Methods of producing articles having three-dimensional topography

A method of making a bas relief from a two-dimensional color image, the method comprising:

• converting the two-dimensional color image to four respective gray-scale images, each corresponding to a respective color, each comprising a plurality of shades of gray, wherein each shade of gray corresponds to a respective elevation of a three dimensional representation of the two-dimensional color image;
• converting each of the four gray-scale images to four respective half-tone bitmap images that each comprise a plurality of dark dots on a light background, wherein each dark dot represents a respective pixel in the gray-scale image, and wherein each dark dot has a size that corresponds to a respective one of the shades of gray in which the respective pixel is located;
• etching each of the four half-tone bitmap images onto four respective print screen stencils such that each print screen stencil has open mesh areas that correspond with the plurality of dark dots and closed mesh areas that correspond with the light background of the respective half-tone bitmap image;
• forcing meltable powder through the open mesh areas of each print screen stencil separately to form a three-dimensional pattern of powder on a substrate positioned beneath the print screen stencil in spaced-apart relationship therewith, wherein the three-dimensional pattern of the powder corresponds to the three-dimensional representation of the two-dimensional image;
• heating the three-dimensional pattern of powder to fuse the powder together to form a bas relief;
• and
• printing, in accurate registration, the two-dimensional image onto the bas relief to produce a three-dimensional version of the two-dimensional image.