Malcolm sent me a picture for the second sign that he wanted me to reproduce. It was a lot smaller than the first and had some colour in it, unfortunately the picture Malcolm sent me wasn't very big or very clear so I couldn't see too much detail or work out the proportions very well. I didn't want to try and produce an exact copy due to copyrights so this was going to be my own interpretation of that sign.
 |
| This is the photo of the sign Malcolm sent me, It's hard to see any real detail and it's difficult to work out any proportions, so I'll just have improvise and hopefully it'll turn out OK. |
 |
| I had some 6mm ply left over from the first sign, so I decided the sign was going to be 43" long x 23" high. The first job was to cut the board to size. |
 |
| Once the board was cut, it was sanded down prior to the priming. After 2 coats of primer with plenty of sanding down in-between coats the board was ready for the undercoat. (the bolster on the board was to stop the wind blowing the board off the workmate before it had dried) |
 |
| After the board had dried, I applied a brilliant white coat of undercoat. However once this had dried it showed all the imperfections still in the board. |
 |
| You can see how the undercoat highlights all the imperfections. Time to get the filler out and make good all those imperfections. |
 |
| Once the filler had dried overnight, the board was sanded down yet again before another coat of undercoat. |
 |
| Once the undercoat had dried, time to give the board a coat of gloss. Looking at the photo Malcolm sent me the background colour was an off white, so I mixed up a 'one off' colour using white enamel, with a drizzle of yellow, and a few drops of red. The enamel should not only be hard wearing but also help the colour stay vibrant for longer. |
 |
| Once the base coat was painted I left it to dry for 2 days. In the mean time I started to think about the wording and the positioning. Here you can see my scribble on what goes where. |
 |
| After the enamel had completely dried the first job was to mark out the border. Again looking at the photo Malcolm sent me, it dawned on me that there were no straight lines anywhere in the sign. The quickest and easiest way to draw a straight line is to hold the pencil between your fingers, then rest your little finger and ring finger on the edge of the board and simply run your hand down the edge of the board. After a little practice you will get a nice straight line. |
 |
| Once the border was drawn, it's time to apply the red enamel. |
 |
| Here the border has had one coat of red, but it will need a second coat. |
 |
| Second coat of red enamel on the border, what a difference a second coat makes. |
 |
| The sign is starting to take shape, and looks bright and colourful. |
 |
| Again I left the sign for 2 days to ensure the enamel was completely dry. Now it's time to start drawing out letters for the wording with constant referral to my scribbled notes. |
 |
| The size and spacing of the lettering is so important. I was taught to sign write many years ago, and this is how. The gap on 'X' should be the same distance for 'Y' and 'Z'. You will notice I have made the lettering uneven so the letters will be at differing heights. |
 |
| It is actually quite hard to use a pencil on enamel paint, maybe I should have used my Stabilo pencil that will write on any surface. |
 |
| I like to get the whole design laid out on the board before I start painting. Other sign writers paint as they go. |
 |
| The different fonts on the photo Malcolm sent me I didn't recognise, so it was a good time to practise my free hand writing. I like this sort of work as it lets me express my ideas. |
 |
| The wording was exactly as the photo, although the font's were different, making this as the other sign is, totally unique. |
 |
| Time to start painting. You can see the different height and width of the main letters. This was actually harder to create than wording of all the same size and width. |
 |
| The top line complete. The different height and widths of the lettering really stands out now. |
 |
| I did the same type of lettering for the second line. |
 |
| The third line was more traditional lettering, all being the same size and width. |
 |
| The quotation at the bottom of the sign was fun to paint, and was purposely made to look like it was free hand. |
 |
| The finished sign with the oak leaves and acorn design. I decided not to add more acorn designs as per the original as I thought it may look a little bit to 'Christmassy' with the colour choices. |
 |
| Both Laurel & Hardy signs finished for the memorabilia collection in Germany. So that was my commission for the Laurel & Hardy signs. They took a lot of time and thought but overall I have enjoyed producing these signs. |
