Outlining vs just drop shadowed letters, on dark or black back ground

[JD miller]

Painting with One Shot

On a black or dark back ground is there a general rule of colors on when , or when not to outline Lettering? Maybe just shadowing instead would look better? I'm using a serif/ western looking font

Im playing with different color lettering on a black back ground and then outlining with different colors to see what looks good. Some combinations I thought would look good actually look terrible rather than make the lettering stand out

Ill leave it at that...

 

[SignManiac]

Just don't compromise the contrast for the sake of an extra effect.

 

[shoresigns]

The easy answer would be to do 5 minutes of research to see whether "wild west" signs would ever have outlines or drop shadows. The answer is that they would rarely, if ever, have outlines, and they would most likely never have a soft/blurred drop shadow. They do quite commonly have solid single/double drop shadows though.

 

[OldPaint]

this is a window i did........in the 2 colors your not supposed to use next to each other..THE LEGENDS is all paint, as is the pool balls, the lower green is all vinyl.

 

[signcrafters london]

Must be a Spanish pool room.

 

[J Hill Designs]

Must be a Spanish pool room.

hahahahah

 

[JD miller]

The easy answer would be to do 5 minutes of research.....

Ha Ha , that a joke?


This font. Same font has other names too
http://www.dafont.com/showguide.font

 

[shoresigns]

Ha Ha , that a joke?


This font. Same font has other names too
http://www.dafont.com/showguide.font

No... I meant just do a Google Image Search for "wild west signs" and you'll see right away that outlines are not used, while drop shadows and "double" drop shadows are quite common. Therefore, it would be a poor design decision to use an outline or a soft/blurred shadow, because neither of those effects match the "western" style.

Using OldPaint's example, the drop shadow looks good, except for the way it's done in a perspective toward the centre - that would not have been common on western signs. Obviously the text in Arial at the bottom wouldn't have been available in that era.

 

[Fred Weiss]

Perhaps you meant to write ...

this is a window i did........in the 2 colors your not supposed to use next to each other..THE LEGENDS is all paint, as is the pool balls, the lower green is all vinyl.

que = what in Spanish or an abbreviation for Quebec

cue = a long, tapering rod, tipped with a soft leather pad, used to strike the ball in billiards, pool, etc.

 

[Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?]

this is a window i did........in the 2 colors your not supposed to use next to each other..THE LEGENDS is all paint, as is the pool balls, the lower green is all vinyl.

Is that a rack I'm not familiar with? Most 8 ball racks have the 1 at the apex, 8 ball in the center, and a solid and stripe at either bottom corner.

 

[shoresigns]

Is that a rack I'm not familiar with? Most 8 ball racks have the 1 at the apex, 8 ball in the center, and a solid and stripe at either bottom corner.

The 1 can be anywhere.

 

[bob]

Is that a rack I'm not familiar with? Most 8 ball racks have the 1 at the apex, 8 ball in the center, and a solid and stripe at either bottom corner.

Why do you assume 8 ball? There are a variety of other full rack games, mostly unknown to barroom pool shooters. Straight pool and one-pocket where it doesn't matter a whit where any ball is racked, rotation where the 1 ball should be at the front, 8 ball where the 8, a solid, and a stripe should be at the center and a solid on one corner and a stripe on the other, as well as a host of other games.

 

[Jeff]

I like to take advantage of a "free" color when lettering on black, with an outline and shadow.

 

[Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?]

Why do you assume 8 ball? There are a variety of other full rack games, mostly unknown to barroom pool shooters. Straight pool and one-pocket where it doesn't matter a whit where any ball is racked, rotation where the 1 ball should be at the front, 8 ball where the 8, a solid, and a stripe should be at the center and a solid on one corner and a stripe on the other, as well as a host of other games.

Hence the reason I asked. I'm not familiar with those games. I know most bar pool shooters go solid-stripe-solid-stripe all the way through the rack, which is unorthodox by most standards. Then there's regulation 8-ball, which I am vaguely familiar with as I haven't actually played in probably 20 years, but I remember the general gist of the rules. It's interesting to know there are so many games, but wouldn't regulation 8-ball and 9-ball be the most prominent? Not that it's relevant, I'm just curious.

 

[GAC05]

Hence the reason I asked. I'm not familiar with those games. I know most bar pool shooters go solid-stripe-solid-stripe all the way through the rack, which is unorthodox by most standards. Then there's regulation 8-ball, which I am vaguely familiar with as I haven't actually played in probably 20 years, but I remember the general gist of the rules. It's interesting to know there are so many games, but wouldn't regulation 8-ball and 9-ball be the most prominent? Not that it's relevant, I'm just curious.

The real question should be what coordinate system the justification of the secondary copy was based on.....

wayne k
guam usa

 

[player]

It matches the old piece of plywood, the 2 x 4 and the peeling paint design on the cinder block wall.

 

[player]

I like to take advantage of a "free" color when lettering on black, with an outline and shadow. View attachment 99161

Thanks I like that.

 

[hotrod46]

Who cares?

Only the 3 and 13 need to be switched to create an "official"
tournament 8 Ball rack. After you fix it, post another picture
so we can all get some rest. Kudos that you can still hand paint.

 

[Jeff]

It depends upon whose "official" 8 ball rules you go by

http://www.wpa-pool.com/web/index.asp?id=114&pagetype=rules

http://www.upatour.com/official-billiard-rules/u-s-8-ball-rules/

http://departments.weber.edu/wildcatlanes/billiards/rules/eight_ball_rules.htm

http://www.poolplayers.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/2012_Rules-Booklet-FINAL_LR.pdf

 

[OldPaint]

i did 2 of these windows. one got busted during hurricane IVAN(2004)so this can tell ya HOW OLD THIS IS))))))
as for the QUE.........owners choice(and he was from NEW ORLEANS...cajun french))))))........he thought it was funny...so do i.....as for the positioning of the BALLS..... in the rack...........only rules i ever went by for an 8 BALL RACK.............8 BALL CENTER.........STRIPED BALL ON BOTH BOTTOM CORNERS!!!!! the rest dont matter. i grew up in a bar, was shooting pool from 10-12.......in PA. and like the spelling is never done by others))))))
http://www.yelp.com/biz/que-billiard-san-diego