There was an older thread recently revived concerning the process by which you can make fresh lettering look old and worn out.Gator sent me a PM requesting some pointers on the process which I sent to him along with some pics of a car I had done awhile back. While the photos were reasonably good quality they really didn't show a step-by-step on how to do it.So as a result this thread was born.It will be a 2 part thread for reasons you will see(check out the last picture). I started out by selecting a piece of old aluminum sheeting I found while clearing an area in my shop so I could hang some new shelving.It's kind of thin and pretty beat up but it will do for a demonstration. I cut the sheet into three pieces,rounded off the corners(I really hate getting stabbed with them while working)and washed the surface with wax and grease remover. Laying it on my drafting board,I marked a vertical center line and taking my black Stabilo and ,wrapping a length of string around it,described an arc by holding the free end of the string at the bottom of my board.Moved it up a couple inches and swung another arc.I'm not being really precise here as far as dimensions go but doing an actual job you would be more accurate size-wise. I then draw two horizontal lines under the arc the same distance(roughly)apart as the arcs for my lower line of copy.A third line was added later to give it a bit more balance. I then take 1/4" masking tape and lay it along the lines I've just marked.This allows me to paint to the upper and lower edges of the letters quickly and it leaves a nice clean edge.I also show where I remove the tape where the round letters(C,G,J,O,Q,and S)are located as they have to extend slightly above and below the lines to make them look the proper size.If you make them so they just touch the line,they look smaller than the flat-edged letters. I then rough sketch the letters in to get my spacing(I make corrections as I paint)and start painting. A couple of notes on lettering in an arc.The porportions of the letter usually have to be slightly wider than normal and the arc should be fairly large.If not it is difficult to make the letters look right.When lettering make sure that the width at the bottom of the letter is slightly narrower than the top(on a top arc and vice-versa on a bottom arc)and that the center of each letter is at 90 degrees to the point where the arc was swung.If not the lettering will look crooked.Also keep the lettering font simple(maybe a small serif and NO Text or Script!). When you've finished the lettering,pull the tape and you have nice smooth edges top and bottom!You can then begin the outlining.I usually use a Jenson Swirly-Q for the outlining and sometimes the lettering too if it has a small enough stroke(in this case I used a slightly larger quill;I'm not sure of the size,maybe a 5). I also used the Swirly-Q to do a quick italic style 3rd line of copy in the outline color.You do this to isolate it from the main copy. With that done,I awitch to a medium gray to do the shading on the letters;again using the Swirly-Q.I normally wait until the lettering is dry to do this so as to get an accurate shade but this is just a demo. As for the color,I usually try to use a color that actually looks like a shadow rather than a heavy black shade. It makes it more realistic looking.For instance;gray works great for a white background;maroon for a red background,and so forth. The last picture in this series shows you what happens when you don't wait long enough.The lettering was just about ready to be antiqued but the outline was still wet when I attempted to remove some of the color resulting in a nice screw-up in the line.Not a problem as I can go back in(which I did)with the lettering color to cover it up. Part 2 will show the actual process of antiquing.The paint should be pretty close to set up by now,so I'll head out to the shop to finish the job.Hope you enjoy it. Ray
......yea.........nothing to it. I ought to be able to crank that out.....RIGHT! Folks, don't listen to him. I did and look at me now. I've got thousands of dollars worth of paint and brushes (Let me try one of THESE brushes....maybe IT will work for me?), practiced every day for over a year and STILL can't paint a straight line to save my life. This guy is a Wizard (a NICE one) and his brush is his magic wand. With a few brush strokes, he can turn a frog into a Prince. Just kidding. He is an amazing artist, a great teacher and one hell of a great guy. Thanks Ray!!
I'm like Skate fink, I got enough shit to do it with and about zero talent, just enough to get in trouble with! Safari makes it look to easy damn it!! Looking foward to following this one........
yea,i'm with these guys.you don't want to see me paint. just give me a welder and a mill any day. i like to watch talent at work. -danny
Ray, thanks for the pics you sent, and this thread. I'm gonna give it a try next time. My last job the customer was in a hurry to get to James Dean so I used the lacquer thinner / baby powder trick. (sounds like some kind of strange sex foreplay!) I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product. And I've been saying it wrong, I didn't know it rhymed with vagina!
Very cool Safari. Your work takes a lot of talent. Talent that I don't have....I gave up striping and lettering a year or so ago. Boy, I was enthused about it at first, but quickly realized that in many ways its easier to do picture stuff. The stuff I do. SkateFink, don't feel bad, you're in good company.
...and here I thought patina rhymed with Latina. Gee I feel more foolish than usual. Wait aminnit! MAYBE, I've been pronouncing Vagina wrong all these years. VAGEENA, LATEENA, PATEENA! Ahhh, now I got it! Nice LEETER'in BTW. jEEm
"Regina" rhymes with "Vagina" if you're in Saskachewan. In fact, I think everything rhymes with vagina in Saskachewan.
WHERES PART 2?!! cant wait. your work is RIGHT ON! i always look forward to your postings of work youve done.
The Jalopy Journal
