The meet really was wonderful.
It was refreshing to see so many younger folks keeping the craft alive.
Scott Jordan (John's grandson) is going to be a force to be reckoned with.
I was lucky enough to learn the art (well sort of learn) of painting narrow boat roses.
My easel mate, Tim Bird, was being ...

Do you mean the Super-Gloss Tinting Clear #4006?
If so, it seems to be as scarce as hen's teeth.
I don't mean the UV clear in the white can, this stuff has a yellow label.
It seems to only come in a pint size, wish it was sold as a half-pint.
At this point I would settle for any amount!
I have only ...

Hi.
After seeing a picture of Al Zanetti painting a large single letter with an intriguing looking grid behind it, I have been curious.
I have looked high and low for an alphabet made in this manner.
Today I picked up my copy of Signwork by Bill Stewart.
Lo & behold, it is in there, described as the ...

I used to get it from Pioneer Supply out of Pittsburgh PA.
They no longer carry it.
I guess it has gone the way of Sapphire Brush Oil.
I loved it too!
Wasn't it made in Germany?
Love....Jill

Hi folks.
Just a reminder that I am co-hosting a panel jam this summer with Stevo Chartrand.
It will be held at my uncle's bluegrass camp, off of I-80 Exit 42 in Lisbon, PA.
He has electric hook-ups for motor homes and there is a pavillion with a stage, a gazebo, showers, and real flush toilets! All ...

Keith, I feel your pain.
That customer sounds like one I have been trying to get rid of for 2 years.
Luckily, the last time he wanted a big sign in a hurry, I told him that I would need all the cash up front, and I quoted him about $200 more just because he was a pain in the butt. (I had been warned ...

Tod, I can't wait for this meet.
If it's anywhere near as good as 1994,
well, it's just gonna be a good one.
If there is anything that I can do to help,
just ask.
I know that hosting an International is a BIG job!
Love....Jill

It is strange how vividly you can recall even what music you were listening to while you hand-lettered a particular sign.
There is no better or finer feeling than when I get that rare day when everything flows perfectly and what falls out of my brush looks exactly as I had envisioned it.
I can also ...

That is a nice little tip, Jeffrey P!
Easy to remember too.
Every once in awhile, I have a blank moment.
And nothing looks worse than a "backwards" letter!
Thanks.
Love....Jill

Robin,
This is a really good idea for fledgling hand-letterers.
So many times at meets I see people who have the best of intentions just struggling.
This would be a way of training both your hands and your eyes.
Many times newbies want to just mince along, outlining then filling in,
whereas your ...

....a good method until your kids discovered that ball of string in your kit and decided to snip off a hank to play Cat's Cradle.....
Thanks for the tidbit. Sometimes we forget those simple little tricks.
Love.....Jill

Thanks again.
Looking at that Dick Blick site put me in mind of my art school days...
oh the memories! Now I'm feeling all creative.
Am just about to use this method on actual-factual ALL PAINTED signs!
(customer grew up near an old sign painter and loved to watch him work)
Bill, I do know how to ...

:wink:
Thanks for the replies!
Roderick, I would kill myself with an Electro-Pounce, for I am very clumsy.
I did use one @ Mike Meyer's place long ago, and it both terrified and impressed me.
I also don't like all the dust from pouncing.
Mike, I'm gonna find some of that Saral stuff! I just dread ...

I do use pounce patterns, done the old way. I don't have an Electro-Pounce and that is probably a good thing, because I would look like Phyllis Diller! I also like to project, but sometimes that is not an option.

I learned this method from my Scottish friend Catherine Foster. It can be nice if you ...

Mike,
I have seen this technique at meets too, and it does produce some pretty panels.
I also like to experiment with a spray bottle of water, spritzing a panel, then spray-painting in either direction across the water globules to get an interesting effect. This can be done with either regular spray ...

:cry:
Mike I hope those three options are not the only choices.
I don't post that much here because even after 19 years of making signs,
I feel woefully inadequate to give advice on the types of signs done by
most of the regulars here. They are way out of my realm.
I tried to start a few topics, I ...

Catharine Kennedy inspired me to find these on Google.
Thought that they were worth sharing!
I dare each one of you to paint them. Love...Jill
:mrgreen:

Although initially you may find it fascinating that the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog, the excitement wears off pretty quickly. For ...

:(
That is just so terrible!
If I understand correctly, this was a "practice" piece for you and not for a customer, so there is no rush in replacing it, which I suppose is one positive thing.
And think of all you learned by making it.
Please don't let this deter you from future glass work.

I love ...

Catharine, I wish I could post pix of the 2 beautiful sets of carved letters that you just sent me!
Thanks again!
Love...Jill

I saw that too but was afraid to mention it.
Love...Jill

Mike, as administrator, isn't it your duty on here to make posts?
I read everything that you write, and I respond when I feel qualified to.
This is a different kind of forum for some of us.
I find it quite refreshing as I know that most of the members are hand-painters, or simply share the love of ...

:wink:
Another trick is measuring things on the fly.
Yes I know I'm supposed to carry a tape measure everywhere but I often forget.
I even had one on my keychain till one of the kids gleeped it.
But if you ever find yourself on an estimate without a measuring device,
a rule of thumb is that a ...

Thanks for the quote, Mike.
I see so many distortion-happy Corel effected signs that it really bugs me.
There are signs out there with little or no contrast, or with glaring mismatches of color.
(I wonder how these people dress...do they mix plaids and checks?) They waste all their bells and ...

When painting, if you happen to make a mistake or a drip:
Wrap your finger in a clean rag (or your T-Shirt)
Rub it in the corner of your nose (not up it)
Use the oils from your skin to wipe it up.
It doesn't hurt the substrate and it really works!
Sometimes when I get a drip, I turn it into a star ...

I am fresh back from Pat Welter's Paint the Prairie meet in Unity, Saskatchewan.
I think it was my 20th meet in the 10 years that I've been attending them.
Talk about passion.
It was the most ego-free meet that I have ever been to. We were all bonded together through the simple love of painting a ...

I am lucky enough to get to handletter at least once a week.
There is nothing more satisfying to me.
After 19 years at it, I still learn something every time I go to a meet or look at a good lettering book.
Sometimes my letter forms leave a lot to be desired, but I have had a few golden moments ...

:(
Unfortunately Hindsight is 20/20.
I never paint with anything other than 1-S or Ronan, so I stupidly assumed that masking would be OK with HOK. The rep said that the box says to do a test piece, but mine did not come in a box. Even my 20-year-old son said "Mom, he should have tested it". I just ...

Hi Danny.
This paintjob had been completed for at least a month before applying the mask. The masking/spraying of HOK was done indoors, and the mask was removed immediately following the paint job. (It actually lifted and crinkled during the paint process) Everywhere the masking touched the vehicle ...

I'm sorry Jay, but I would not recommend MacMask to my worst enemy.
I just cut a stencil job on it for a friend. Granted, he used House of Kolor paint and not 1-Shot, but the MacMask adhesive caused a bad reaction with the solvents in the HOK. It actually etched the basecoat/clearcoat finish on the ...