Preparing
your practice Boards
Use a 2' x 3'
sheet of poster board or Masonite.
For best results
use Masonite or hardboard: With a 3" roller, roll 2 light coats of white
oil-based primer on the board (let dry between coats).
Drawing guidelines to practice brush
strokes:
Place the 2'x3'
sheet of Masonite on a table. Looking at the horizontal sheet, measure
1" down from the top and draw a line across. Measure 3" down and draw another
line across. You should now have a 3" rectangle across the length of the
board for your letter strokes to fit in. This is known as the "line of
copy". Measure down 1" and draw another line the length of the board. Measure
3" down and draw a line across. Repeat this process until you have a series
of 3" rectangles across the length of the board with an inch between each
rectangle to produce multiple "lines of copy". (See diagram). |
 |
How
to load your brush with paint
Cut off the top
portion of a paper coffee cup (found in your local convenient store), with
a single edge razor blade. DO NOT USE STYROFOAM. The chemicals in
the paint will eat through the bottom. Basically you're cutting the rounded
edge off of the cup. Pour a few ounces of paint into the cup. With a "Gator
Aid" filled bottle of thinner, add a few drops to the paint. Dip the brush
into the paint up to the metal ferrule. Gently stir, then scrape the excess
paint from the brush hairs, using the cut edge of the cup. Flip the brush
over and gently scrape again. Leave about a ½" of paint on the tip
of the brush.
Learning
the Basic Strokes
Here are the sequences
of brush strokes you must practice.
Note: ALL STROKES
ARE MAINLY DOWN.
Click
on image for larger view.
Then print and
practice.
|
Click
here for video
To learn how to
paint
the basic Gothic
brush strokes.
|
Practice one full
line of vertical strokes, then one full line of diagonal strokes, and so
on, until practice board is full. Fill an entire board with horizontal
strokes, another with vertical strokes, and so on. Practice until your
brush strokes become almost second nature.
NOTE:
If you find that your brush is starting to pull slower,
add
a few drops of thinner to the cup of paint.
The
key here is to produce consistent strokes throughout the entire line of
letter strokes.
Remember as with
any trade or sport, "repetition is the mother of skill". The more
you practice, the easier it becomes. So don't get discouraged if your brush
strokes aren't perfect the first time you try to paint!
HERE'S
A TIP!
When starting a curved stroke, use a light pressure.
When
approaching the end of a curved stroke, lighten up on the pressure as you
end the stroke!
NOTE: When drawing
curved strokes, slightly twist brush while pulling brush stroke.
Be sure to reload
brush with paint before starting next stroke.
Pay close attention
to the amount of pressure you are applying to each stroke.
Note: ALL STROKES
ARE MAINLY DOWN.
Note: To clean
your brushes after painting dip your brush in a cup of paint thinner. Work
the thinner through the hairs and down into the ferrule or metal casing
of the lettering brush. Dip brush hairs into a little "Motor Oil". Work
the oil thoroughly into the hairs. This will keep the brush soft until
the next use. Remember this is one of the most important aspects of keeping
your equipment in good working order!
You
must master these basic strokes before attempting to paint any style of
lettering!
Trying
to paint a letter without knowing the correct order of numbered sequences
in a specific letter will distort your lettering and possibly destroy your
willingness to learn more.
If your brush
strokes are basically straight and consistent, please move to the next
step: connecting the brush strokes to form actual letters.
Connecting
the Basic Strokes to form actual letters.
Lettering is just
a series of connected brush strokes.
Note: ALL STROKES
ARE MAINLY DOWN.

|
Click
here for video
To learn how to
connect the basic
Gothic brush strokes
to form letters.
|
This means you
have mastered basic brush control: the skill most needed in HAND LETTERING.
...GOOD
WORK!...
Now
continue to LESSON #2 - Mastering The 4 Basic Letter Styles!
|