Howdy, Glenn! Welcome from the South!
Banjo playin' South?
I pluck the banjo, it's like guitar, (which I do to entertain myself, only), except banjo hurts my fingers.
(Send me a PM, please.)
a warm welcome from sunny so cal (not quite as south as you)
-gg
Don't get no further South than here. I can see Tijuana from my back porch.
(PM me)
Welcome! A few of us here STARTED with "Quills'' not "Keyboards
Gerber 4-B keyboard? You know, right?
(would love a PM)
Quill guy here too. Circa 1970.
Welcome aboard, Glenn
So you have fitches and a basic human fear of heights? Like me?
(invitation to exchange PM's)
Glenn, welcome to the forum. As one of the younger guys who has yet to try anything hand-painted (though I would love to learn), I look forward to your posts.
It takes years of serious dedicated practice to do brush work with confidence.
It is all about confidently putting hair to substrate.
A starter kit is about $120. That is a small fist full of quills and a bunch of junk you have not thought of..
You will need paraffin oil to keep your brush investment in good condition and so many more things.
Toothpicks. brass wire-brushes, razor blades and a string level.
You old monkeys know.what I am talking about.
A string level, center zero ruler, basic fraction-to-decimal math (in your head).
Some 3" x 5" index card stock to origami little paint tray forms.
Again, some of you know exactly what I am describing.
My most expensive hair tool is a Russian Red Hair Sable pin-striping sworde. $62.00 in 1985.
(I didn't actually pay for it myself, paperwork shuffle kinda thing.)
This and more I will be more than happy to share with you.
Seriously, I am at a point I need to start giving knowledge away, fast.
I am "only" 52, but, this art is fading exponentially fast.
I have a few treasured brushes my mentor handed over to me that are now well over 70 years old.
I used them at first, but, no more. They are now on display on the wall.
Not joking. I have a shrine full of old timer tools.
Frank Job was my mentor. He grew up in Jersey in the early 1920's.
He actually knew Manny, Moe and Jack. The 'Pep Boys'. They owned a 'Filling Station'
I have stories I want to share.
Sooooo worth the effort. It will give you such a head above the others,
design wise, font intelligence, again... CONFIDENCE.
Nothing makes you learn kerning like signwriting.
I started out with India ink and 'Ball' brand nibs when I was in fifth grade.
So much newsprint paper in the trash. I mean a huge trash load of learning.
More books of newsprint than I can remember.
Learned a dozen hands or so. Letter styles, fonts, they were called 'hands' back then.
There are only a few shapes you need to MASTER for basic letterforms.
The 'C', 'D' and, 'O' shapes are the key. Everything else is a variation or basic down stroke.
There are tricks.
(PM me, seriously, I want to share knowledge.)
Welcome to a great forum Glenn. Im afraid my quills stay in my lettering kit these days (along with my pounce bag and linseed oil). Great to see another old timey face!
I am not sure I like your "old timey face" reference.
You are the kind of dude that is going to make this fun.
(PM me, wall dog. )
The rest of my new friends... I LOVE PM's !!!
: LoveYouIcon :
-Glenn
Like I told Fred... this site is AWESOME !!!
Anyone want my mother's eMail address? Wanna tell on me?
(that is a joke you all know)