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new guy. have a few questions

Hand Lettering topics: Sign Making, Design, Fabrication, Letterheads, Sign Books.

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Chad_Marshall
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Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2010 9:51 pm

new guy. have a few questions

Post by Chad_Marshall »

Did my first hand painted sign over the weekend. A pair of signs for my lawn trailer.

I used One Shot for the lettering and one small graphic. Used an all purpose primer then two coats of exterior latex on wood. I don't remember the type of wood. Wasn't very expensive. I was told that any wood would be suitable as long as it is painted. I'm going for a sign that will last a couple of years outdoors.

Are there certain paints that should be used when preparing a piece of wood when One Shot is going to be used?

Are all One Shot paints supposed to be opaque? The black worked great, but I had some trouble with the Emerald Green. It was kind of watery even after mixing it up. Maybe it was just the brush I was using.

How can I learn free hand lettering? I used a projector to lay out most of the sign, but did a little bit of free hand lettering and it didn't look so great.

Thanks in advance.
Mike Jackson
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Re: new guy. have a few questions

Post by Mike Jackson »

Hi Chad,
Lots of people use latex paint as backgrounds, especially when hand lettering over it. Plywood works, but it is not usually what is recommended as the surface can burr and peel. MDO (Medium Density Overlayed Plywood) is usually preferred over regular plywood. Now, there are lots of aluminum covered substrates being used by a lot of shops.

One Shot black is always a good covering paint. Emerald Green just happens to be one of the worst. Primrose Yellow is often a transparent paint color, too.

There are some hand lettering basics on this page of our site:
http://www.theletterheads.com/lhparts/lettering.html

If you can attend a Letterhead meeting where people are hand lettering, you will learn a lot quickly.

Good luck,
Mike Jackson
Mike Jackson / co-administrator
Golden Era Studios
Vintage Ornamental Clip art
Jackson Hole, WY

Photography site:
Teton Images
Jackson Hole photography blog:
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BruceJackson
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Joined: Mon Sep 06, 2004 7:28 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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Re: new guy. have a few questions

Post by BruceJackson »

You can paint lettering using either acrylic paint or the traditional oil-based paints like one-shot.

They feel different in the brush. Water-based acrylic paints tend to give you less feedback of the feel of the brush but I find it much quicker to write with them. Oils pull on the brush more and lend themselves to more precise work and are typically used on glass and vehicles.

Get yourself a good signwriting brush. It makes it so much easier to use the correct brush. Practice strokes and curves and corners. Don't worry about speed initially. Concentrate on getting used to the feel of the brush so that you can consistently produce clean, neat strokes and letter shapes. The ability to write both quickly and accurately only comes after lots of practice.
David Slade
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Joined: Sat May 23, 2009 7:01 am
Location: Osaka, Japan
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Re: new guy. have a few questions

Post by David Slade »

Welcome Chad!
Lettering quills is these folks word for brushes. Look for them on sites like Letterhead Sign Supply and Mack Brush. The descriptions will give you a feel for whats what. Also, One Shot needs thinning to look good. You would think that thick paint would cover better but it is not always true. Experiment.

Check out the "List of Sign Related Books (some out of print)" on this forum too. Good Luck!!
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