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First Attempt

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

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Paul Jukes
Posts: 20
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 12:06 pm
Location: Kitchener Ontario, Canada
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First Attempt

Post by Paul Jukes »

Well here it is, my first alphabet. Any comments or constructive criticism are welcome.
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I found an old #6 Mack brush laying in oil in a locker along with several cans of 1 Shot and some mystery paint in a baby food jar which I used here. It worked just fine though I think I thinned the paint a little too much. I tried both maul stick and hand on hand for this and prefer a maul stick so far. I decided to do this on a vertical board because it just felt more comfortable than flat on a table.

My apologies to the letters B, G, S & X...
Paul Jukes
Kitchener Ontario, Canada
signsbyjukes.com
Larry White
Posts: 1213
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 4:18 am

Re: First Attempt

Post by Larry White »

You're a very brave man.


Appology accepted, you meant no harm.



.
James Warwick
Posts: 43
Joined: Sun Mar 18, 2007 1:19 am

Re: First Attempt

Post by James Warwick »

Larry is right !! You are a very brave man.
My guess is you have had some practice.
I would carry your brushes anytime. Nice Job.......

Trade secret from the hills of Ohio. Place Scotch tape above and below the letters to square the corners.
Patrick Mackle
Posts: 478
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 10:21 am
Location: Monrovia, Ca.
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Re: First Attempt

Post by Patrick Mackle »

I have a question. Are you beginning to learn hand lettering with enamel sign paint, or tempera water color?
Back in sign arts class(1972), I began hand lettering with tempera colors and red sable brushes. I believe it is better to begin with water colors
for several reasons. First, there is less of a load on the brush, so you can really see what the brush is doing, and by watching the hairs adjust as you make your strokes you will greatly learn how to "chisel" your beginning and ending strokes to achieve nice square block letters without placing down tape. I see antique signs where the painter actually accentuated this chisel effect to make the characters appear very sharp and crisp.
Other reasons are simply time savers like, less time thinning and faster clean up. Also and no paint fumes.
Pat
Paul Jukes
Posts: 20
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 12:06 pm
Location: Kitchener Ontario, Canada
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Re: First Attempt

Post by Paul Jukes »

To Larry and James, thanks for the replies. I'm not trying to win any medals, just to get some feedback. This really is my first try lettering. I've heard the tip about using tape and I should try it out but I'd like to not have to depend on it.

Patrick, I was using lettering enamel here. Just what happened to be around. I was going to try and get some new brushes tomorrow so maybe I'll pick up some water colours for practice as well. Thanks for the suggestion.
Paul Jukes
Kitchener Ontario, Canada
signsbyjukes.com
David Slade
Posts: 104
Joined: Sat May 23, 2009 7:01 am
Location: Osaka, Japan
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Re: First Attempt

Post by David Slade »

Looks good enough to read!

My suggestion is try making some signs that will be actually used at your business or as gifts for your family. The added pressure helps.

Good luck Paul the Brave!
Jason Beardsley
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Nov 24, 2010 2:26 am
Location: scarborough. uk

Re: First Attempt

Post by Jason Beardsley »

The first step on a long road.
I (whoever I am) would suggest staying away from tape. It teaches you nothing. You need to be able to see the letter shapes as you form them. Neatness will come with practice.
Use enamel. You wont be painting many signs with water color. My missis wants a dog, so i've borrowed a goldfish to see how she gets along with pets.
Use long length / signwriters length sable brushes. Are they harder to use than shorter brushes? I don't know. If they are, the payoff is miles and miles of stroke on a single load. Use them and don't question them. Practice.
Lastly, teach your self to teach your self. Now you have apologised to letters B,G,S & X...... buy them flowers and take them out to dinner.
Well done.
Good luck.
That is all.
BruceJackson
Posts: 251
Joined: Mon Sep 06, 2004 7:28 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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Re: First Attempt

Post by BruceJackson »

not bad for a first go. Good on you.

I suggest practicing basic strokes as a first stage....just do a whole lot of strokes...verticals, horizontals, diagonals, and half-circle curves, both left and right. The aim is to get a clean, even line of consistent width.

The next stage is practicing corners...do a vertical stroke and then do a connecting horizontal stroke, concentrating on getting a clean sharp 90 degree corner. To do this, you twist the brush slightly. You have four corners to master...top left, top right, lower left and lower right.
Bob Ficucell
Posts: 32
Joined: Thu Oct 07, 2004 1:47 pm

Re: First Attempt

Post by Bob Ficucell »

Hey Patrick,
Sidebar you wrote <Back in sign arts class(1972) I notice you too are in So Cal., did you go to L.A.T.T. for sign graphics?
I did from 67-69 Bob
Bob Sauls
Posts: 61
Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 4:10 pm

Re: First Attempt

Post by Bob Sauls »

Paul you are doing well. I never just practiced the strokes but should have. We are proud of you.
learning to control the brush can also be learned by painting full bodied letters too not just the one stroke.
Twist those hairs up into the corners and sort of sneak up to your edges. You will get the feel of it.
I hope you have access to some of the books that demonstrate the strokes, where to begin them which direction to twist, You'll find they are commonsense, universal and few in number to form all of the letters.
I'll admit I learned slowly without a brush mentor, I wished I had had a better understanding of the basics rather than learning and unlearning by trial and error.
Paul Jukes
Posts: 20
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 12:06 pm
Location: Kitchener Ontario, Canada
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Re: First Attempt

Post by Paul Jukes »

Thanks for all the great feedback and suggestions everyone.

I have three Christmas gift projects I'm working on which will be good practice.

I just ordered a few new brushes which I'm looking forward to trying out. They're Grey squirrel hair Mack brushes (189L) and an Xcaliber Striping brush. Jason, I've heard a lot of people (mostly from the UK) recommend sable brushes. Are you referring to Red sable or Kolinsky Sable?
Paul Jukes
Kitchener Ontario, Canada
signsbyjukes.com
Jason Beardsley
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Nov 24, 2010 2:26 am
Location: scarborough. uk

Re: First Attempt

Post by Jason Beardsley »

Which are the cheapest? I'm a sucker for marketing and i do plan on getting a Kolinsky Sable or two in the new year (if Apple made an iBrush i would get that). To be honest, that name has only been on my radar this last year or so. Really, just stay away from synthetic. For me its all about getting sufficient paint in the brush to get me to the end of a stroke without worrying about reloading. A little snap at the end of the stroke is the icing on the cake. Any long length sable will give you that. Once your far enough along to tell what time of year those furry little sables were born, you can start selecting which part of the animal your hair is harvested from.
Paul Jukes
Posts: 20
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 12:06 pm
Location: Kitchener Ontario, Canada
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Re: First Attempt

Post by Paul Jukes »

I'm no brush expert just going by what is written on Mack's website. Apparently Red sable is from a type of weasel, it varies greatly in quality and is generally cheaper. Kolinsky is from mink and is supposed to be the best, most expensive and apparently most difficult to find.

Most of the brushes they sell seem to be various types of squirrel hair.
Paul Jukes
Kitchener Ontario, Canada
signsbyjukes.com
BruceJackson
Posts: 251
Joined: Mon Sep 06, 2004 7:28 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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Re: First Attempt

Post by BruceJackson »

I can't help but take the bait....

If Apple made an ibrush, it would look pretty, but would only work with ipaint, which you could only buy from from an ipaintshop.

As for hair...squirrel is softer. It strokes nicely but it flops with a full load of paint. Sable, whether it be either Kolinsky, Chinese or Red, has a nice combination of flex/springiness and softness.

Don't get too caught up in having to have the best and longest Kolinsky sable. I love my Raphael Kolinsky sable pencils, but I can still paint quite happily with a budget-priced alternative. And while length is good for long strokes and painting outlines, sometimes a short brush can be flicked around more easily for small lettering, such as names on honor boards.
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