So I tried to make a sign today...

[Maverick]

I went out and got myself some stencils, got some spraypaint, and set to work.

...It didn't quite turn out the way I planned though. The paint was all runny and a lot of the letters wound up getting smudged. And I think some of the fumes went to my head

I just used a junk piece of cardboard that I had lying around, so nothing really wasted for a first crack at it, I guess. Maybe I'll have better results with a better canvas. Are there any good artists out there who can give an amateur like me some advice?

 

[hillertexas]

bump

 

[Maverick]

Here's a pic

Totally craptastic, huh?

 

[WV Freedom Fighter]

Maybe a Marker and some poster paper?

 

[Calimobber]

here is my experience

First you can get cardboard or wood by just driving behind department stores, they always have scrap wood or cardboard laying around

you can get cardboard or foam and place the stencils down and use a pen to trace them. then use a exacto knife and cut out the letters.( This takes longer but makes the signs easy to pump out)

or the easiest way is just put the stencil down and spay paint over it and give it a second before you remove it so it can dry a little.

see how we put the individual stencils down, you can even use the over spray to make it look better. see the ones in the back with over spray.

If you any questions feel free to ask.

We have made prob over 50 signs this way its fast and efficient

 

[Maverick]

Wow, those look great. I guess spraying right on the stencils wasn't the best idea. I'll have to get ahold of some foam and try that out. I might have to find some bigger stencils too.

What are you using for the actual signs? Posterboard? I had a had time finding a decent material to use as a canvas.

 

[Calimobber]

anything i can find. we used alot of cardboard that we pulled out of the recyclable cardboard dumpsters. we use alot of wood that we just find, we use any wood even if its only big enough for "ron paul".

Wal-mart is the best place. they have 12" cardboard ones for only $5 (the ones used for the huge freedom pic) and 4" cardboard ones for the smaller letters. Fabric stores sell them also but there like $15 and are not single letters so there hard to spray individually.

I recommend buying the 12" walmart ones and use a piece of cardboard for the main stencil its alot easier to cut then the foam( the foam its very hard takes hours to make)

 

[kv3g]

Make your own stencils

As I see it, here are the options for making stencils:

1) Freehand. These will always look freehand, no matter how talented you are.

2) use a computer projector or overhead projector.

The most impressive signs are spray paint on tyvek sheets. These can be 4 feet tall by 10 feet wide. You will need a template for these, and only a projector is practical for making 3-foot tall templates.

3) If you don't have access to a projector, and you're willing to make smaller signs (1 foot tall by 4 feet wide): buy some heavy card stock, and print out an image made from a "poster" program. Cut it out, and tape it together.

Here is my example on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_rTpt4BZbE

4) If you don't even want to paint, you can make a poster that you cut and paste together, like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUlVpSI7zuY. Are you willing to spend $13 for a 36" by 30" piece of acrylic? Then option 4 is certainly fast and easy.

Files for #3 and #4 can be found at http://ronpaul.meetup.com/129/files/

If you have any other requests, please feel free to email me, kv3g (at) arrl (dot) net. I paid for the full version of the "Poster 7" software that allows me to create those "cut and tape" ideas in #3 and #4 above. I will post the results to the same meetup files section above.

-- KV3G