The initial discussion translated into this conceptual drawing.
One of the most enjoyable & exciting elements for me personally throughout the management of the Hunting Film Tour is the travel and all of the interesting people you meet along the way. An artist I recently discovered named Tanner Billis out of Montana is one such individual. Tanner and his father are the owners of a studio called Billis Fine Art (www.billisfineart.net) that specialize in Bronze artworks. I have had an idea brewing in the back of my mind to design and make a custom belt buckle each year for the Hunting Film Tour. From what I could see on Tanner’s website he appeared to be a true craftsman, and following an introductory phone call it was confirmed, he was just the right guy to design and build the first HFT buckle.
The wax work started.
The Globe & Antler wax work almost finished.
After browsing Tanner’s website and picking out all of the elements of various styles, materials and construction techniques I finally had a baseline plan. I wanted the buckle to be hand crafted, a one of a kind piece using traditional cast bronze techniques. I really liked the hand peened copper background, not perfectly rectangle, encompassed by a rough border that appeared to have rivets on the corners.
The sprueing process.
All components cast and cut to size, ready to assemble.
Assembly underway, starting to take shape.
I figured fans might enjoy having a truly unique piece of swag or perhaps we can use them as film maker awards in the future. Whatever we choose, it was a fun little experiment that I would love to hear your feedback on. The following is a series of photos throughout the design and build process. My plan is to create a unique, hand crafted piece each year, each one being a truly unique piece of art that proudly portrays the best Hunting Film Tour in the world!
Almost finished, need to work the copper and add the border.
A special shout out to Tanner Billis for creating a one of a kind, and the first of many in the Hunting Film Tour buckle series!
