Signs of the Times - March 2012 - (Page 26)

STRICTLY COMMERCIAL By Mark Fair Mark Fair owns Mark Fair Signs and the Flying Biscuit Sign Co., which specializes in antique-style signage. Old School, Done New Alabama signmaker Mark Fair demonstrates his process to create faux-aged signs. There’s a lot of interest inmove vintagestyle signs. Maybe, as we into an increasingly computerized, automated and digital world, nostalgia for a simpler time makes people appreciate signage with an aged appearance. Between my regular signshop and Flying Biscuit Sign Co., a side venture dedicated to traditional-style signage, I produce approximately 150 antiquestyle signs every year. I’ve learned several techniques from veteran signmakers Dennis Gerathy (the owner of Colonial Signshop in Redford, MI) and Mike Meyer, owner of Mazeppa, MN’s Mike Meyer Signpainter. Through experimentation, I developed more of my own. I appreciate ST ’s invitation to describe my antique-sign process. Pressure and time First, I cut a ½-in.-thick plywood slab to shape. I cut it wide enough to allow for a 1.25-in.-wide, trim moulding to frame the sign. I applied the base color with acrylic housepaint and a 2-in.-wide Purdy housepainting brush. Then, I lettered the sign with acrylic housepaint and a water- Mark Fair, owner of a self-titled, Montgomery, AL-based signshop, demonstrated his signdistressing technique with this sign, which ST Sr. Associate Editor Steve Aust is eager to hang in ST’s offices. based paint brush from Mack Brush Co. For this project, I selected the font “Signmaker”, which was designed by Dave Correll, founder of Brushwork Signs (Fairbault, MN), from www.letterheadfonts.com. For this job, I used a computer mask for the letters, and handlettered the drop shadow. I plotter-cut the mask using Avery paintmask media and a Graphtec cutting plotter. Next, I created some stress (not for my wife, for the panel). I started the aging process with a vibrating sander, and applied plenty of pressure. How long you sand the surface depends on how much material you want to strip away, and how distressed you want the lettering to look. For this job, which I consider typical, I sanded the surface for 10 minutes. I applied Elmer’s School Glue straight from the bottle and used it very liberally. It will apply milky, but will dry clear. I waited 45 minutes to allow the Elmer’s glue to set up slightly, but not completely dry. I brushed on an acrylic, satin-finish clearcoat. Like Glue, acrylic housepaint, squeegee and other tools required to create this technique The ½-in.-thick, plywood slab that he cut to shape to accommodate trim moulding 26 SIGNS OF THE TIMES / MARCH 2012 / www.signweb.com http://www.letterheadfonts.com http://www.signweb.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - March 2012

Signs of the Times - March 2012
Contents
ST Update
Technology Update
Vinyl Apps
Strictly Commercial
Lighting Techniques
The Moving Message
Technology Review
Sign Museum News
New Products
The 2012 International Sign Contest
Get Smart
The Value of Signs
Industry News
Advertising Index
Editorially Speaking

Signs of the Times - March 2012

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