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Needing Fire Apparatus "Ornaments"

round man

New Member
"Doesn't matter how successful or how Mickey Mousey it is, it beats not working."

Excellent point Gino,
I don't begrudge anyone out there after a good honest day's work...guess the sight of the digitized scroll that was plagiarized got in my craw more than someone wanting to buy it,...Didn't mean to come across malicious towards the original poster, but then I can come across rather coarse sometimes without realizing it,it isn't necessarily intentional, but just my gruff nature,...

Kudo's to Jill too,...
 
I appreciate all of the replies. I was asking for an image of a scroll for a fire department car tag, not for an actual apparatus. I actually feel the same way as most of you do. I have been doing a lot of work for local fire departments, mostly car tags, helmet decals, and other smaller items. The computer cut fake vinyl gold leaf is ideal for those uses, because people simply refuse to pay what it would cost to have someone lay real gold leaf down on a car tag that will be put on the front of their car and ran for a year or two until they smash into something and ruin it (which means they also refuse to pay me for the time it would take to sit down and draw my own scroll). But after doing several of these jobs, the fake vinyl gold leaf really started to bug me. The burnishing doesn't line up with the letters or scrollwork, and it just doesn't look right. So I bought a gold leaf kit I found on TCP Global's website with plans to teach myself how to do it the right way. I am also getting what I need to hand paint signs. Before anyone starts bashing me for buying a "kit" off the internet... you must remember I am teaching myself because there isn't really anyone left around here that still does things the old way. I know I'm not going to become an expert gold leaf gilder and sign painter overnight, but I've got to start somewhere. I'm sure many of you will still say I'm one of the typical new age young guys that is worthless without a keyboard and a computer screen in front of me, but that is far from the truth. I appreciate and respect the old ways of doing things, to the point that I am trying to teach myself those ways. I also appreciate all of the knowledge and wisdom the members of this website have, I have to turn to you all to answer my dumb newbie questions because I don't have anyone local that can do it!
 

Billct2

Active Member
Nothing wrong with buying a kit to start learning. Get the book Gold Leaf Techniques and start practicing.
I don't know what was in this kit you bought but when I was learning to gold leaf in sign school we used a fake gold leaf called Dutch Metal. it's a lot cheaper for practicing with. I think Dick Blick has some fake leafs that you could use. Good luck.
 

Jackpine

New Member
50 years ago I got started (addicted) with this one Christmas present I shared with my twin brother......http://www.amazon.com/Jon-Gnagy-Original-Learn-Draw/dp/B006G2XDWS/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_2
I have a BS and a MS degree in art Education but never got over the thrill of drawing and painting. I made signs and screen printed when I knew very little about sign making and printing. After the army I went back to college and was lucky to work in a paint & wallpaper store that sold art supplies AND sign supplies. I asked , pestered every "sign guy" ( sorry Jill it was just that way in the 70's) why he was buying what he bought. I went to their shops and was lucky to watch. One did posters, one specialized in walls and some kid a bit of everything but all of them shared bits and pieces of the trade. I went to a Letterhead meeting at a Holiday Inn
in Homewood , Illinois and met the McIltrot brothers, Signcraft fame and other sign artist and even a few vendors. I already knew about Rayco in Chicago of supplies. The "lust" for learning the trade was contagious and sign painters would share a bit of their skills. What I know is there isn't much that is new. The information is out there for the learning and places like this are a great place to harvest information. I have shared any information to anyone interest in the trade that is serious but the knowledge of the business end is sometimes lacking. Everyone has to start somewhere. We all was a Preppie in the biz.



Nothing wrong with buying a kit to start learning. Get the book Gold Leaf Techniques and start practicing.
I don't know what was in this kit you bought but when I was learning to gold leaf in sign school we used a fake gold leaf called Dutch Metal. it's a lot cheaper for practicing with. I think Dick Blick has some fake leafs that you could use. Good luck.
 
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