In our shop, we often talk about three kinds of detail. Detail, edge detail, and *cough* fake detail.

I am a fan of all three.

Details are all the little extras that make a project sing. Most guests will not notice each and every little detail but taken together they can achieve a critical mass - creating an immersive experience for guests.

At one time my father worked as a fine artist and studied other artists work. On one occasion he was at a lecture of wildlife artist Robert Bateman. Mr. Bateman famous for his exquisitely detailed paintings explained that he actually only put detail around the edges and that "the eye fills the rest in." My dad took that lesson to heart.

Of course there is plenty of detail in the middle of Mr. Bateman's paintings and plenty of detail in our projects - but the importance of finishing the edges of a piece shouldn't be underestimated.

The posts supporting the new roller coaster for Cutlus Lake phase II are a prime example of finishing the edges. We are fabricating these barrels which will be placed around the bottom of many of the concrete pillars that holds up the giant coaster. The top portions of the posts will be exposed concrete but the barrels provide the necessary detail to tell the story in an effective manner.