A very nicely done video in honor of the great Mike Stevens who was my mentor and got me started on a career in Sign Painting that spanned 40 years . Mike was a joy to watch , which I did for hours at a time as he executed the most beautiful Sho Cards . He was a very warm and supportive friend and I miss him greatly . He would practice and practice and practice the basic stroke technique and when working his magic he made it seem effortless . It was a stroke of good fortune that I knew him and was asked to contribute a piece in Sign Craft magazine when he died . A great loss to the world of Sign Painters . Mike was one of a kind .

@davidographicsguy

6 жыл бұрын

Wow! I am completely jealous! And happy for you. That must have been so cool! I would have loved to be there but he passed away just as I was discovering him. Are you still lettering?

@usmc2020627

6 жыл бұрын

I retired 10 years ago David , finishing the last years as a Scenic Artist in film as a result of the use of vinyl in many Sign Shops . Mike was a great guy and amazing to watch and was also incredibly fast . I worked in many films beginning in 1990 lettering the train for " Back To The Future III " They gave me 2 weeks to letter 2 trains and I completed them both in 3 days . The models were approximated 10 - 12 feet in length for the last shot when it crashed at the end of the film . Sign Painting was a great career as it was so varied : Banners , walls , trucks , race cars , Sho Cards etc., always something new and different . The 14' x 48' Billboards were great fun to hand letter . I was very fortunate to have met Mike and call him a friend .

I had the pleasure of sitting and watching Mike lay out and letter show cards many times. I was the screen printer at the sign shop he worked at. He was a very kind and friendly man.

@davidographicsguy

5 жыл бұрын

Okay, I’m full on jealous! Was that in San Jose, Ca?

@dtacklind

5 жыл бұрын

Sign Classics in San Jose in the 70's. We worked for Harrison Todd. He and Harrison were old friends . He could knock out a cardboard showcard with minimal layout with chalk in less than five minutes. I would sit and watch during breaks and after work.@@davidographicsguy

@davidographicsguy

5 жыл бұрын

Dang! Let’s connect, I would love to bend your ear. thesignshopsc@comcast.net

thank you for sharing!.....could watch and listen to you all day. I'm 61 yrs old and NEVER quit learning. WIll get to the shop sometime today and put it to practice......thanks

@davidographicsguy

7 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much Leroy, I agree, it's a fun journey and at our age where just getting started :)

The dixie cup cut was worth the price of admission

@davidographicsguy

3 жыл бұрын

I was pretty stoked when I discovered that. 👍😁

Thanks so much for your time putting this together. Learned a lot!

@davidographicsguy

4 жыл бұрын

You are so welcome! Are you having fun doing this too?

@startmeup775

2 жыл бұрын

@@davidographicsguy Hi, been a while. For some reason I didn't see your replies. Anyways, to answer your question signwriting for me is a by product of my enamel or porcelain sign restoration work. Most of that is filling and sanding work followed by colour matching. So inevitably there are logos and words usually in a block script that need to be repaired. I like watching tese vids to see how the professional do it. It gives me a great view of how lettering should be done. Again, thanks for the effort involved!

@davidographicsguy

2 жыл бұрын

It must be rewarding bringing letters back to life making them shiny and new! Awesome! 👍😀

@9:05 - Man, you're right about the brush gumming up being where the problems start. Even with acrylic or enamel, it's time to clean your brush after 15 or 20 minutes!

@airbrushken5339

2 жыл бұрын

When I moved to Sydney Australia from Detroit Michigan, I'd be stripping a truck and the heat was a real problem I never had in my spray booth in the Motor City...and being hit in the head by an Australian "Mag Pie" bird...crazy time.

GREAT INFO!!! THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR KNOWLEDGE :)

@davidographicsguy

7 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

Thanks!

thank you so much, very informing and helpful;)

@davidographicsguy

7 жыл бұрын

I'm so glad! Are you lettering too?

@GAprod-hw7dd

7 жыл бұрын

davidographicsguy yes:) my Insta: ga.prod

Thanks for taking the time to document all this info and share it. What are the measurements of your pallet system?

@davidographicsguy

6 жыл бұрын

Hi j. Sorry for the late response. I was on vacation. Here is a little video I made of the dimensions and making of my pallet. Thank you! kzread.info/dash/bejne/hZ6YrKuPkZS_m6Q.html

Nice tutorial video , Thanks

@davidographicsguy

2 ай бұрын

Hey, thank you! Are you lettering?

@ismaelhaiderco

Ай бұрын

@@davidographicsguy I've been a calligrapher, sign artist, and sign maker for a long time ago, But now I'm only practicing Coreldraw and some vinyl banners and watercolor. Thank you very much.

@davidographicsguy

Ай бұрын

Awesome! Do you post any of your work?

Thanks so much for sharing your information! I'm just starting out, and you have a lot of great tips I didn't learn from my classes so far!

@davidographicsguy

5 жыл бұрын

That’s awesome! Please keep up the great work and keep this craft alive! I found it can help if you talk out loud like you’re teaching someone how to do each step and stroke.

Than you so much i learnt many thing from you sir... Very easy to get from you

@davidographicsguy

5 жыл бұрын

You’re very welcome! Keep having fun and please keep this wonderful craft alive!

@DeathDesigner009

5 жыл бұрын

@@davidographicsguy yes sir.. it's in my heart... I love it

Thanks so much for sharing this!! What kind of paint is that water base black paint he use? I don't hear him well...

@davidographicsguy

5 жыл бұрын

Cel vinyl but they recently stop making it. Folks are using this. I will get it when I run out of my cel vinyl. www.dickblick.com/mobile/products/ronan-aquacote-bulletin-enamels/

Great idea for a practice easel!

@davidographicsguy

7 жыл бұрын

Thank you Bob! It's portable too :)

@bobparsonsartist564

7 жыл бұрын

davidographicsguy ...Doublw Prizes, and good sleuthing on the J! You can't go wrong studying Mike. I met him in !982. Held the showcard he did for Mike Jacksons meet in my hand, coming back from picking him up at the airport. Up close it was flawless...

@davidographicsguy

7 жыл бұрын

Oh man! There are a lot of us who would love for you to share your stories, photos, videos, etc.. with Mike Stevens. That would be so cool! I still have the SignCraft 'Tips & Tricks 1 & 2' with all your awesome cartoons in them. YOU ROCK! :)

Great explanations and details that were missing from Mikes video. That mahl stick is epic. What material did you use to make your pallet with?

@davidographicsguy

7 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Wouldn't it be awesome if he had made more videos with detailed instructions? The pallet is scrap 1/8" veneer wood and some 1/4" stock glued on for the card holder, then the whole thing was sprayed with black Plastidip for better gripping. The little plastic cup is a cough syrup dispenser.

@Feldspar__

7 жыл бұрын

davidographicsguy Fantastic. Thank you. Yes, I'd love to be able to sit down with him and watch the work. Next time I'm in Santa Cruz, dinner's on me.

Hey Dave , Newbie here !! a big thank you as made good progress today with a few of your tips !! dixie cup and palleting , 3 finger brush hold and the C stroke finish with rotate right … much better tails now … recently retired and found my new passion 🙏 a big thank you from Adelaide Australia 👍 working my way thro your channel .. cheers mate.

@davidographicsguy

Жыл бұрын

G’day L.V! That’s so awesome that you’re enjoying lettering and that these videos are helping. It’s a rare and amazing art form. Thank you for keeping this awesome craft alive. Keep up the great work!

@davidographicsguy

Жыл бұрын

Sorry I meant L.L. 😊

@lovinglife3675

Жыл бұрын

@@davidographicsguy All good Dave , the name this way is Steve 👍 recently retired and have a small design studio going with my better half … question if i may ? i do have a good selection of brushes and watching you get a clean edge from your brushes still eludes me … its as if the body of the brush is always wider than the tip … and tips ? does it take a while for the brushes to break in ? and i am humbled at reply as not normally received on youtube … appreciate :-) thx again Steve

@lovinglife3675

Жыл бұрын

currently running the Kafka range of liners and kwills … few Mack daggers and flats … thanks again dave , Regards Steve

@davidographicsguy

Жыл бұрын

Hey Steve, that’s so cool that you guys are working together. I always struggled with the standard lettering quill until I found the Kafka Kwills. These are the best brushes in my opinion as they are super user friendly. I recommend the #2 and #4 unless you can afford more. I don’t know how much shipping would be for your location. Here is the link: stevekafka.com/products/kwill

Practice Boards ! Super clever 👏 thanks ✌

@davidographicsguy

2 жыл бұрын

Right on! 👍😀

Thanks again for another vision of your work "behind the scenes" You do indeed go to a lot of trouble in the production of your video to give a clear picture of what is happening at the tip of your brush Regards Chris

@davidographicsguy

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Chris. I hope they’re inspiring and helpful. 👍😀

About 10 years ago I bought a Mike Stevens CD with all his Fonts for around 100.00 or more on eBay. Anyone know where to get it now? Great Video. Also does anyone know what happened to 1 Shot Speed Dry Enamel White. It was the best for background. Anyway, Thanks David. Your video really brought me back to the 70's. You can't buy this information anywhere "Priceless". Hand lettering I hope is making a come back.

@davidographicsguy

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you Edward. You can purchase his fonts from this website: signdna.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_56_26 Looks like these folks have the white you're looking for: store.commercialscreen.com/1shot_speeddrywhite.aspx

I am interested in the type of tracing paper you are using. I am using Blick tempera as the cell paint appears to be in the dinosaur category. Having laminated several 18x24's with Mike's fonts, I am working lettering over them. The only problem I am having is the tracing paper is becoming bunchy as it dries even within a few seconds of laying down a stroke. I am using Strathmore 300 series tracing paper. and red sable showcard brushes. In a way it is a true test of skill, for if I perform a true single-stroke letter, I barely have any issues, it is when tweaking caps, etc, that the problem creeps up. So a type of tracing paper that takes fluids fairly well would be a more desirable option than racing through a letter to avoid this. Thanks for any help!

@davidographicsguy

3 жыл бұрын

I bought it in a roll, but I don’t have the packaging any more. I know what you mean though. It needs to be tough enough to take wet paint. Maybe some searching and experimenting.

Wow--I learned a lot from this video--Thanks so much! I'm just starting out with brush lettering @ 65 yrs. old but I've got 40+ years of airbrushing experience so I'm kinda in the ballpark. While I have 2 o3 cans of 1-Shot, I would much prefer to stick with water based paint, right now I'm trying with E'tac Private Stock and EFX500 which are actually airbrush paints--these are NOT ready-to-spray out of the bottle, are thick and need a good amount of thinning to go thru my Olympos airbrushes.....thus they seem to have a decent viscosity for brush lettering. I also have some Createx Wicked detail colors that I haven't tried yet. You'll laugh, but one of the surfaces I want to letter on are paper envelopes (to go with matching cards).....though I have the touch to cut frisket directly on the envelope without cutting it and then airbrushing it, this is a bit time consuming, thus hand brushed lettering. Also want to brush letter on leather jackets (and gold leaf) in conjunction with my airbrushed art--have already used liner brushes to outline lettering on a couple of jackets. Am subbed and binge watching your videos!

@davidographicsguy

2 жыл бұрын

Wow! That’s awesome Sped! I too love airbrush. The hand, arm, shoulder finesse it takes puts you ahead of the game learning to letter. I would love to see your work. Do you have projects posted anywhere?

@sped17373

2 жыл бұрын

@@davidographicsguy I only have pics posted on Facebook, maybe 100 photos in an album titled "Some off my work". My name is Mike Carlson, written in English and Thai....adenium flowers in background. Other than that I could email pics. Yeah, I figured you want to keep brushes for one type of paint only and not switch back and forth. I've got several types of scrolling brushes but water based paint doesn't work well in them....for scrolling, I mean.

@davidographicsguy

2 жыл бұрын

Wow! You have serious skills! The 352nd flight jacket is a masterpiece. Do you play bass professionally?

@sped17373

2 жыл бұрын

@@davidographicsguy Sorry for not getting back to you quicker....had to spend some time in the hospital, first for a cardiac workup (I had a heart attack in Dec, '17) and then my eternal pelvic floor pain got me in the hospital again. Thanks for the comps--WW2 warbirds (especially Luftwaffe aircraft-I was born in Germany) are one of my favorite subjects to paint Yeah, I played bass in a number of local bands, last band I was in was blues/rock, we opened for the Bayfront Blues Festival here in Duluth--woohoo, hundreds of people watching Then that band imploded and I soon sold all my gear.....including my precious '83 Rickenbacker 4001 bass. I miss it SO much!

@davidographicsguy

2 жыл бұрын

Oh no! I’m so sorry! I hope you heal quickly. Giving up your gear must have been very painful. I had to sell my Gibson 335 to replace my broken vinyl plotter that I use for work. 😞

This is a great video, very thorough. I’ve been trying to find that Mike Stevens tape for awhile. I’d love to see it. I wonder if you could get permission from his estate to publish it???

@davidographicsguy

4 жыл бұрын

Great question Kurt. Sign Craft Magazine has been approached to release the video but nothing materialized. I’m surprised it hasn’t been posted yet. I know I’m not the only one who has a copy. Mine is pretty poor quality as it is a VHS version. Thank you!

@randywizek5706

3 жыл бұрын

I contacted Tom McIltrot the publisher of Sign Craft Magazine after watching David's KZread. He is earnestly attempting to get Mike's original VHS tape converted to digital. Mike's daughter passed a few years ago and getting this done has been at a veritable standstill. But he assures me that it is in the works. Would love to have it. His wit and candor in the Mastering Layout book and the 10 edition Mike Stevens Journal (pretty much the same thing) would be great to check out live

Can you use acrylic thinned with water or be best to get enamel?

@davidographicsguy

10 ай бұрын

For projects to be outdoors I would use oil base lettering enamels, for indoor projects I would use water base lettering paint designed for brush lettering: www.mackbrush.com/product/ronan-aquacote-paints/

no, it actually seems to accelerate drying a tad. I use terpentine, or min spirits to thin.

@davidographicsguy

6 жыл бұрын

Oh, Gotchya! That's cool!

Awesome!! Do you know where I can get this #4 lettering brush? You say it’s better then a kwill. But on his site he only has kwills, scripts, etc. :)

@davidographicsguy

5 жыл бұрын

Ah! On another video I’m comparing his brushes with a traditional QUILL brush. He calls his lettering brushes KWILLS with a K, W. It’s a play on words. Yes, get his #2 and #4 if you can. Those are the brushes to start with for most 1 1/2” to 3” tall letters. Have fun!!! 😀 stevekafka.com/products/kwill

@TIS725

5 жыл бұрын

I got his 2,4,6,8 Kwills in yesterday, going to practice with them today!

@davidographicsguy

5 жыл бұрын

Awesome! Please keep me updated. I would love to know how they work for you.

@TIS725

5 жыл бұрын

Practiced with the 2&4 today... I am loving whem so far but taking longer to get used to, as I am used to the Luco quill that is shorter. I also got the script set, GRID,cup holder & Preserving oil :)

@davidographicsguy

5 жыл бұрын

That’s great Joe! The most important thing is to pallet your brush with every stroke. It will keep your strokes uniformed and smooth, and give you much more control. Can you send me your practice photos? thesignshopsc@comcast.net

Thanks for all the palleting tips. For me, that has been the struggle. Its easy to get frustrated when the paint isnt flowing and the heal of the brush is gunky. Your a great teacher and keep posting! Do you Instagram? There are a bunch of talent painters on there.

@davidographicsguy

7 жыл бұрын

So true, we lose track of time and gunkiness sneaks up on us. I will check out instagram thank you for the tip!

@Scott-hn6on

7 жыл бұрын

Also any tips on brush oils for after cleaning? Im using coconut cooking oil, which I use for just about everything, but not sure if that is recommended.

@davidographicsguy

7 жыл бұрын

Neatsfoot oil. Online or where horse and saddle equipment are sold. Decades ago we used to use lard oil or transmission fluid. I hope this helps. Thank you!

Such great videos! I can't seem to find those Utrecht brushes..do you know if they still make them?

@davidographicsguy

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Here you go: www.utrechtart.com/item/?itemno=1006159

@GoldenWestSignArts

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for the link. Going to give them a try for outlining window splashes. Again, your videos are really great!

@davidographicsguy

6 жыл бұрын

Those brushes LIVE for window splash outlining.

@thatmobsta

Жыл бұрын

These Utrecht brushes seem to be discontinued I’ve searched everywhere, is there an alternative option you can recommend?

@thatmobsta

Жыл бұрын

@@davidographicsguy these Utrecht brushes seem to be discontinued do you have an alternative option you can recommend. I’ve searched everywhere and can’t find the 230 series

Would you mind giving me more info on the panel as far as what material it is and how you got it printed on there and laminated? Did you do it all yourself or get it done at a staples or kinkos type place?

@davidographicsguy

Жыл бұрын

It needs to be matte laminated, so probably a sign shop is your best bet.

@thatmobsta

Жыл бұрын

Is it an acm panel ? Thanks

@davidographicsguy

Жыл бұрын

Yes

Also just ordered a No. 2 Kafka Kwill.....

@davidographicsguy

2 жыл бұрын

Perfect! You can try them for your water based paints, but once they go into oil based paints, they can’t go back. Have fun and celebrate every nice stroke you make. Thank you for keeping this wonderful craft alive!

I want to better understand that tap or gizmo to allow pouring the paint from the can. Like a tap or pour spout.

@davidographicsguy

4 жыл бұрын

We use these bottles now instead. Store them in your box upside down so the paint doesn’t dry in the nozzle: stevekafka.com/products/paint-bottle

I think theres a good chance it is "wet look" harder used in automotive acrylic enamel paint systems.

@davidographicsguy

6 жыл бұрын

This stuff does that: www.eastwood.com/one-shot-hardener-16-oz.html

@davidographicsguy

6 жыл бұрын

It's mostly used to harden 1-Shot lettering enamels for pinstriping vehicles.

What brush is used? Thanks

@davidographicsguy

4 жыл бұрын

stevekafka.com/products/kwill

@ChristinePhamtastik

4 жыл бұрын

davidographicsguy thank you!

My graphics dept. boss would add a drop or two of glycerin to water based paints to make it thicker and smoother.

@davidographicsguy

5 жыл бұрын

That’s cool! I’ve heard of that, but I never tried it. Did you get to see your boss letter?

Lacquer thinner is very carcinogenic! How are you protecting yourself? (Have to mention this since some viewers don't yet know this.) Great lettering, btw.

@davidographicsguy

3 жыл бұрын

I agree Barbara, it even dissolved latex gloves if you saturate them in it long enough. I use gloves for anything with a label that says “flammable” Thank you for your kind words!

Try kafkas smooth stroke

@davidographicsguy

6 жыл бұрын

Yes, Thank you, I just recently started using it. Steve says its purpose is to prevent fish eye. He only uses an eye drop or two. Do you use it to reduce the paint?

But the g looks like j

@davidographicsguy

6 жыл бұрын

I know what you mean. There are some subtle structural differences and we can use the long sweeping J if the word needs the clarity. That might be why Mike used these but it’s just my guess. Thank you!

Mike Stevens script...??...... looks like he was very influenced by Bill Boley

@davidographicsguy

Жыл бұрын

I wouldn’t be surprised, everyone borrows from everyone else. Mike got this script version from his friend and fellow letterer Terry Wells.

What a load of stupid ideas.