Brushes and uses, some questions...

[Michelle Barcomb]

Hi all, I have been playing with pinstriping brushes for a few years now, on and off. I like it a lot and still need a lot more practice. I really want to learn to hand letter though. I am the biggest beginner, I don't know what brushes are needed, when to use them, or even basic technique. I tried the search function but did not enough to make me feel confident I can do it.

Can anyone suggest a good beginner dvd or book, and maybe a few essential brushes (types and what they do)? I am hoping to make a small sign for the entryway to my fathers shop as a birthday present with a personal touch. I have a few months to figure something decent out.

Any help appreciated!

Thanks.
Michelle

[Kent Smith]

Hand lettering by Mike Stevens both book form and video. (sometimes available at Ebay and Amazon)

Sign Painting Techniques by Ralph Gregory and Signs up to Now by E.C.Matthews have good info on brushes. Also datea and insight from Mac Brush. Early edition Speedball texts have good illustrations on brush technique.

There are other good videos by Steve Kafka, Mark Roberts and many others...check search engines.

[erik winkler]

http://www.mackbrush.com/

[Kelly Thorson]

Signcraft had a very good 4 part series by Raymond Chapman on beginning handlettering. I'm not sure of the dates but if anyone is interested I'm sure Raymond could tell us or I could go through my copies and find out.

[Ted Cooper]

"Learn how to paint signs" by Wayne Tamswell. ISBN No:978-0-9562463-0-1
It's published in England,by the author,and covers all you need to know about signwriting.

[Doug Bernhardt]

We all love the books and they are amazing but .....darn.....Nothing beats seeing it done, right! I'm not sure I'd ever have "gotten it" if I relied on the books of the day to help me on my trails/trials!!

[Michelle Barcomb]

I agree, seeing it done is everything. Unfortunately, this is a small town and the one guy who does the hand lettering is not the friendliest sort and he doesnt seem interested in discussing anything related to the art. In fact, he was lettering a friends car a couple years ago and when said friend asked how much the job would be, the painter packed his stuff up and left. I'd like to do an apprenticeship but I don't think there's anyone around. If I could find a class in Albany I would take time off work to do that.

I appreciate all of the replies and suggestions. Thanks!

[David Slade]

Welcome!
In absence of that apprenticeship I thunk I would throw in my two cents, tho I am a beginner too.

I would order a couple of Mack 179 or 189 gray squirrel brushes, no. 2 and 4 and maybe a 1/2 inch Mack 1962 and start copying the alphabets from these links onto a piece of glass. That way you can wipe it all off with thinner and go at it again as long as it takes. Nice big letters about 3 to 6 inches high. Putting a piece of graph paper under the glass helps you space and proportion the letters until you get the hang of it. Paint words and sentences even before you think you are ready. The total spacing, balance and impact are more important than perfect letters, in my opinion. You probably know about paints/thinner from pinstriping? If not just ask and the nice fellas here will help.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/depression ... 155545127/
(They got this from Sign Painting Course. Only lower case, unfortunately)

Here is a good but old book. and Free!
http://www.archive.org/details/howtopaintsignss00matt

The Letterheads main page also has some info on the Hand Lettering Basics link.

I would definitely get Sign Painting Course by the wonderful E.C. Mattews if you can ebay a cheap one. My favorite book so far.

Good Luck!

PS These links are not mine and I claim no responsibility for them. Just found them is all!

[Michael Arnold]

I'm glad I decided to join the forum because I have some of these same questions regarding Hand Lettering. I'm really surprised that no one has mentioned http://www.learn2paintsigns.com because when I started researching hand lettering a few months ago this was the first site that I found that had an online art course in hand painted lettering.

Is anyone familiar with the site, the guy or the course? I considered checking it out but I figured I'd ask around first and see if anyone knows anything about it and if it's any good.


If anyone has any additional advice on this course or hand lettering in general I'd love to hear them.

Thanks

M

[erik winkler]

Ofcourse crazy Winky bought the 2 dvd's so I can give my personal view.
Quick shipping, shows what it says, but th quality of the dvd is very very bad.
This is because it is copied from an old vhs or somethng.
Furthermore I went nuts of the dubbed comments: 10 repetitions etc.
Ofcourse handlettering is craft learnt by repetition and repeating, but this dvd, eventhough it shows allmost everything you need to know (in my newby-mind) is too boring.
I did NOT have te feeling of: YES LET'S GO AND PAINT SOME LETTERS!

Erik

[Michael Arnold]

Thanks for the reply. It's tough to tell from the sample video that's posted on the site. Do the DVDs contain that same computer generated voice-over in the 'free lesson' video? I hope not...

It's unfortunate that the videos aren't that great because they seem to be the only ones of this kind I can find anywhere. I contacted SignCraft magazine to see if they can tell which issues had the above mentioned series on hand-lettering so hopefully I can at least get those.

Thanks again

M

[erik winkler]

Yes it is the computer kind voice on the dvd as well.
Mike Stevens made an VS video tape also.
I have got it (crazy Winky) and is much nicer to look at, but handles the same techniques.

Erik

[Raymond Chapman]

My articles in SignCraft were some basic stuff that might help to get you started but seeing it done in motion is much better. You Tube has some tutorials that could help - just do a search for Hand Lettering. Right off the top of my head I can't remember the issues of SignCraft. Tom McIltrot may have it somewhere in their data base.

For years I've said that I was going to do a DVD on hand lettering, but like most of the stuff I plan, I never get around to actually doing it. I guess it may be needed more than I realize.

Note to self: DO the DVD.

[erik winkler]

Raymond,

If you make a clear dvd I will buy one!
Questions for a newby that could be handled:
1. What is it with all these different brushes? And what do the different kind of hairs mean?
2. What brush for what kind of work.
3. How can I recognize a brush it name by it's shape in dry and in wet (full of paint)?
4. What kind of paint forwhat brushes (waterbased, enamel etc.)?
5. Put a lefthand technique in for me
6. How to prepare the paint so that it is ready for lettering, or any other kind of decorative work.
7. make the dvd in different topics so that you can forward to each chapter.
8. No monotone voice with the background dialoque!
9. maybe a reverence print on livesize so that the student can put it behind glass to copy it?
10. Lot's more questions a newby would like to know, that for an experienced handletterer is plain and simple are in my head f you want.

If you are ready, put it on your new website!
I looked around a lot for these kind of tutorials.....

[Raymond Chapman]

Thanks for the suggestions, Erik. Those have already been considered, except for the left handed stuff - that might be hard to do since I'm right handed. I learned most of what I know from a left handed sign painter and had to convert to my way of doing it. That was probably a good thing because I had to think more about what was actually being done.

Back in 1984 I did an article on Brushes for Signs of the Times magazine and they made that available for a number of years as a separate booklet, but I don't think that is done now. Mack Brush Company mentioned that they may pick that up and make it available but I don't know if they did or not.

I'll try to keep from being monotone.

[erik winkler]

Maybe the guy who did the Walldogs DVD can help out here?
http://www.mccoystudios.com/walldogs/

It will look professional, but i hope it wont cost to much to start up....
Let's ask him.

[Raymond Chapman]

Just what would you consider too much?

Kinda sounds like our customers who come to us and want a first class sign but don't want to spend any money.

What is 50 years of lettering experience worth? If you can learn something with which you can make a living for years to come, what is that worth to you?

What is a college class tuition running these days?

Not meant to ridicule, just to compare apples to apples.

[erik winkler]

Noooooooo Raymond.
I did not mean the price of a dvd.
But the amount of money you would have to invest to get a professional (DVD maker) to make the movieclips and put together a good quality dvd for you.
I am one who knows that education is priceless.

I allready ordered one of your upcomming DVD three posts earlier.
Can't wait anymore!

[Raymond Chapman]

Sorry Erik, I misunderstood what you were saying.

I have my own professional video camera and editing equipment, so it will all be done in-house.

Now, all I have to do is to do it.

[erik winkler]

Yes!

This will be great!
Can not wait looking at all those different Chapman chapters.

[Ted Cooper]

http://www.waynetanswell-signwriter.co.uk/page13.htm

I haven't seen this dvd,so I can't comment on the content/quality,but,he does have good reputation for quality work.

[Mike Faig]

Mr Chapman, pencil me in for one copy.

[Doug Bernhardt]

Oui Monsieur Raymond.....sounds like something that should be done. I also have a video camera and have been experimenting with a similar idea with a good friend/business partner. We tried one out to see the pitfalls and get some experience last year. I found the most difficult part just having a camera and mic following me around for three weeks.....he found finding good editing software a challenge and then plowing through hour and hours of excess.