Evil Genius Studios
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FILE-014

The Connor Brothers logo

CASE STUDY

The Connor Brothers

Jumbo paperback books in solid white oak — 3D scanned, CNC-machined, UV-printed on a modified Roland and shipped to London for the artists' tenth anniversary show at Maddox Gallery.

CASE STUDIES — 05

Jumbo Paperback Books in Solid White Oak — Maddox Gallery

PRJ-014a

Jumbo Paperback Books in Solid White Oak — Maddox Gallery

A five-year problem two other manufacturers — including one in Siberia — couldn't crack. Real paperback 3D scanned, scaled up, machined in solid white oak, and UV-printed on a Roland we modified to accept 750mm-tall media.

PROCESS

  1. 013D scan a real paperback — every detail captured
  2. 02Model and scale to jumbo size
  3. 03CNC machine in solid white oak on our routers
  4. 04Prime and prep for UV print
  5. 05Visit Roland HQ, Bristol — engineer a fix for 750mm-tall media
  6. 06Modify our UV printer in Aberdeen
  7. 07Print faces, bindings and page edges
  8. 08Ship to London for artist hand-finish & embellishment
  9. 09On sale — Maddox Gallery, 10th anniversary show
/3D SCAN/CNC/SOLID WHITE OAK/UV PRINT/ROLAND MOD/ARTIST FINISH/MADDOX GALLERY/LONDON

CASE NOTES

The Connor Brothers are London-based artists best known for painting on paperback books. For their tenth anniversary exhibition at the Maddox Gallery in London, they came to us with a challenge they'd been trying to solve for five years.

The brief was simple enough on paper. Take a paperback book. Scale it up to jumbo size. Recreate it in solid white oak.

Simple to describe. Not so simple to deliver. Two other manufacturers had tried before us, one based in Siberia. Neither could make it happen.

We started by 3D scanning a real paperback book, built out the model, then scaled it up. From there we machined the books on our CNC routers, recreating every detail in solid white oak. Once machined, the books were primed and ready for print.

The printing side is where it got interesting. The faces were straightforward. The bindings and page edges were not. Thickness wasn't the issue — at 50mm the books sat well within the 200mm our UV printer handles as standard. The problem was height. The books stood 750mm tall, and the machine was never designed to take media at that size.

Rather than work around it, we went to Roland's headquarters in Bristol and sat down with their team directly. We worked out what needed to change, came back to Aberdeen, and modified the machine ourselves.

Once printing was done, the books were shipped to London where the Connor Brothers hand-finished and hand-embellished each one before they went on sale at the Maddox Gallery.

Five years of dead ends. We turned it around.

EVIDENCE — 08 FRAMES

WORKSHOP / STUDIO / GALLERY

Source — original paperback. The starting point for the scan.
PRJ-014a/01Source — original paperback. The starting point for the scan.
Solid white oak, glued up and trued ready for the CNC bed.
PRJ-014a/02Solid white oak, glued up and trued ready for the CNC bed.
Clamped during glue-up — building stock thick enough to carve a book from.
PRJ-014a/03Clamped during glue-up — building stock thick enough to carve a book from.
On the modified Roland — bindings printed at 750mm tall, well beyond factory spec.
PRJ-014a/04On the modified Roland — bindings printed at 750mm tall, well beyond factory spec.
First proof under raking light — print laid down clean across the cover.
PRJ-014a/05First proof under raking light — print laid down clean across the cover.
Studio proof — signed and detailed by the artists in London.
PRJ-014a/06Studio proof — signed and detailed by the artists in London.
Hand-finishing and embellishment by the Connor Brothers ahead of the show.
PRJ-014a/07Hand-finishing and embellishment by the Connor Brothers ahead of the show.
Finished jumbo book — wall-hung, gallery-ready for Maddox.
PRJ-014a/08Finished jumbo book — wall-hung, gallery-ready for Maddox.
Skeletons in Your Closet — Cast in Bronze

PRJ-014b

Skeletons in Your Closet — Cast in Bronze

Translating one of the Connor Brothers' most recognised paintings into a fully sculpted 3D piece — every element modelled from scratch, printed, and cast in bronze. Limited edition of ten.

PROCESS

  1. 01Study the original painting — break the composition into sculptable elements
  2. 02Digitally sculpt each component in ZBrush, true to the artwork
  3. 03Build and assemble the full 3D model — figure, skeleton, drape, base
  4. 04Engineer parts for printing and casting — splits, supports, tolerances
  5. 053D print the components in plastic
  6. 06Hand-fit and dry-assemble for proof
  7. 07Send to the foundry for bronze casting
  8. 08Patina and finish — limited edition of ten
/3D SCULPT/ZBRUSH/3D PRINT/BRONZE CAST/FOUNDRY/LIMITED EDITION

CASE NOTES

The Connor Brothers have a well-known piece. The text reads: "If there are skeletons in your closet, you better make them dance." The artwork features a woman dancing with a skeleton.

They wanted it in three dimensions.

Our job was to take every element of that composition and build it out as a full 3D sculpture — each component modelled individually, accurate to the original artwork, and engineered for casting.

Once the 3D models were complete, the pieces were printed in plastic. From there they went to the foundry to be cast in bronze.

The edition was limited to ten pieces.

EVIDENCE — 10 FRAMES

WORKSHOP / STUDIO / GALLERY

Digital sculpt in ZBrush — working from the original painting on the left.
PRJ-014b/01Digital sculpt in ZBrush — working from the original painting on the left.
Full 3D composition assembled — every element modelled to match the artwork.
PRJ-014b/02Full 3D composition assembled — every element modelled to match the artwork.
Printed in plastic — components laid out before assembly.
PRJ-014b/03Printed in plastic — components laid out before assembly.
Dry-assembled proof — figure and skeleton in their final pose.
PRJ-014b/04Dry-assembled proof — figure and skeleton in their final pose.
Top-down — checking the composition reads from every angle.
PRJ-014b/05Top-down — checking the composition reads from every angle.
Face detail — sculpted to carry through the casting process.
PRJ-014b/06Face detail — sculpted to carry through the casting process.
White print, fully assembled — ready for the foundry.
PRJ-014b/07White print, fully assembled — ready for the foundry.
Cast in bronze — front. Patina laid down by hand.
PRJ-014b/08Cast in bronze — front. Patina laid down by hand.
Bronze, side profile — drape and skeleton resolved in metal.
PRJ-014b/09Bronze, side profile — drape and skeleton resolved in metal.
Bronze, back — one of ten in the edition.
PRJ-014b/10Bronze, back — one of ten in the edition.
Da Vinci Frame Replica — Solid White Oak

PRJ-014c

Da Vinci Frame Replica — Solid White Oak

An original da Vinci-era frame, sourced by the artists, 3D scanned and reproduced one-to-one in solid white oak on our CNC routers — every contour, every ding preserved. Primed in Aberdeen, hand-finished in London.

PROCESS

  1. 01Receive the original frame, sourced by the artists
  2. 02High-end 3D scan — full geometry capture
  3. 03Pull scan data into CAD, prep toolpaths
  4. 04CNC machine in solid white oak — one-to-one replication
  5. 05Preserve every contour, mark and ding from the original
  6. 06Prime the frame in Aberdeen
  7. 07Ship to London for artist hand-embellishment and paint
/3D SCAN/CNC/SOLID WHITE OAK/REPLICATION/PRIMING/ARTIST FINISH/LONDON

CASE NOTES

The Connor Brothers had created their own take on a da Vinci oil painting. To go with it, they wanted the frame replicated. Not approximated. Replicated.

They sourced the original frame and got it to us. We ran it through a high-end 3D scanner, pulled the data into our software, and got to work.

The frame was machined in solid white oak on our CNC routers. Every detail from the scan was reproduced in the cut — every contour, every mark, every ding in the original. One to one. Nothing smoothed out, nothing lost.

Once machined, we primed the frame in Aberdeen before it was shipped down to London, where the Connor Brothers team hand-embellished and hand-painted it to completion.

EVIDENCE — 10 FRAMES

WORKSHOP / STUDIO / GALLERY

Scan data — measuring the original frame inside the point cloud.
PRJ-014c/01Scan data — measuring the original frame inside the point cloud.
Captured mesh of the corner — every ding and contour preserved in the data.
PRJ-014c/02Captured mesh of the corner — every ding and contour preserved in the data.
CAD model from the scan — toolpaths prepped for the CNC routers.
PRJ-014c/03CAD model from the scan — toolpaths prepped for the CNC routers.
First cut — moulding profile pulled straight from the scan.
PRJ-014c/04First cut — moulding profile pulled straight from the scan.
Machined in solid white oak, primed white in Aberdeen.
PRJ-014c/05Machined in solid white oak, primed white in Aberdeen.
Inner corner detail — mitre and profile reproduced one-to-one.
PRJ-014c/06Inner corner detail — mitre and profile reproduced one-to-one.
Stepped corner detail — every contour from the original carried through.
PRJ-014c/07Stepped corner detail — every contour from the original carried through.
Primed and ready for transit to London.
PRJ-014c/08Primed and ready for transit to London.
Held in the paint jig — final prep before the artists take over.
PRJ-014c/09Held in the paint jig — final prep before the artists take over.
Finished frame — hand-embellished and hand-painted by the Connor Brothers in London.
PRJ-014c/10Finished frame — hand-embellished and hand-painted by the Connor Brothers in London.
Limited Edition Whisky Boxes — End-to-End In House

PRJ-014d

Limited Edition Whisky Boxes — End-to-End In House

A small run of whisky boxes built entirely in house — bottles powder coated and UV printed, solid white oak boxes laser engraved, Harris Tweed inlays from Scotland and bespoke tweed-and-leather bags. Nothing outsourced. Nothing pre-made.

PROCESS

  1. 01Sit down with the artists — work through materials, construction, finishes
  2. 02Powder coat the bottles in house
  3. 03UV print artwork directly onto the powder-coated surface
  4. 04Machine the boxes in solid white oak
  5. 05Laser engrave typography and artist marks
  6. 06Inlay each box with Harris Tweed from Scotland
  7. 07Cut, stitch and rivet bespoke Harris Tweed bags with leather details
  8. 08Hand-fit glasses, leather straps and bottle into each box
/POWDER COAT/UV PRINT/SOLID WHITE OAK/LASER ENGRAVE/HARRIS TWEED/LEATHER/IN HOUSE/LIMITED EDITION

CASE NOTES

The Connor Brothers came to us wanting to explore a small run of whisky boxes incorporating their artwork. Before anything was made, we sat down with the team and worked through every detail — materials, construction, finishes, how everything would sit together.

What followed was entirely in house, built from raw materials start to finish.

The bottles were powder coated by us, with artwork UV printed directly onto the surface. The boxes were machined in solid white oak and laser engraved. Each box was inlaid with Harris Tweed, sourced from Scotland, and came with a bespoke bag made from Harris Tweed with leather embellishments.

Every element — bottle, box, bag, print, engraving — was conceived, designed, and produced by our team. Nothing was outsourced. Nothing was bought in pre-made.

EVIDENCE — 08 FRAMES

WORKSHOP / STUDIO / GALLERY

Full set — tweed bag, engraved oak presentation box and powder-coated bottle.
PRJ-014d/01Full set — tweed bag, engraved oak presentation box and powder-coated bottle.
Engraved lid — "the connor brothers / pulp fiction series" laser-cut into solid white oak.
PRJ-014d/02Engraved lid — "the connor brothers / pulp fiction series" laser-cut into solid white oak.
Inside — Harris Tweed inlay, leather straps and Glencairn glasses around the bottle.
PRJ-014d/03Inside — Harris Tweed inlay, leather straps and Glencairn glasses around the bottle.
Detail — "tcb" leather strap holding the bottle, stamped "the connor brothers" on the glass straps.
PRJ-014d/04Detail — "tcb" leather strap holding the bottle, stamped "the connor brothers" on the glass straps.
Hinged lid open — artist signature on the inside, leather pull on the drawer below.
PRJ-014d/05Hinged lid open — artist signature on the inside, leather pull on the drawer below.
Bottle and Glencairn out of the box — powder coat and UV-printed artwork.
PRJ-014d/06Bottle and Glencairn out of the box — powder coat and UV-printed artwork.
UV print on the powder-coated bottle — full artist text laid down crisp on the matte finish.
PRJ-014d/07UV print on the powder-coated bottle — full artist text laid down crisp on the matte finish.
Reverse face — long-form Connor Brothers biography printed straight to the bottle.
PRJ-014d/08Reverse face — long-form Connor Brothers biography printed straight to the bottle.
Van Gogh Reproduction — 3D-Scanned Brushstrokes, UV Printed

PRJ-014e

Van Gogh Reproduction — 3D-Scanned Brushstrokes, UV Printed

Reproducing one of the Connor Brothers' COVID-era oil paintings without losing the texture. The full painted surface 3D scanned, the topography machined into substrate, then UV printed back over itself — every brushstroke and impasto ridge preserved one-to-one.

PROCESS

  1. 01Receive the completed Van Gogh oil painting from the artists
  2. 023D scan the full painted surface — capture every brushstroke and ridge
  3. 03Build a high-resolution height map from the scan data
  4. 04CNC machine the texture into a solid substrate
  5. 05QA the machined surface against the original painting
  6. 06UV print the image of the painting back over the matched topography
  7. 07Final pass — register print to surface so brushstrokes line up exactly
/3D SCAN/CNC/UV PRINT/TEXTURE REPLICATION/OIL REPRODUCTION

CASE NOTES

During COVID, the Connor Brothers completed an oil painting of Van Gogh, produced in their studio. The challenge they brought to us was a specific one — how do you reproduce an oil painting and keep the texture? The brushstrokes, the impasto, the physical surface that makes an oil painting what it is.

We started by 3D scanning the entire surface of the finished painting. That gave us a precise texture profile — every raised brushstroke, every ridge, every dip the artist had created with the paint.

From that data we machined the texture into a solid surface substrate. The result was a physical replica of the painting's topography. We then ran it through the UV printer, printing the image of the painting directly back onto the textured surface.

The finished piece looked and felt like the original. Wherever the Connor Brothers had loaded paint onto the canvas, those same raised areas existed in the reproduction. The brushstrokes were real. The depth was real.

3D scanning, CNC machining, and UV printing — combined to solve a problem that would have been impossible any other way.

EVIDENCE — 10 FRAMES

WORKSHOP / STUDIO / GALLERY

Finished reproduction — image and texture, registered together. The blue surgical mask is part of the artists' COVID-era composition.
PRJ-014e/01Finished reproduction — image and texture, registered together. The blue surgical mask is part of the artists' COVID-era composition.
Scan render — the captured topography of the painting, rendered as a height map.
PRJ-014e/02Scan render — the captured topography of the painting, rendered as a height map.
Same scan tilted — every raised brushstroke from the original recorded as data.
PRJ-014e/03Same scan tilted — every raised brushstroke from the original recorded as data.
Scan close-up — impasto ridges and swirl direction held at sub-millimetre detail.
PRJ-014e/04Scan close-up — impasto ridges and swirl direction held at sub-millimetre detail.
CNC machining the texture into solid substrate — first pass before print.
PRJ-014e/05CNC machining the texture into solid substrate — first pass before print.
Edge view — physical depth of the surface after machining and print.
PRJ-014e/06Edge view — physical depth of the surface after machining and print.
Raking light across the finished panel — brushstrokes catch the light just like an oil.
PRJ-014e/07Raking light across the finished panel — brushstrokes catch the light just like an oil.
Macro on a single ridge — paint texture rebuilt as physical relief, then printed over.
PRJ-014e/08Macro on a single ridge — paint texture rebuilt as physical relief, then printed over.
Brushstroke macro — print and topography registered to the same coordinates.
PRJ-014e/09Brushstroke macro — print and topography registered to the same coordinates.
Face detail — image and surface aligned. Read it as a print, feel it as a painting.
PRJ-014e/10Face detail — image and surface aligned. Read it as a print, feel it as a painting.

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