Welcome to The Hand Lettering Forum!
This is an interactive Bulletin Board on the topics of Sign making, design, fabrication, History, old Books and of coarse Letterheads, Keepers of the craft. The Hand Lettering Forum features links to resources, sign art history, techniques, and artists profiles. Learn more about Letterheads at https://theletterheads.com. Below you'll see Mchat has been added as a live communication portal for trial, and the Main forum Links are listed below.

Search found 21 matches

by Joe Morreale
Mon May 30, 2016 11:39 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Chester Cunningham
Replies: 21
Views: 21103

Re: Chester Cunningham

When I was learning Chester was so different and bold that anything we did to resemble his work turned his name into a verb. I remember my father looking at an order and saying I'm going to Cunningham this one, as he started painting panels on a board. It was a sad day when I head of his car acciden...
by Joe Morreale
Sun May 29, 2016 10:22 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Banner material
Replies: 0
Views: 8562

Banner material

Ever since oil cloth disappeared years ago I have had issues obtaining quality banner stock. The last few years I've been using solvent based printing media banner. I would wash it with laquer thinner before painting. The paint was very slow to dry, crawled and sometimes it would get tiny flecks chi...
by Joe Morreale
Sat Apr 02, 2016 2:24 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: "Tennis elbow" from lettering?
Replies: 4
Views: 4984

Re: "Tennis elbow" from lettering?

I will give it a shot. My next step is another steroid shot. It disables my arm for over a week and hurts like ..
by Joe Morreale
Tue Mar 22, 2016 9:26 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: "Tennis elbow" from lettering?
Replies: 4
Views: 4984

"Tennis elbow" from lettering?

I'm a left handed signpainter. Started out in the mid 70s, using using a mahlstick, pretty much exclusively. Some time ago I got a case of tennis elbow so bad it needed a steroid shot. Six months later, elbow's fine. Just for kicks I decided I'm not going to use a mahlstick on a 4x8 that had a lot o...
by Joe Morreale
Wed Dec 30, 2015 11:07 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Lettering on cloth
Replies: 5
Views: 6268

Re: Lettering on cloth

It's tedious but whenever I have to letter on cloth i use a coat, sometimes two of blockout as prime. I'm pretty sure you can use poster color as well. It dries faster and doesn't want to bleed. After your n first coat the other go easy. The cloth will be stiff when you are done. I've used this proc...
by Joe Morreale
Wed Dec 30, 2015 7:44 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Antique Hasting Gold on Ebay
Replies: 0
Views: 8323

Antique Hasting Gold on Ebay

Moderators delete this if illegal. I have an unopened pack of Hastings 1'' loose leaf roll gold that my father had for 20 years before he died in 1985. I haven't done a window leaf job in eons so I put it up on ebay. I think the price is reasonable as my experience is that old gold has less cracks a...
by Joe Morreale
Sun Nov 23, 2014 4:26 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Advice on Signing Work
Replies: 3
Views: 3750

Re: Advice on Signing Work

What I was taught and have used is palette a larger brush that has a real good chisel, maybe a #4. Using just the couple of hairs from the corner I can sign my work with letters as small as maybe 3/32nds of an inch. Its not beautiful but it's discreet.
by Joe Morreale
Sun Nov 23, 2014 4:22 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Book Suggestions
Replies: 2
Views: 3089

Re: Book Suggestions

I had this book for 30 years before someone jacked it. It was like a bible to me.

http://www.amazon.com/Sign-Painting-Tec ... 0911380299
by Joe Morreale
Sun Nov 23, 2014 4:19 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Space Cadet
Replies: 3
Views: 3577

Re: Space Cadet

My father taught me, back in the 70s, to look at your letters and imagine the negative space being sand. Try to have equal amounts of sand between letters as much as possible. I was a way I was able to understand proper letter spacing.
by Joe Morreale
Sat Mar 29, 2014 2:51 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Clean up strokes
Replies: 4
Views: 4604

Re: Clean up strokes

I'm left handed as well. Having you thumb on the wrong side of your dominate hand can make it difficult to emulate a right hander's style. You will have to improvise as you improve. I always use a mahl stick and hold my paint and palette in my right hand, for instance. I work from left to right but ...
by Joe Morreale
Mon Feb 10, 2014 9:27 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Second hand electro pounce for sale?
Replies: 12
Views: 14156

Re: Second hand electro pounce for sale?

I saw this one pop up on Ebay. The case looks bad but the high tension lead is in good shape. I paid $175 for my used one 4 years ago.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/FMS-120V-ELECTR ... 1e86f07735
by Joe Morreale
Wed Jan 29, 2014 10:30 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Lettering Strokes for the newbies
Replies: 1
Views: 2496

Re: Lettering Strokes for the newbies

My father was signpainter as well as I. His bread and butter work was single stroke work. I learned primarily that way. When I was young he used to have men who were daily workers that "built" their letters in multi strokes as you have depicted. I would be mesmerized by the technique as it...
by Joe Morreale
Sat Jan 25, 2014 1:49 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Pinstripe Brushes?
Replies: 4
Views: 5042

Re: Pinstripe Brushes?

I think I'll try a Kafka, It looks like it has the characteristics I'm looking for. His grid template was somewhat intriguing as well.
by Joe Morreale
Thu Jan 23, 2014 1:29 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Pinstripe Brushes?
Replies: 4
Views: 5042

Pinstripe Brushes?

I want to "brush up" on my pinstriping. The old macks I have are trashed. Any recommendations to try a new brush? I usually just do decorative work, no long straight line stuff. Oh yeah haven't laid a line in over 15 years.
by Joe Morreale
Thu Jan 16, 2014 12:04 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Proper Introduction
Replies: 2
Views: 2818

Re: Proper Introduction

Hi. I also learned the old way in the '70. I painted billboards, shocards, trucks and glass gold. When computers took over I became a "computer guy" around '92, and put my brushes down. The past 3 years I have been doing nothing but hand lettering and it gives me great satisfaction. I woul...
by Joe Morreale
Thu Jan 16, 2014 11:39 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Newbie; need help with practice materials.
Replies: 4
Views: 4060

Re: Newbie; need help with practice materials.

I bought a roll of 16 lb. butcher paper from a restaurant supply. It is a 9'' thick roll and last a long time. When the time comes it's great for patterns as well. I think is was about $35.
by Joe Morreale
Fri Jun 14, 2013 10:26 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Question!
Replies: 6
Views: 5086

Re: Question!

Having started hand lettering over 35 years ago I remember when the Gerber machine came out and dreaded it. I knew that it would eventually ruin our business. I adapted to computer exclusively about 1992. Now, or should I say about 2 years ago I started to practice daily with the brush again. Hand l...
by Joe Morreale
Mon Jan 14, 2013 4:47 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: New brush quality?
Replies: 5
Views: 4821

Re: New brush quality?

Hey Joe, don't know much about Solo Horton but I can share past experience with Luco. Years back Luco and French Master were my choice for quills. Then I started seeing just what you described, coarse wirey, sometimes whitish colored hairs that just didn't belong in a nice Brown Quill. These hairs ...
by Joe Morreale
Sat Jan 12, 2013 6:17 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: New brush quality?
Replies: 5
Views: 4821

Re: New brush quality?

Can't hurt anything. I'll try it. Thanks
by Joe Morreale
Fri Jan 11, 2013 12:48 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: New brush quality?
Replies: 5
Views: 4821

New brush quality?

After hanging up my kit for a dozen years I have forsaken the computer to concentrate solely on handlettering. I have 25 years experience. I recently needed to replenish some of my small brushes #2's and #4's. I bought what used to be (for me) excellent brushes, Solo Horton and Luco. My problem is t...
by Joe Morreale
Tue Nov 13, 2012 4:55 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Another Sign Movie
Replies: 10
Views: 7257

Re: Another Sign Movie

After watching this video and reading the comments I thought I would put my two cents in. While some sign painters may painstakingly follow a pattern, whether computer generated or not, and complete a nice clean job it doesn't make them what I would call a true sign painter. We used to call them lin...