touch. On our final Community Painting day, several skilled individuals arrived to help us…
Category Archives: 2016
Educational Decrees
Madam Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge (who would later assume the titles of Hogwarts High Inquisitor and Headmistress) enacted many educational decrees during her time at Hogwarts. One…
Making Magical Moving Portraits
One of the things that Harry and his friends marvel at when they first arrive at Hogwarts are the painted portraits that appear to move…
The Sudsy Science and Not-So-Exact Art of Potion-Making
Today we have a special guest author, Grace Albertson (my daughter). Take it away, Grace! — Hi, the other day me and Dad decided we…
How to Make Your Own Butterbeer
We got to sample butterbeer at Harry Potter World at Universal Studios in Southern California. We loved it and wanted to incorporate it into this…
Building Hagrid’s Hut
We wanted to make sure that the house of the Keeper of Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts (and sometimes teacher of Care of Magical Creatures),…
Wizarding Signs
Signage is apparently still an important part of the wizarding world. There are some iconic signs from Harry Potter that we wanted to create for…
How to Make Hogwarts’ Front Door
This year, I wanted to make the entrance to Hogwarts Castle feel extra special. Normally, I would have created a flat, painted cardboard version, but this year…
Video: Production Update 10-9-16
Here is a production update video for the first week of October. In it, I show the model of the Halloween house, the structures for…
A Model School for Witchcraft and Wizardry
Sketches and Photoshop mock ups help a great deal in planning the Halloween House. Sometimes, though, I find it hard to envision how the scene…
Cardboard Logging
Each year there is an exciting journey to find all of the cardboard that will be used to create the front yard experience. Some years,…
Visiting Harry Potter World
In April, Harry Potter World opened at Universal Studios in Southern California. That coincided with Grace’s school break, so we felt we had to go and…
The Builders of Hogwarts
“We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.” ― Professor Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Many…
Photoshop Planning
Prior to my career in graphic design (and just after my career in mechanical engineering), I took a class in Photoshop – a computer-based photo manipulation…