| Author | Content |
greenhouse_gal
Port Elizabeth, NJ
(Zone 7a)
April 02, 2009
03:24 PM Post #6355494
| I hate to letter, but sometimes we need signs around the place. So what I usually do is come up with a font I like on my Mac and enlarge it greatly, change the style to "outline," (this is in AppleWorks; I can't figure out how to do that with Word) and then print it out, copy it with tracing paper, and then transfer the letters by pencilling heavily on the flip side of the tracing paper and then drawing over them on the surface I'm going to paint them on. This time I wanted a rustic looking sign for my garden, but I found that the texture of the wood was too rough to accept the traced pencil lines. Is there another way to accomplish this, I wonder? |
ecrane3
Dublin, CA
(Zone 9a)
April 02, 2009
09:04 PM Post #6356963
| Are you comfortable free-handing it? If you're looking for rustic, the less perfect free-hand lettering would probably look better than perfectly traced letters. |
greenhouse_gal
Port Elizabeth, NJ
(Zone 7a)
April 02, 2009
10:23 PM Post #6357371
| No, I hate freehanding! That's why I resort to computer fonts as templates. Unless you're very proficient, most free-hand lettering looks clumsy and amateurish. It's also hard to retain the same distance between letters and keep them the same size, at least to the point where they look attractive rather than messy. And even when I trace them, by the time I'm finished painting the letters in they've lost a little of their static appearance so they don't look too mechanical.
I just can't figure out how to get the letters onto the wood. I guess I'll have to resort to a smoother board!
Leslie |
Kathleen
Panama, NY
(Zone 5a)
April 04, 2009
10:05 AM Post #6362994
| Give the area you want to letter a light sanding and use good old fashioned carbon paper. Another method used by crafters for generations is to perforate the letters and sprinkle cinnamon or very fine ash over the paper forcing the cinnamon, etc., through the perforations. |
greenhouse_gal
Port Elizabeth, NJ
(Zone 7a)
April 04, 2009
12:54 PM Post #6363581
| Those are neat ideas, Kathleen! I'll try the sanding and carbon paper and see where I get. I had an old boat seat that I was going to use instead, but it's shellacked and isn't nearly as nice.
I normally paint portraits and landscapes so this is way out of my comfort zone. |
greenhouse_gal
Port Elizabeth, NJ
(Zone 7a)
April 06, 2009
07:48 PM Post #6374546
| I found some sort of transfer material, which was just about exactly like carbon paper but more expensive, of course, at our local Michael's and managed to get the letters on the board and paint them. But there's not enough contrast between the color of the board and the color of the letters, and I'm not sure which way to go with it. Ideas?
By the way, the sign is only on the bench for purposes of the photo; it's going to hang above the entrance to the garden that faces the driveway.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
2vernes
Blytheville, AR
(Zone 7a)
April 06, 2009
11:00 PM Post #6375680
| I think you did a great job on the letters. Maybe you could outline each letter in a darker color and they will show up better. Or leave it like it is--they will still look good. Laverne |
greenhouse_gal
Port Elizabeth, NJ
(Zone 7a)
April 07, 2009
06:54 AM Post #6376445
| Thanks, Laverne! I'm trying to decide if I want to try a drop shadow or just an outline. A drop shadow would be easier - less fussy outlining! It's going to hang on a small arbor so it will be seen at some distance, and I'm afraid the letters will just merge with the background from there if I don't do something. Someone else suggested a lighter outline, too, so I may fool with it in Appleworks and see what looks better. |
Kathleen
Panama, NY
(Zone 5a)
April 07, 2009
07:20 AM Post #6376487
| I think a drop shadow would work well in a darker color. I think the most common mistake in making signs is to go light - it just doesn't show up well enough for people to read easily. |
greenhouse_gal
Port Elizabeth, NJ
(Zone 7a)
April 07, 2009
07:23 AM Post #6376493
| Kathleen, that's what I'm going to try. A friend suggested a touch of yellow in black to make a dark green. Thanks! |
greenhouse_gal
Port Elizabeth, NJ
(Zone 7a)
April 07, 2009
09:09 PM Post #6379908
| And ta-dah! Here's the sign. I think it's a lot better now.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
2vernes
Blytheville, AR
(Zone 7a)
April 07, 2009
10:51 PM Post #6380425
| Beautiful----now tell us the translation. Even though I don't understand the words, they are lovely. The only thing I speak is southern English. Laverne |
greenhouse_gal
Port Elizabeth, NJ
(Zone 7a)
April 08, 2009
06:30 AM Post #6381154
| Laverne, it says "Welcome to Our Kitchen Garden," 'potager' being the word for that. "Potage" is French for "soup," and the French often have a small garden either next to their house or in a separate community plot where they grow vegetables three or four seasons around, depending on what grows during each period, and they tend to eat according to what's available fresh, rather than preserving a lot of food for winter or buying things at a supermarket from Chile or Africa. They go out to their garden each day to see what's ready to be picked, and then plan their meals around that. Cabbage is a very popular item and a lot of what they grow does go into soups, hence the name. They also tend to grow both vegetables and flowers in the same area, so the term has come to mean an attractive garden with delights for the eye as well as the stomach.
There's a thread in the gardening section on "Who Has a Potager?" and that's what it's referring to. When we were in France a couple of years ago we really admired those gardens! |
Kathleen
Panama, NY
(Zone 5a)
April 08, 2009
06:49 AM Post #6381184
| Very nicely done - that was just the touch it needed. |
greenhouse_gal
Port Elizabeth, NJ
(Zone 7a)
April 08, 2009
07:16 AM Post #6381240
| Thanks, Kathleen! Your suggestions worked beautifully!
An artist friend just suggested a little more yellow in the letters to increase the contrast, but I think I'm just going to leave it as is. I may spray it with polyurethane to protect it against the weather, but I'm not sure if that would make a big difference. I want to get it up already! |
swissy
Laurentians - Quebec, QC
(Zone 4b)
April 09, 2009
11:22 AM Post #6386436
| Leave it as it is: Lovely Welcome sign for the Vegi garden...
Quelle bonne idee, merci. |
Kathleen
Panama, NY
(Zone 5a)
April 09, 2009
01:11 PM Post #6387134
| the poly might help keep the paint on the board a little longer.
I, too, like it the way it is. |
greenhouse_gal
Port Elizabeth, NJ
(Zone 7a)
April 09, 2009
03:56 PM Post #6387871
| Merci, Swissy! J'ai cru que c'était une bonne idée moi-même! Et puis j'aime beaucoup le concept d'un potager.
I used a Minwax water-based protective coating for the whole thing, so it made the wood darker. I also accented the letters a little more with yellow. Here it is hanging:
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
swissy
Laurentians - Quebec, QC
(Zone 4b)
April 09, 2009
09:28 PM Post #6389250
| Beautiful sign hanging on the "Pergola"..Felicitation !
Like your greenhouse with the inviting touch of a relaxing place. Bonne chance et Bonjour de Quebec.
|
greenhouse_gal
Port Elizabeth, NJ
(Zone 7a)
April 10, 2009
06:53 AM Post #6390378
| Merci encore!
We used to have a large, shady nectarine tree to the left of the greenhouse, which made it even more inviting to sit there, but it seemed to be a real magnet for brown rot and we never got any fruit, so we sadly decided that it had to go! |
UniQueTreasures
Beaumont, TX
(Zone 8b)
April 14, 2009
11:01 PM Post #6411909
| I'm late to this sign painting "party", but just want to tell you that I enjoyed seeing your sign being created and love the explanation for the translation. I've learned something new today and can no go to bed. HAHAHA
Seriously...Thanks for sharing!
Janet |
greenhouse_gal
Port Elizabeth, NJ
(Zone 7a)
April 15, 2009
07:22 AM Post #6412713
| Thanks, Janet! I still wish it were more visible from the driveway; the Minwax darkened it and threw off the balance, but I guess I'll leave it alone for now.
When we went to France the first time we picked up a bunch of signs from a hardware store - "Attention Chien" (Beware of Dog), "Propriété Privée" (Private Property) and "Défense de Stationner - Sortie de Voitures" (No Parking - Cars Exiting) that we put around the place; the No Parking one was a joke because our kids always park in front of our garage and then we can't get out. So this potager sign fits right in. |
