First Signs

[Marlena]

This is my very first sign project and I learned what I could from You Tube and reading some forums. I drew onto poster paper and pounced it to my signs. I primed with oil based primer and then painted the boards with oil based semi gloss paint. I used 1 Shot to hand letter thinned with Chromoflow.

I had a bit of a learning curve and early on, my plastic cup I mixed the paint in melted and it gummed up one of my letters and I tried to sand it smooth only to slightly ghost my backboard so then I had to remove the letter with mineral spirits and sand the board a little and go back over with my next coats of lettering enamel. Now I think the backboard looks a bit dull on that panel and I want to even out the sheen. I thought I could clear over but now I am freaked out thinking it may not be good to clear over because I did not add a hardener into the paint and I cannot get any response from 1 Shot tech yet about what to use but I was thinking of trying a Spar Varnish.

I read on her perhaps that I can use car wax to buff out the sheen. That would work for a while but how long does it take for exterior signage to get duller rather than glossy? Unsure about this possibility as well.

These signs will be exterior mounted to a building.

Also.....I have no idea what is a fair price for this work. One sign is 2 foot by 23 feet. One sign is 2 foot by 14 feet. One sign is 1 foot by 16 feet. I was 7 panels of MDO.

Is there someone here willing to advise me? Thank you so much in advance. Not the best photos but...this was taken with my cell phone before I put the 2nd coat of enamel into the borders.

 

[Billct2]

First be prepared for some less than flattering though perhaps helpful advice
I'm not going to comment on pricing but waxing may help even out the sheen.
I think it looks pretty good for your first hand painted sign. My biggest criticism would be your color choices. Your shades are way too dark, better no shade than the wrong one. From a distance the two colors will create an illegible blob

 

[player]

The red with the black spaced outline should be good, but the dark green with the black shadow will not be very legible.

Let the paint cure as long as possible before waxing. Try not to clear coat if possible.

 

[dlndesign]

I'd like to say great first attempt, just starting out and this is some pretty big panels. All painted by hand. I haven't done that side of the sign business but it sure must be rewarding once you finish a piece like this.

I'd have to agree that the green with the black drop shadow is going to be hard to read from any distance.

Next, how did you completely do this job without a deposit or knowing how much you should charge? I don't know what your materials costs were or your time, but you need to determine what your time is worth and how much of it you want to get paid for and what will go back into the business. Don't start off winging it, or flying by the seat of your pants, take a day and sit down and do your numbers, it will only help you decide what is worth your time and what isn't and its better to know that sooner than later.

Hope to hear about good things from you in the future.

http://www.cmykthis.com

 

[Signmaker1234]

Awesome first hand painted sign!

Great job!

 

[Gino]

Yes, outstanding for first hand-painted signs. As for the shadowing techniques lacking a good visual, don't worry about it. Light sources and color treatment are generally all learned by reading, being pointed out and just retaining a few basics. Post up a few more of these and within a week or two, you'll have all the pit-falls down pat.

Again, great job...... ​

 

[deegrafix]

What Gino said!

 

[rjssigns]

Very nice! Doesn't look like a first time job.


I have no idea what to charge though since I don't hand letter. Best bet is to private message one of the brush gurus here.

 

[Rick]

Agree with the same comments, one thing I noticed was your drop shadow... they are inconsistent (see pic)

 

[iSign]

should be in the $2 - $3K range in my opinion, but I also don't hand letter, so maybe that's too low...

I agree that this is awesome for a first time, and also agree that the green/black combo blurs together into illegible shapes, so I think you should consider fixing it. Maybe set it up where you can walk back 50' & see for yourself... then maybe you could just paint an ivory separation between the green and black (like on your red lettering) ..otherwise, a shadow trick I learned here is to be reminded that if a shadow fell on an ivory colored surface, a darkened shade of ivory is what you would get. If it's a simulated 3d extruded letter effect you are going for, then the letter sides can be whatever color you want, but for legibility it needs to be closer in value to the background, rather than the letter. Assuming you have good contrast between letter and background (like you do), this is a good rule of thumb.

 

[HDvinyl]

You should always charge more for original hand jobs.

 

[Gino]

This isn't really a protected area to discuss pricing, but iSigns's higher number is very close to what the signs are worth, had they had proper shadowing and prepping. As they are, about 1/2 that. Gotta live and learn.


As for learning the 'ins & outs' of shadowing, highlights and other fundamentals, perhaps you could start another thread asking about that sort of thing, rather than having people beat ya up on technicalities.

 

[Jillbeans]

They are better than the first signs I painted in 1980 for sure.
Here are some tips:
• Never use such strong shadows...try a nice grey or ivory for a white background
• Try not to use plastic cups...I always use unwaxed paper cups
• Ronan lettering enamel outlasts 1 Shot but I love me some Chromaflow.
• Never use mineral spirits...it reduces the shine. I use turpentine.
• Never do a sign without an established price and a deposit.
• No need to wax a sign
• No need to clear coat...as a painted sign ages it still retains its charm
I'm sure my pricing varies from yours due to regional differences, but for one 4'x8' hand painted sign on MDO I get about $450-$500 single-sided, uninstalled.
And as us old sign painters say, are you gonna read that sign or smell it? Nobody but you will notice the difference in sheen once it's up.
Welcome from Butler, PA
Love....Jill

 

[NateF]

I'm one of those guys who stops nearly every time I see hand-painted lettering and think, "Man, I'd love to learn how to do that". So, first of all, kudos on taking the plunge and learning to hand-letter. I'm sure it's slow, time-consuming, but rewarding in the end. Like any kind of design work, you'll learn from experience and I certainly don't have the experience to critique your design. But great start! I think I'm just a little jealous...

 

[Marlena]

Thank you

Thank you all so much. I appreciate all information obtained and absolutely didn't feel like anyone was beating me up. Lots of helpful information given. I am just a housewife and stay at home mom and I was asked to do this project so I took it on as a challenge and path to learning some new things. It was a big project to me and I am pretty happy with it knowing that it like anything else is a learn and practice and read and hear sort of thing. Everyone has to start somewhere and this as far as sign painting goes is my starting project. Could it be better, yes. Could it be worse. yes. Just like anything.....it is never mastered right out of the shoot. I am interested in learning some more and wonder where I can look for further knowledge about hand painted signs where I can learn at home. I really enjoyed the color in brush part and found that really relaxing. The size scale of this project was quite intimidating for me to think about at fist but once I got going, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I just wasn't even sure I could pull it off to begin with so I am pretty happy with them knowing this was my first project in this category to execute. Thank you all again and I look forward to learning some more and hopefully getting and sharing some more projects in this category.

 

[Billct2]

There are many good books on sign design and hand lettering. Mike Stevens "Mastering Layout" is a good place to start.
And actually large signs are easier to letter than small ones.

 

[SebastienL]

you should always charge more for original hand jobs.

 

[Cross Signs]

These are pretty darn Amazing for a first timer. Be proud of them, you'll learn the rules and regulations for shadows and colors quickly. Again, Nice job.

 

[Chuck Osborne]

If this your first sign, I would say great job. Colors, shadows, all the other stuff will come. Learning how to prep the boards is a art in its self.
I got to paint a 4x8 for Bond sign co. in Enid ok in 1974. Mr. Bond gave me some over flow work of his to see what I could do. He gave me the MDO,
and a layout. If I would have had any experience it would have been a piece of cake. The background came out great, the lettering not so much.
When I got it done his guys came and got the sign. When I called Mr. Bond he told me it looked like I painted it with tooth picks.
Needless to say, I didn't get paid for that job. My next job was a plumbers truck, It only took me three weeks to do it!
Everything will come with time and experience.

 

[TimToad]

Welcome to the brush pushers club. You will now be hooked for the next 40-50 years with financial success ranging from near poverty to comfortably middle class.

The sheer fact you gave it your all, did what you could in advance to to learn the basics deserves huge props.

On the pricing side, these turned out better than an amateur attempt, school project attempt or DIYer would have done, so don't financially short change yourself or more importantly the other bona fide signcrafters in your area. Let's not forget the folks in your area who have invested in equipment, brick and mortar locations and all the time and effort it takes to build a stable sign business. The other signmakers in your area can be one of your best resources for knowledge and inspiration and one of the quickest ways to isolate yourself from them is to undervalue your work because you think you're still learning.

While some may not embrace you right away or ever, the ones who truly care about the brotherhood of the brush, their community and the overall positive impacts good looking signs have on one's community will and they are the first place to look for help, advice and camaraderie.