posted
just wanted to introduce myself before i go chewing on your ears. my name is mitch, i'm a 31 year old mechanic from hawthorne, california, getting married in 2 weeks, i'm heavy involved in my church, way into old cars and racing, been fascinated by sign painters and lettering since my early youth, having grown up at southern california drag strips looking at all of the wonderful work. had an opportunity to actualy sit and watch feinberg, who has been lettering our race cars for 30 years, letter a few vans for us at the shop last year and i was mezmerised. been itching since.
started pinsrtiping in eanest this summmer and i'm to a place where i'm comfortable enough to start expanding, experimenting and getting paid, but ultimately i know my work will never get to the level i want it to until i get proficient at lettering, so here come the questions......
i need to be pointed in a direction as far as getting started with the lettering basics. i have a #2 virus, #1 swirly-q and a #1, 4 and 8 mack lettering quills. i've been experimenting getting used to the feel of the brushes, but i'm lacking any direction into the rudiments. where does a guy start. i have a voracious appetite for instructional books and for practicing, so what say you??
any input is appreciated, thanks for letting me waste your time!!!
-------------------- Mitch 'MAS' Maciel 'MAS' Line Design Hawthorne, CA "MAS means more!" Posts: 16 | From: Hawthorne, CA | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Go to a letterhad meet. You'll learn more than you could ever imagine. There ia a MicroMeet going on this weekend I think with some of the masters I think in Pentaluma (sp?).
-------------------- Amy Brown Life Skills 101 Private Address Posts: 3502 | From: Lake Helen, FL, USA | Registered: Feb 2001
| IP: Logged |
""Good judgment comes from experience; and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" - Will Rogers Posts: 3489 | From: Beautiful Newaygo, Michigan | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
Amy hit it on the head. Get to a letterhead meet. It's a lot easier to do by having someone show you then try to explain to you. And your first meet will change your life.
-------------------- Chris Welker Wildfire Signs Indiana, Pa Posts: 4254 | From: Indiana, PA | Registered: Mar 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
Hi Mitch - welcome to the world of Letterheads. I too, would encourage you to attend a meet, but until then here is a link to get you started - http://www.theletterheads.com/lhparts/lettering.html - if you google the words hand lettering you should find lots of info. and books. The most important thing is to practice, practice, practice - I have had it suggested to me that I put a template (photocopy of hand lettering) under glass and get used to handling the brush and the flow of the letters for starters. Truth be told, as much as I'd love to hand letter, I haven't found the time to put in to become proficient at it, so I can't really say anything, but maybe this will get you started.
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Hey mitch, take an old window, clamp it into a "Workmate" and draw guidlines on the back and start stroking lines, work on your tip edges and keeping it straight. Put lettering ideas you have seen and like, behind the glass, practice them over and over and over.then do it again, and again. Keep it fun, make a word everynow and then. When it's full scrape it off. Glass is very nice letter on.
Get Mike Stevens book "Mastering Layout"....Check out a Comic Book shop and look at the lettering styles and colors...go to the grocery store and look at the colors and layouts on the cereal boxes---candy---pop cases---potato chips---greeting cards---magazines.
draw out your ideas first..start with the basics......see you here in mazeppa July 5-9 International letterheads.it WILL change your life.......turn off this computer you are on NOW...and get LETTERING!!!
-------------------- Mike Meyer Sign Painter 189 1st Ave n P.O. Box 3 Mazeppa, Mn 55956
We are not selling, we are staying here in Mazeppa....we cannot re-create what we have here....not in another lifetime! SO Here we are!!!!!!!
DrCAS Custom Lettering and Design Saint Cloud, Minnesota
"Things work out best for the people who make the best of the way things work out." - Art Linkletter Posts: 6451 | From: Saint Cloud, Minnesota | Registered: Jun 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
thanks kelly for the website link! that was exactically what i was looking for! thanks to every one else for the warm welcome so far. hopefully i'll have a preview pic real soon of a sign i'm painting to auction off to help support one of my frequently visited web resources. (who here knows of the H.A.M.B.??) the background is already laid out, and i've been pinning down the lettering styles i think i can handle, now i'm gonna take a crack at lettering, then it will go to pinstripe heaven for a minute before i sign it. thanks again!
here's a pic of the first thing i ever attempted to letter on a whim. it's a vintage oil drain we've had here in the shop since before i was born. decided it needed a little face lift. feel free to give an opinion or critique....
-------------------- Mitch 'MAS' Maciel 'MAS' Line Design Hawthorne, CA "MAS means more!" Posts: 16 | From: Hawthorne, CA | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
I'll simply echo what everyone else said. You can expect to spend the rest of your days learning...what an adventure! I would suggest you subscribe to Signcraft if you don't already. They have been one of my greatest sources of learning over the years.
Now then, the photos of your first attempt...great. Oh, yeah, there's room for improvement, but for a first? Man, I wish some of my first stuff had looked remotely as good. Keep it up!
Jack "Did I spel that write?"
-------------------- Jack Keith Keith Signs and Graphics 12400 Stemmons Drive Cabool, MO 65689 Posts: 131 | From: Cabool, MO | Registered: Feb 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Welcome Mitch. You're lucky to be taking up the craft in this age of internet communication where you can be informed of all the big and small Letterhead meets going on all the time. You'll learn more in 2 days at a live meet than you would in 6 months as an apprentice in a sign shop back in the day. Unlike the old geezers haunting those shops, these Letterhead geezers are actually willing to TEACH you something.
Ok, here's my big advice - Get a stabillo pencil. The number 1 rookie mistake I see made is not having a clear guide of the letter form they're trying to learn. Whether repainting over old signs, filling in a drawn layout, or trying to match an example from a photograph, know where you're trying to go and use as many layout lines as you need.
There are 2 main types of brush lettering to conquer. There's freeform stroking like scripts and casuals (& striping), and there's precision stroking like block types & romans whete you have to make nice sharp corners and exact curves. They require different sets of disciplines, different mixures of paint, and different attitudes.
To me the precision style is easier because it's more mechanical while the freeform takes a Zen-like balance of controlled chaos that often eludes me. Best way to learn either in my opinion (aside from the live meet thing) is to surround yourself with excellent examples. You can teach yourself with enough trial & error but there's no need to suffer through that. Come get a couple pointers. You'll not only meet seasoned pros, but others just starting too. What a blessing.
SONGPAINTER Original Sign Music by Sign People NOW AVAILABLE on CD and the proceeds go to Letterville's favorite charity! Click Here for Sound Clips! Posts: 1974 | From: Orleans, MA, Cape Cod, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
![[Applause]](graemlins/applause.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic