Lettering

[Andress1021]

How do i paint letters??. Im a beginner and I'm trying to paint name tag of a ship it has golden background but ver small black letters. No matter what i do black paint always drips down to the golden part. Is there a special brush, paint or technic? Any help is much appreciated thank you

[rickd13]

It is called dry brush technique. Get a very fine high quality brush and dip it in the paint. Then wipe the paint off the brush with a napkin or rag until most of the paint is off the brush. You then take the brush and go over the lettering. Try to go over the lettering at as much of an angle as you can, like almost parallel to the letters. The black paint should start to show just on the letters because they are slightly raised. You may have to go over the letters a few times to get them as dark as you want.

Edited May 24, 2013 by rickd13

[High octane]

Rather than paint the letters, I would get some lettering from a model railroad hobby shop or the railroad department in a hobby shop.

[Skip]

How small are your letters, inch size? You can use enamel paint to letter down to 1/8" with some practice, anything smaller requires lots of practice. Are you going over raised letters or trying to eyeball in the lettering onto the ship's hull?

First things first:

1. Find Stabilo colored art pencils either 8041 White or 8052 Blue - Light for light paint, dark for dark.

2. Get 3-0 and 2-0 detail brushes, natural hair decent quality brush - no camel hair you are going to pay $3 - $5 or more per brush.

3. Cut the very tip off of your brand new brushes off, just enough to make the tip straight across, eithr very sharp scissors, new razor blade

or new X-Acto blade, you are creating a chisle tip. If you can't visualize look up sign painters brushes.

4. While you are waiting for the Stabilo pencils to arrive because you ordered them or got them off evilbay. Grab a pencil and paper,

look up the font you intend use on the internet, start copying the font with pencil then felt tip until you begin to get proficient at it.

You should be ready after 100 to 300 reps with pencil then pen, it's all about building muscle memory. Once you can get the font to

look right you are now ready to begin practicing the font with brush and paint. Use an old magazine or plastic lid to pallette the paint

from, add just enough thinner to allow you to pull the line at least double the height of the lettering, for this amount it should only take

a drop or two from the brush. Practice lettering the font onto a flat surface like pastic sheet another larger plastic lid, until you get the

lettering the best that you can get it, try 25 times to begin with, if you need more 25 times more. Paint use regular Tester's square

bottle paint, thinner Tester's airbrush thinner. Use cheap thinner for clean up only.

5. Once you have the Stabilo pencils in your hot little hands, sharpen them to a very sharp point, take the ship's hull and lay it in an old

towel so the lettering surface is as flat and level as you can get it. Take the Stabilo pencil and layout the Hull Numbers, Ship's Name

etc.. Next paint the lettering onto the Ship's Hull just like you practiced, if you mess up use a little thinner to dampen a rag rub the

surface clean, dry and go for it again.

The other route to look into is "Dry Transfer Lettering" You can find it in both Black and White, they rub right on very little practice or

time involved. Cheaper than painting.

Hope this helps.

Edited May 23, 2013 by Skip