Window Graphics: Hand Painted

[Nicola McIntosh]

fab job done bernardo…….there the best ones to do big and easy and eyecatching…. 😀

quote bernardo maldonado:

but just how long do i need for this?

i take it how long it will last on the window? 😀

nik

[Lynn Normington]

looks good and effective Bernardo, how long I don’t know don’t do paint but I know others on here do and can proberbly tell you.

Lynn

[Jill Marie Welsh]

Hi Bernardo.
I am a hand-painter.
I don’t do many window splashes, but I have been painting signs since 1985.
When I am at Letterhead meets (signpainter conventions) people always remark at my speed.
I could probably have done that window in 30 minutes.
I would have charged $125.
The faster you work, the more money per hour, ya know?
Never heard of that paint but it appears to cover quite well.
I enjoy seeing pix of your work.
There is supposedly a Letterhead meet next year in England.
You really ought to consider attending.
It will change your life.
love….jill

[Bernardo Maldonado]

thanx for the replies.

jill, i guessed you could do it real quick. i think the general expected speed is roughly around 45 minutes…and i have that in mind all the time while i´m working. thing is i can´t help getting it just right and i take my time. customer probably thinks i´m trying to make time…good job they happy in the end.

i´m thinking about using another paint for window splashes. (normal wall paint). and i have to just get used to relaxing after all if the work looks handpainted the better it looks. the more spontaneous which what mine lacks for obvious reasons of being too frigging perfect. i will reveal later how long i took (lol)

i got 150,00 euros for this roughly what you would charge, jill.
i´ve had the bad experience in the past that the quicker you work, the easier it seems and the less the customer wants to pay! thats cool of the customer isnt it!

letterhead meet sound good! i know i´ll freak out tho…would be interesting to meet all the folks…

take care,
bernardo

[Jill Marie Welsh]

Yup, you never want to make it seem too easy!
I have used both 1-Shot Flourescents (not too good)
and Rich Art window paint (great but expensive)
I draw it on with a Stabilo pencil, then put on a coat of latex primer.
The Stabilo bleeds thru.
Then I fill it in with paint and outline with black 1-Shot.
I have a potential window job lined up.
If I do it I’ll share it with you.
And if you can, please check out a Letterhead meet.
love….jill

[A Misselbrook]

Hi!

I havent done any window splashes before. Ive only ever written on the inside….coat after coat, then varnish over the top!!
No one has asked me to do one of those yet!
Do you do the splashes on the outside?
Im not really a speedy painter so I would probably take longer than Jill.

Jill you mentioned latex primer, they used a latex paint where I trained years ago that you painted around the letters, acting as a stencil…sponging colours together…not worrying if you went over the edge with the sponge because the latex would peel off after you had finished. Just like a computer cut masque.
Is that the same stuff? I cant seem to buy liquid stencil anywhere nowadays. It would come in really handy.
Aj 😎

[Jill Marie Welsh]

Hmmm.
No, this is just regular exterior primer, like what you’d paint on a raw sign board.
It dries fast to a matte-like finish.
The stabilo bleeds right thru it, so it’s just like coloring in a book.
You can put a paper pattern up on the inside of the glass if need be.
I then paint in the day-glo colors with those throw-away 1" foam brushes.
I even use rollers for big areas. (same with the primer)
As soon as that dries, then you add black outlines with 1-Shot.
This takes the longest.
Some folks like to leave a "rim" of the white primer around the edges to make the graphic "pop".
Lots of local businesses here use these, mainly fast food joints.
My friend Pierre Tardif makes these on Tyvec and sells them as kits.
They adhere to the window with double-faced tape.
love….Jill

[Bernardo Maldonado]

i usually use acrylics for window splashes because they look matt and cover well. i´ve used finger paints too but these are a real hassle to remove because they dissolve as soon as they make contact with water, and make more of a mess! sadly i cant get any of the paints jill mentions. altho i just received a catalogue from wrights of lymm for signpainters stuff.

acrylics are just too expensive for quick jobs. i like the paints i use now altho they´re expensive. the finish is really like vinyl and passes by think they´re vinyl until they see it real close up.

window splashes i find to be real cool cos they´re "quick" ( – cough, cough!) and you do your thing and get the heck out. i really like the window splashes in california – i´ve never been there myself – and of course latin america including chile were i´m from. the mexicans do real good work. (please check this out: ruavista.com)
i´d really like to reach the point where i can do stuff off the cuff and fast too. the stuff i´ve done so far is freehand with the idea in my head. i use a wax crayon to mark the kerning and heights. the first time i´ve used a pounced pattern was for the coffee bar window. cos it had to be well done!

likes its been said before its difficult getting people to get this work done unless they have an artistic vein for the like. and here in germany they´re pretty strict about the visual surroundings of a town. people cant paint their balconies the color they want because the county council won´t allow it. so painting your own signage can be a hassle too sometimes.

i haven´t gotten round to enlarging my copy to 2 or 3 meters high. sadly tho i have to get myself more of this kind of work in order to put myself under pressure. get this – it can take me to 6-7 hours to do a simple job. thats whats killing me! how am i gonna make money working at that level. i have to make a change. need to practice my one stroke lettering. i rally do need a teacher. i use a blade to clean up edges. next time i´ll do a quick job and show you the results. this is a good reason for me to grow in experience and gain pace!

somehow i dont like the finish a roller leaves. i prefer a brush, even a real big slapper if they had one i´d use a broom if the hairs were good enuff. oh well i´ll keep you informed.

doesn´t a normal removable adhesive varnish work for masking. the names are different here so i can´t translate the german names for the english and vice versa.

all the best,
bernardo

[A Misselbrook]

Bernardo!

It seems we think alike!, I am trying to only do hand lettered work and it is a real struggle at times.
I get really angry at some people. For example I have been into a local chemist (pharmacy) about 3 times because his shop is ancient and the fascia above was gold leaf on black. …Really old but it needed retouching or renovating. I told him that I do traditional stuff, showed him my work and he seemed impressed and told me that he liked the old look…..
I went past the other day and the wooden fascia that just needed repairing and the gold re gilding has been ruined! Black vinyl with a horrible thick font in gold vinyl……aaaaaaaaaaagggghhhhhhhh!! (:)

[Bernardo Maldonado]

there´s people out there that just don´t understand what a difference it makes when their signs are handpainted. aj that sounds almost painful…
i see so much plastic its ridiculous.

i think the problem is people see something that reminds them of human kind and the trouble it costs to do such work physically and psychologically. and that is a pain for some. then theyre used to seeing evrything so clean cut with the vinyl that they think any little mistake is cos its handpainted. all these thoughts in a split second and they´re turned off. on the other hand while painting i´ve had older folks stand and watch with a big smile on their face thinking about the good old days and just people real happy to see the freedom one has when you paint by hand. its a real luxury doing this job. and no wires needed. mobile.

it takes so much walking around looking for shops which may need something on their window. then making the cold calls with your portfolio.

theres also a small pleasure when someone shuns you off on the phone for having an expensive price and then a week later i go by check out what they got done in vinyl (which lacks a little funk) and they ask me what i´d charge. then they freak out cos they paid double. and my stuff is more diverse.
i´ve offered people vinyl stuff too but that is too expensive for them too. i´d advise then to get a painted job done anytime. in the end i dont know what they want, but i know they dont see the chances and possibilities of handpainted stuff. pity. but i must say theres so much possible with handpainted work that i dont see it dying out. there´ll just be another generation. here we are… much respect to the old masters… and i in no way disrespect the folks who do the vinyl stuff either. its just the art that gets lost. families have to be fed…

all right here´s me blabbing on… may the force be with you!

bernardo