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Clean up strokes

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

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Aaron Aziz
Posts: 36
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 2:08 am
Location: North Dakota (eastern)

Clean up strokes

Post by Aaron Aziz »

I was wondering if one of the vet's here would be willing to demonstrate on youtube video the basic strokes and touch up/clean up strokes that are shown on the pictures below.
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Bob Sauls
Posts: 61
Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 4:10 pm

Re: Clean up strokes

Post by Bob Sauls »

Aaron those clean up strokes in the diagram seemed confusing to me at first as well. the circles with arrows show the direction of rotation we employ as we are doing those strokes. just place the corner of the brush down then pull the stroke as you spin that same corner into the opposite corner finishing the cleanup. it is easier done than explained....too easy to over think this. with practice you will not have to think at all. Sorry I know that was no video.
Can I get an AMEN.
Lorenzo Petersson
Posts: 34
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2012 12:11 pm

Re: Clean up strokes

Post by Lorenzo Petersson »

Bob, that almost makes sense and i feel one step closer to figuring it out :)
Been struggling with this as well and as a southpaw its all backwards for me, curse my stupid choice of hand at infant age! My egyptian end strokes look mutated and ashamed.

Any input from a fellow left-handed mechanic on this topic would make me skip and prance!

I know there is no such thing as too much practice, i will figure something out myself eventually,

Edit:
On reverse i've been a heathen and onestroked it as best as i could and trimmed everything with razors after but yeah, that only one surface :)
Joe Morreale
Posts: 21
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2012 9:32 am

Re: Clean up strokes

Post by Joe Morreale »

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 on my horizontal strokes such as e's and h's I stroke the crossbar right to left. On b's and p's I make a short stroke on the top and then go all the way around to complete the loop. When I do round letters such as an o I start a little more to the left than a right hander and come almost all the way across the bottom.

It's all what works for you. Keep plugging away. Do a lot of free and casual stroking to develop character in your brush handling. Be relaxed. Keep your practice with strict rigid one stroke block lettering as well. Once you have complete control you will be able to follow any traced or pounced line perfectly.

25 years ago I was told by a shop owner that he wouldn't hire a left handed signpainter because they're messy and can't paint a script. I proceeded to paint a line of nice free flowing script with some one stroke block underneath it. He didn't hire me because my work made his look like n. Of course he had another reason but I knew his work and it was very generic and rough.
Lorenzo Petersson
Posts: 34
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2012 12:11 pm

Re: Clean up strokes

Post by Lorenzo Petersson »

Joe Morreale wrote: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 on my horizontal strokes such as e's and h's I stroke the crossbar right to left. On b's and p's I make a short stroke on the top and then go all the way around to complete the loop. When I do round letters such as an o I start a little more to the left than a right hander and come almost all the way across the bottom.

It's all what works for you. Keep plugging away. Do a lot of free and casual stroking to develop character in your brush handling. Be relaxed. Keep your practice with strict rigid one stroke block lettering as well. Once you have complete control you will be able to follow any traced or pounced line perfectly.

25 years ago I was told by a shop owner that he wouldn't hire a left handed signpainter because they're messy and can't paint a script. I proceeded to paint a line of nice free flowing script with some one stroke block underneath it. He didn't hire me because my work made his look like n. Of course he had another reason but I knew his work and it was very generic and rough.
That is some fantastic advice, i've tried the thing with doing the loop in a full stroke and it looks better and feels less fidgety! I'll try the other things tomorrow!
Mahlstick did a ton of improvement for me, best investment to date.

The relaxed part is what is what i put the most effort into now, being the boss of the brush is not the same thing as holding it tight apparently. Shoulders, elbow and wrist are ok, its just my hand that gets clumsy and stiff in finishes and twists and rolls.
Oh well, more practice, good thing its fun enough.

Sounds like the man was a pretty sad person, maybe in the end you were lucky to not have him as a boss?
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