Just playing around at ebay I found this shadowlook vinyl. Suppost to be 7 yr cast. Looks way cool. Ghost flames and shadows. I have never seen this in my catalogs or color charts. I was gonna bid just to play with the stuff but I figured I'd like it and want more. Besides it's 12" and the 12" vinyl has a habit of moving off the roller unit, jams cutter, it's not pretty.
Anyone else heard of this? What brand is it? Any idea where I can get some (other than ebay)?
Posted by Michael Boone (Member # 308) on :
Be careful what background you use it on...some's good.....some is bad...I dont like it on white..too dark A few companies market it. I have used Neschen.... Its pretty cool stuff if you test first.
Posted by Gavin Chachere (Member # 1443) on :
Gregory carries it chris...www.gregory1.com
i've used theirs,looks ok but like mike boone said,not on white...looks like a pathetic black
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
chris, check out Avery's TrueShadow film. I'm looking at it right now in my sample book and it looks like window tint film in terms of its color. It doesnt look too dark to me here, in fact it's not as dark as the shadow my hand casts onto the pages in the book.
I havent actually used it though.. I'm just sayin Avery's film doesnt look too dark to me... maybe like a 50% or 35% window tint if you have that for reference.
Posted by AlanD (Member # 1461) on :
The TrueShadow works great on the right backgrounds. As already said, don't use on white. On many other colors, it can make a very real looking shadow effect. I cut some small strips and applied it to the ends of my rolls of vinyl to see the effect on each color.
You can also layer it to provide progressively darker shadows. Gregory had a tutorial on doing that to make a bevelled edge around a sign in one of their recent catalogs. Call them and see if you can get a copy or a pdf of the page.
I'll try to find some pics of jobs I've used it on and post them for you.
[ October 25, 2001: Message edited by: AlanD ]
Posted by Monte Jumper (Member # 1106) on :
Good post Kissy...I've too been wondering about this mystic creature. None of the suppliers seem to know much about it (not uncommon here) Let us know when you find one you like ...I'd like to try it to.
Posted by taurus signcraft (Member # 572) on :
read this post and went straight to the shelf to check out what brand the 'true shadow' we have is, no luck i'm afraid, its unbranded... dont' ya hate that i can hosetly say that i have used it, but not to often (we airbrush the shadows mostly). where i have used it it works fine... even on white maybe its different stuff to what you get up-over, it has a blueish-grey look to it on the carriage paper fun stuff to play with on vehicles where i can't paint. good luck in your search
cheers gail
Posted by PKing (Member # 337) on :
My "TRUE SHADOW" consist of clear varnish with a drop of Black mixed in,then brushed on! Works on ALL colors and backgrounds. By knowing BOTH relms of Vinyl & Paint,you will be able to do Twice as much at Half the time! Did you forget that since Duck Soup?
Hope this helps. P.S. I never had PAINT slip off the rollers.he he
Posted by Rob Larkham (Member # 2105) on :
I have a roll of Avery true shadow. I have not used it on much. I like Pat's method better. A little tinting clear and some tinting black from oneshot and away you go.
Posted by Rosemary (Member # 1926) on :
We carry it here and sell quite a bit to shops in Montana, but we also use tints in clear in the studio. Our customers get pretty creative with it by layering.
:^)
Posted by Amy Brown (Member # 1963) on :
Hey Chris! "GBC SignWarehouse has it!" Ha! Posted by Robb Lowe (Member # 2121) on :
Pay close attention to that vinyl on ebay.. if its the guy I'm thinking of - the rolls are always odd sizes... either short (like 12" instead of 15") or short length (8yards or some weird figure). Not comparable price wise, to standard 15"x10yd stuff.
As for the true shadow stuff, I like it's looks, but usually I do a darker color of vinyl for the shadow, like say maroon on red. It's a shadow of sorts, but allows me a better design element, one I can work with on screen and integrate into the design.
But hey - anything new is fun,right? if its not a hunk of money, go for it.
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
Gail, hey it finally looks like you folks down under get the same products we do up over.. =)
Your description of the "aussie shadow" sounds just like what I have here. =)
Posted by Suelynn Sedor (Member # 442) on :
I've used true shadow vinyl for drop shadows on vehicles, and it works great. I never thought to use it over top of other colors of vinyl for dimensional work. What a great idea.
Sue
Posted by Ryan Ursta (Member # 1738) on :
I havent used the true shadow yet but I will be using it soon. I think that I am going to go with avery, being that thats the only vinyl that I use. I have a customer that wants some types of ghost flames on a red car so I think I am going to try using the orange color with some yellow up front to see what it looks like. Ill let ya know how it goes.
Posted by Tyler (Member # 2093) on :
I have a roll of ShadowLook I ordered from Gregory a couple of months ago because it seemed pretty cool. Haven't used it yet, though. It is kind of a bluish-gray tint. It seems as it would come in handy when you need a dropshadow going over multiple different background colors, as it would tint them accordingly. Once I use it i will post a pic on the portfolio page..
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
Ryan, ghost flames with vinyl is a cool trick. I did some for a guy with a Ranger, but I used clear vinyl then added shadows and highlights using black and white screen inks diluted in clear to vary the transparency. It turned out killer looking from what I could see and the customer loved it too. I'm still waiting on photos though, it was a ready-to-apply job that I sent to Canada.
My next experiment will be to add pearl powders to clearcoat then spray that onto clear vinyl. =)
Posted by david drane (Member # 507) on :
I have the "avery" in stock and have used it over faux marble with great success. Also I have used it to make prismatic effect to lettering, but not with outstanding success (too dark). On blended backgrounds it works real well.
Posted by Kissymatina (Member # 2028) on :
Robb, I'm not planning on buying it from this ebay person, I just saw it there and hadn't heard of it before.
So no one knows of a brand that would look good on white? Bummer, I was hoping to play with it on my white truck.
Thanks for the info guys and gals.
Posted by taurus signcraft (Member # 572) on :
mike, the pearls over clear vinyl works real well especialy the sem liquid in automotive clears...but, the createx chameleon's work just as good with no heavy solvent to contend with
cheers gail
Posted by Michael Boone (Member # 308) on :
Chris..... Shadows? I find the majority of my work ends up on white fields...I do a lot of boat lettering...and white signs..well..thats what signs are...AINT IT? I like shadows to be subdile.....not like a lot of those newbies who make em 3 times louder than the letter itself.This is one of my pet peeves.. think about it.
the shadow should compliment the letter...not dominate and destroy its very integrity. Shame on em! I never git hooked on one company too much. If I do....its for good reason. I buy one color exclusively....have for years.for shadows on white fields.Arlon's.....palm oyster grey. This grey is so perfect for shades. But....this is just one guy talkin....
Posted by Doug Allan (Member # 2247) on :
For the edge users reading this thread, Zeronine recently came up with a shadow foil for the edge. I got a roll but haven't dealt with the need to cut-&-modify an old disposable cartridge into a re-useable cartridge to try out the stuff yet.
Posted by Bill Cosharek (Member # 1274) on :
Chris,
You can use the Shadowlook vinyl from Gregory on a white vehicle. Just remember anytime your using it for a drop-shadow effect, leave a small gap between actual letter & shadow.
Posted by Kissymatina (Member # 2028) on :
Thanks Michael and Brian. Seeing as I have a white truck, I was thinking maybe something with shadows or ghosted (but NOT flames!)
Everyone has given great info here and I thank you all. I figured someone here would know about this stuff, just didn't realize everyone did except me. lol.
Gotta go get a check from a guy for some work he wants done. Was suppost to be just letter 2 trucks, not he wants a 4x8 that'll be a lot more than the trucks put together. Ah, what a good day.
