I recently volunteered to paint a wall sign for a local teen music venue and today was the day to make good on my promise. So I dug out these OLD brushes and cleaned two of them. These brushes are called "fitches" and some of them are probably 30 years old. I can't tell you who they really belong to, because in a sign shop no one really owns the fitches; they just belong to the shop. (Now quills are a different story; NOBODY shares their quills. In fact I used to put a dab of pink paint on the end of mine so none of the men would want to use them.) I can't remember the last time I even painted a wall sign - that's what it's called when you paint letters directly on someone's building - but it had to be a long long, time ago, because those brushes were filthy.
Next I made a paper pattern and perforated it. In the old days we would have hand drawn the letters on the paper, but I used the computerized plotter.
Then bright and early Teen2 and I got to the jobsite and hauled our stuff up onto the canopy of the building. Working on a canopy is pure luxury - you have a wide stable work area and you can drip paint and no one knows! We taped the pattern up on the first side, pounced it, and got to painting by 8:00am. My helper looks happy, doesn't she?
The making of a "Wall Dog" typically starts with the helper doing the heavy lifting and filling in behind the journey
manwoman. Teen2 is good with a brush and caught right on to the painting, but she's a little nervous about moving the ladders around up there. But here it is 8:15 and she's still happy!
We were really hot even though it was only 9:30 when we finished the East side. Thank goodness the other sign faced North.
On the second side we decided to work from right to left; it doesn't make any difference when you have an exact pattern, so here she is finishing up the last letter at 11:20 and she still looks happy! I guess my little "Wall Puppy" could turn into a "Wall Dog" someday; I'd be so proud.
Here's the finished product. Not exactly the font I would have chosen, but the customer is always right, even when the sign is donated.
I recently volunteered to paint a wall sign for a local teen music venue and today was the day to make good on my promise. So I dug out these OLD brushes and cleaned two of them. These brushes are called "fitches" and some of them are probably 30 years old. I can't tell you who they really belong to, because in a sign shop no one really owns the fitches; they just belong to the shop. (Now quills are a different story; NOBODY shares their quills. In fact I used to put a dab of pink paint on the end of mine so none of the men would want to use them.) I can't remember the last time I even painted a wall sign - that's what it's called when you paint letters directly on someone's building - but it had to be a long long, time ago, because those brushes were filthy.
Next I made a paper pattern and perforated it. In the old days we would have hand drawn the letters on the paper, but I used the computerized plotter.
Then bright and early Teen2 and I got to the jobsite and hauled our stuff up onto the canopy of the building. Working on a canopy is pure luxury - you have a wide stable work area and you can drip paint and no one knows! We taped the pattern up on the first side, pounced it, and got to painting by 8:00am. My helper looks happy, doesn't she?
The making of a "Wall Dog" typically starts with the helper doing the heavy lifting and filling in behind the journey
We were really hot even though it was only 9:30 when we finished the East side. Thank goodness the other sign faced North.
On the second side we decided to work from right to left; it doesn't make any difference when you have an exact pattern, so here she is finishing up the last letter at 11:20 and she still looks happy! I guess my little "Wall Puppy" could turn into a "Wall Dog" someday; I'd be so proud.
Here's the finished product. Not exactly the font I would have chosen, but the customer is always right, even when the sign is donated.
2 comments:
Nice to see this, good work!
Check out the Ghostsigns Project from the UK.
awesome! what a cool service to give of yourself!
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