The Shabby Creek Cottage

Hundreds of ideas for creative ways to eat, make & decorate!

Sign painting 101: Lettering tips and tricks

Creating a hand painted sign can be a great way to add character to almost any space. From words to initials and …. well…. the sky is really the limit. With just a little paint and know how, you can turn scrap wood into a piece of art with very little work.

How to paint signs

HOW TO MAKE A SIGN

tips and tricks on how to paint a sign
First things first, I always use an outline. I do it by tracing the outside edges of the letters through carbon paper onto the wood. As you can see, mine is NEVER perfect – I straighten it all up with the paint.
tips and tricks on how to paint a sign For fine fonts like this one above – I used a Liner #1 so that I can get into the corners.
tutorial on how to paint a sign I dip my brush into my paint straight up and straight back out. In my mind it keeps the bristles in the right place (‘course it might just be me…)
directions on how to paint a signM’kay… lemme see if I can explain without going in circles. If there is a sharp angle, like the top one (with the blue arrows), I swipe my brush from the corner in, then from the corner up, and from the corner across. Then I use my brush like a magic marker and swoop around the loop.

On the bottom part, I go from the corners in on each side, connect the corners with another swipe, then swoop around the edges. The swiping in from the corners helps to keep them crisp.

sign painting tips  I use straight strokes to do the straight lines, one beside the next to fill it in and barely overlap the carbon paper lines.
how to paint a custom sign Don’t be afraid to turn the sign to whatever angle you need to get those swoops in the right direction. I always think it’s easier to stroke towards me, almost like writing.

tips and tricks for how to paint your own sign No matter if I’m doing big, chunky fonts or thin precise ones, these tricks always help me keep the corners clean and lines crisp. I hope some of these ideas helps you, too 🙂

Want more tips? Be sure to see the other posts in this series:
Pick the perfect brush with tips in the Sign Painting 101: Brushes
Choose the perfect paint with tips in the Sign Painting 101: Picking Paint

Filed Under: DIY

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Comments

  4. ahhh, you’d think I was am amatuer or something, haha, but I screwed up number 65 if you could delete it so I can repost it? Not only did I name it wrong, but there’s no thumbnail (not sure why) and I’m SUPER DUPER excited about my CRAFT ROOM REVEAL and now I’m super duper bummed that I didn’t link it right! Thanks!! And thanks for hosting and putting up with dweebs like me – haha!!

    Reply

  7. Thanks for all the great tips, Gina! They will certainly help me create a more professional looking sign in the future! And thanks for hosting such a fun party! 🙂

    xoxo laurie

    Reply

  8. Thanks so much for hosting and for fabulous sign painting tips, Gina!

    Linked up a bunch of projects and am looking foward to browsing the creativity!

    Awesome party! : )

    Reply

  13. Gina, thank you for hosting and the easy to follow sign tutorial. I’ll be back later tonight after work to check out the party! andrea@townandprairie

    Reply

  14. Happy Thursday morning to you! I linked up tutorial on Pickling Jalapeno Peppers. It’s pretty easy and the rewards are perfect when it comes time for nachos or chili! Thanks for hosting the party once again. Have a great week!
    Rebekah-www.potholesandpantyhose.com

    Reply

  21. Beautiful, simple sign. What a great, budget-friendly decorating idea that is a little different! And the how-to is great!

    Thanks for hosting!!

    Reply

  26. Thanks for hosting the party! I have a wooden board in my garage that I have been meaning to make into a sign since September. You’re motivating me to just get started on it!

    Reply

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