You out there? but like Brain Surgeons kinda rare Would like "How to" pointers
Thanks in advance
Posted by Stephen Deveau (Member # 1305) on :
Pat I am Lefthanded..
Been doing handlettered signs for 30 years. I was told I would never make it in this trade because I would smear the paint as I was lettering.
I paint everything backwards. From right to left... instead of left to right.
Well it seems to work for me! Posted by PKing (Member # 337) on :
Thanks Steve I understand the idea to accomlish this feat.
Looking for a "hands on" CLOSER to my area type to visit personaly.
Worse comes to worse I will E-MAIL your
Thanks for your reply
Posted by Rick Sacks (Member # 379) on :
I know several southpaws. I work with one. It almost hurts to watch. I figure they're mostly good for reverse glass work. Watching a left handed person doing a casual type italicized letter is one of the funniest events I can ever watch! I wish you all the best.
[ June 16, 2003, 11:17 AM: Message edited by: Rick Sacks ]
Posted by timi NC (Member # 576) on :
Pat if you have someone who wants to letter and they are left handed,..have them watch you through a mirror,...The mirror will reverse everything so it appears as tho you(your reflection) are working left handed.
Posted by Linda Silver Eagle (Member # 274) on :
That's a really kewl idea Timi!!!! My younger sister is southpawed too. I never thought about that idea. She's doin pretty good regardless.
Posted by Bill&Jane Diaz (Member # 2549) on :
You beat me to it Timi! I am left handed and that mirror trick is how I learned to crochet. I don't hand letter, but I do watercolors left-handed. Does that count? hehehe I used to teach school and taught calligraphy to "righties" and that would totally confuse them! I did figure out how to teach calligraphy to lefties and all you do is turn the paper with the TOP of the paper to your right and letter downhill. JANE
Posted by Golden (Member # 164) on :
Hello, Most lefties are adaptable (you have to be) and it doesn't take much additional instruction. About the only difference in hand lettering most styles is you can't really drag your pinky if working left to right. (you'll drag through wet paint) To fix that problem, most lefties I know, including myself, use a mahl stick. Once that is accomplished, the rest is a moot point.
Mike Jackson
Posted by Roy Frisby (Member # 736) on :
Another lefty here. Never had much trouble learning to letter left to right and it works even better in reverse on glass!
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
iam left handed......and letter from left to right!!!!!!!!! i dont use a maul stick, i use my right hand as a bridge. dont do freehand script well...most others are fairly good .....
Posted by Stephen Deveau (Member # 1305) on :
Old Paint
You say a Mal-Stick?
I thought that was a Cane!!!!!!!!! Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
Lefties should learn Hebrew and Arabic! Both are written from right to left! Then you guys could make a fortune!
Posted by Murray MacDonald (Member # 3558) on :
Deb here-
You've all heard that teaching your wife to drive is not a good idea!! How 'bout try to teach your right handed wife who was born (and still thinks like) a lefty - to letter. There were some tense moments. And I still instinctively want to work right to left. Don't think I'm brave enough to work in front of anyone else, 'cause I've had to develop some methods that are uniquely mine. And my very talented and patient husband now just walks away shaking his head & praises my finished products. But we are still happily married & working together.
[ June 16, 2003, 03:17 PM: Message edited by: Murray MacDonald ]
Posted by Rick Beisiegel (Member # 3723) on :
FYI ----DID YOU KNOW----GUESS WHAT
80% of all "artists" are lefties!! It's a fact.
Posted by SCOTTY BOY (Member # 3949) on :
Have been painting left handed for 15 years and never really thought about it. Started off using a mahlstick but it kept getting in the way ( in the paint most of the time) Now use hand over method. Script, Casual and Block were always favourite styles but I always had trouble with Roman, especially the right handed serifs on Cs Gs and Ss. I think you need to find out what is comfortable and stick with it ... and keep away from those right handed oddballs they'll just confuse you.
Posted by Bob Timmerman (Member # 2503) on :
Hello, I'm left handed and been that way for a long time....I've painted signs for about 30 years of that long time. If I can help call or e-mail me. 607-844-8960; Timmerman@clarityconnect.com. Also find Ken Malhar (spelling?). He's left handed and used to be an instructor at a union school. Good luck....Bob'T'
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
steven..to me its a MAUL stick.....and mauling is whats its used for...you want some?????heheheheheheh
Posted by donny pavolini (Member # 2244) on :
Hi Pat, I'm a leftie and yes I also use a mahlstick.Who really cares about whether or not someone uses one it's the end result that matters isn't it?Some people like to swim across a lake, I prefer a boat.It's my crutch if you know what I mean.Let me know if I can help. Hope to see you soon.
Posted by Jean Shimp (Member # 198) on :
Being a "leftie" sure came in handy when I used to letter boats in the water upside down. One time I had to get my husband to hold my feet down while I hung over the top side of the boat - talk about trust - it's a good thing he wasn't mad at me that day or I would have gone head first into the water! Thank God for computers and vinyl.
Posted by Dave Draper (Member # 102) on :
I'm left handed.
My mentors hated it. In fact they were down right rude about it. They told me to switch. I told them to switch! We went round and round!
What really ticked me off was that they told me to develop my own "style". My "own" style had to be "their" way. They were control freaks. I don't get along with control freaks.
Seems they felt a "lefty" couldn't make the strokes end properly and at the right degree of slant on G S C.
On 1 stroke letters, I would have to be very careful not to get my palmm into the paint. On finished layout letters I would have to work from right to left (backwards)
The imortant thing to me was to develop a consistant look to the letters and not to worry if other signpainters had trouble with it.
Not only that, most of the customers I worked for were right handed. When they would watch me letter with my left hand, it frustrated them. Very few would try to pick up a brush and try to paint their own sign after watching me.
Wish I could say that about computerized plotters. At least 16 have ran out and bought their own plotters after seeing how "easy" I could letter a sign with a plotter. Posted by Stephen Deveau (Member # 1305) on :
Bring it on Old Paint!!!
We will be beating each other up with Wooden Sticks.... Using our Left Hands only!
[ June 16, 2003, 11:04 PM: Message edited by: Stephen Deveau ]
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
I want to see Op and raven with their "wooden sticks"! wonder who gets "popsicled" first?
Posted by Kissymatina (Member # 2028) on :
Stephen & Old Paint,
If you two want to fight it out with mahl sticks, why don't you ask Karyn if she has some of those flaming bats you could use instead.
My money is on Stephen.
Posted by John Lennig (Member # 2455) on :
Here's another lefty here. When I was in sign class, the instructor did the lesson, and told me... yeah, do it like this, but I guess you'll use your left hand! I just worked it out, learning "hand down" showcard style and mahlstick way. Later worked with a Great signwriter, Jim Bosley, master hand down guy.
Scripts was hardest, can't swing into the next letter, have to "join them"... developed my own style(don't we all !)
Anyway, I do a lot of work no hand down, just swingin' into the wind.You're right, reverse glass for leftys is like being right handed, but not much call for it!!
Any lefty people coming to the Meet in Nanaimo this Sept. ...I'll be lettering a lot, we can swap techniques/styles.
John Lennig / SignRider
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
ok...but mines got a point on the end.....heheheheheh
Posted by PKing (Member # 337) on :
Thanks Everyone I just KNEW I could count on ya'll to help me be able to give lettering instructions to my DUCKETT in her strive to self improvement in the world of art. The union of "Hand Lettering" & "Decrotive Art" has always been BOTH our goals in Life.
Quack Quack
Posted by PKing (Member # 337) on :
opps double post
Posted by Rick Sacks (Member # 379) on :
I was once instructed by Mike Stevens to clean my quills left handed to activate the other side of my brain.
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
rick, i can add to that type of thinking. i am left handed for everything, eating, painting, writing, pottery,baseball, golf, bowling. i started to play with computers in stores(office depot, staples, best buys)all of em are set up with RIGHT HAND MOUSE!!!! well i cant use a mouse with my left hand!!!!!! feel totally foreign to me. the guy who started me letterin, was a right hander who got arthuritis so bad in his right hand, he taught himself to paint with his left!!!!
[ June 17, 2003, 01:37 PM: Message edited by: old paint ]
Posted by DONALD THOMPSON (Member # 3726) on :
It is great to see how many are left-handed. I have been to a few meets and people always make comments about me being left-handed, and being "Blessed" because of it. I haven't figured that out yet, because I suck at all of it. I will continue to try really hard to get better, but I can lay vinyl with either hand.
Posted by captain ken (Member # 742) on :
Another Leftie here!!!! I usually dont use a "Mahlstick" but I do quite freqently use my right hand to steady or as a "bridge". My only observation has been with script, where a righty's hand naturally flow down and flixs back up, for a lefty the flick is against the grain, and you end up pushing the brush away from you rather than pulling it toward you... I hear so many lefty's say they can't do script, well I have been doing this for 12 years and I have been complimented by alot of righties for my script, but I dont flick, I actually stop at the bottom of the main stroke then bring the connecting stroke down from where the next letter will start and meet with the main stroke at the bottom. you can also create a nice wide bottom script or a script that points at the bottom of the stroke, to give it a sharp racey look.
[ June 19, 2003, 06:52 PM: Message edited by: captain ken ]
Posted by Stephen Deveau (Member # 1305) on :
I think the idea is more on how you flow the paint, then.. The hand you use. Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
GOTCHA..... Ijust stuck ya with the pionted end of my maul stcik!!!!
Posted by Stephen Deveau (Member # 1305) on :
Old Paint.. I have to go to the hospital as I have a stab wound!!!!!!!!!!
Right on Brother. Posted by Brad Ferguson (Member # 33) on :
I am not totally left or right handed. For example, I letter with my left and drink coffee with my right--a real time saver.
I hold a fork in my left, but a steak knife with my right, allowing me to avoid the 'fork hand-off' that so many right handers have to deal with. I have saved countless man-hours eating steak dinners in my career.
It's all about multi-tasking.
Posted by Brad Ferguson (Member # 33) on :
I am not totally left or right handed. For example, I letter with my left and drink coffee with my right--a real time saver.
I hold a fork in my left, but a steak knife with my right, allowing me to avoid the 'fork hand-off' that so many right handers have to deal with. I have saved countless man-hours eating steak dinners in my career.
It's all about multi-tasking.
Brad in Kansas
Posted by Brad Ferguson (Member # 33) on :
I am not totally left or right handed. For example, I letter with my left and drink coffee with my right--a real time saver.
I hold a fork in my left, but a steak knife with my right, allowing me to avoid the 'fork hand-off' that so many right handers have to deal with. I have saved countless man-hours eating steak dinners in my career.
It's all about multi-tasking.
Brad in Kansas
Posted by Brad Ferguson (Member # 33) on :
![[Cool]](cool.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
I used to teach school and taught calligraphy to "righties" and that would totally confuse them! I did figure out how to teach calligraphy to lefties and all you do is turn the paper with the TOP of the paper to your right and letter downhill.![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)