![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
So, our morris side Sutton Masque has a green and gold colourscheme, from the tatters on our jackets to our facepaint. But we also are not made of money, so when I found a second hand drum in a charity shop, I bought it for the musicians even though it was bright blue.
We covered the entire thing with a large square of green fleece, tied on with gold elastic, and that was great.
Unfortunately, after five years of continual wear, the green fleece developed holes, especially where it was caught between the drum stick and the rim while people were drumming. It was time for something to be done.
Enter DH, who said to me, "You have signwriting training now. We could paint the drum in side colours and then you could write the name on it."
Exciting! This would be my second ever public-facing project, and the first one that had actually mattered. After all, no one really cares what my bins look like, but Sutton Masque are going to be carrying this drum around with us for at least another five years. It needed to look okay.
So, I started by taking the drum skin and supports off the blue drum
and then giving it four coats of quick drying spray paint in dark green
Then with much trepidation I painted 'Sutton Masque' on it in metallic gold enamel paint. Or rather, I painted
SUT TON
MAS QUE
because I wanted to have the name cover the entire visible surface from the front, and that consists of the front two panels - so one of the drum struts goes right up the middle, and I had to leave room for it.
The font is 'God of War' from dafont.com which we also use on our t-shirts.
Time for the second coat (this time in direct light so it looks an entirely different green. It isn't!)
Then I put all the drum furniture and the skin back on again. And now we don't need to hide it under a cloth :)
I am much happier about this than I have been about anything since the bins! And I'll find out how the rest of the side feel about it on Wednesday (practice night.)
We covered the entire thing with a large square of green fleece, tied on with gold elastic, and that was great.
Unfortunately, after five years of continual wear, the green fleece developed holes, especially where it was caught between the drum stick and the rim while people were drumming. It was time for something to be done.
Enter DH, who said to me, "You have signwriting training now. We could paint the drum in side colours and then you could write the name on it."
Exciting! This would be my second ever public-facing project, and the first one that had actually mattered. After all, no one really cares what my bins look like, but Sutton Masque are going to be carrying this drum around with us for at least another five years. It needed to look okay.
So, I started by taking the drum skin and supports off the blue drum
and then giving it four coats of quick drying spray paint in dark green
Then with much trepidation I painted 'Sutton Masque' on it in metallic gold enamel paint. Or rather, I painted
SUT TON
MAS QUE
because I wanted to have the name cover the entire visible surface from the front, and that consists of the front two panels - so one of the drum struts goes right up the middle, and I had to leave room for it.
The font is 'God of War' from dafont.com which we also use on our t-shirts.
Time for the second coat (this time in direct light so it looks an entirely different green. It isn't!)
Then I put all the drum furniture and the skin back on again. And now we don't need to hide it under a cloth :)
I am much happier about this than I have been about anything since the bins! And I'll find out how the rest of the side feel about it on Wednesday (practice night.)
no subject
Date: 2022-11-29 06:21 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2022-11-29 06:45 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2022-11-29 08:00 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2022-11-29 09:29 pm (UTC)From:Thoughts
Date: 2022-11-29 08:38 pm (UTC)From:That is so awesome. I love morris dancing, though it's rarely seen in North America aside from videos. Once I saw a video of a stick-type morris dance done with boomwhackers -- sticks that make a musical note when hit.
>>and then giving it four coats of quick drying spray paint in dark green<<
Did you topcoat or otherwise protect that in some way? Because we use spraypaint to decorate our PVC drums, and it scratches quite easily.
>>The font is 'God of War' from dafont.com which we also use on our t-shirts.<<
Wow. It looks stenciled, and you actually handpainted those little diamond-points.
>>I am much happier about this than I have been about anything since the bins! And I'll find out how the rest of the side feel about it on Wednesday (practice night.)<<
I think it looks quite splendid.
Thinking about signwriting, now I'm recalling an entry I read about historic crafts, regarding pub signs, that had some truly resplendent artwork. Some were literally just paint on flat glass, but others included frosting, etching, glass-cutting, gold leaf instead of gold paint, and other intricate embellishments. The gold lettering on the drum reminded me of that. I'm curious whether pub signage is a direction that interests you. It was cited as a fading craft and there were supports trying to keep it alive.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2022-11-29 09:50 pm (UTC)From:I do like the idea of using musical sticks! We have danced in the dark using glowsticks, which was fun, but extra noises sound good.
Oh yes, I forgot to say that I gave the drum a coat of yacht varnish to finish off. It does have a tough life, and I figured it should be protected.
I'm so chuffed that you think it looks stencilled :) That level of precision is totally what I was going for, even though - as you say - with handpainted stuff, as with vinyl records, some level of imperfection gives it its charm.
LOL! Alas, gold leaf and painting on glass were not included in this course - there's a separate module for those, but I'm thinking of taking it anyway, because I am interested in painting shop windows. I would also absolutely do a pub sign if someone was looking for one, though I'm not sure I'm good enough to make a good job of it yet.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2022-11-30 03:44 am (UTC)From:I am in awe of your energy.
>> We have hosted a couple of sides who were from North America and they were extremely good. Foggy Bottom Morris was one, I think http://fbmm.org/ <<
That looks cool. :D I've seen a few, mostly at Renaissance events, but they're rare.
>> but they're certainly a lot rarer than here, where you'll have three sides in one town :)
You are lucky.
>> I do like the idea of using musical sticks! We have danced in the dark using glowsticks, which was fun, but extra noises sound good.<<
I am amused by glowstick morris! :D ... you should totally prompt me for that some time.
In some morris dances, the sticks are ceremonial and not struck together or not with enough force to do anything. In others, the sticks are a structural part of the dance, creating sound and/or providing momentum as dancers push away from each other.
Boomwhackers belong in the category of musical-stick morris and they are meant to be played as musical instruments, one note each. That means you need perfect timing, because the dancing and the playing are united. If you want to change notes, then you also need to account for laying down and picking up the sticks, or passing them around somehow. (I've seen both.) Boomwhackers are brightly colored and the ones I have seen seem to match the color to the note played. You might need to experiment a bit, but they are quite eye-catching and I found the sounds pleasant. If you have a junior morris side or class in your area, this would probably appeal to them. It's also a good way to revive the older high-contact version of some dances that have become low or no contact due to the age of their implements.
>>Oh yes, I forgot to say that I gave the drum a coat of yacht varnish to finish off. It does have a tough life, and I figured it should be protected.<<
That ought to do it. :D
>>I'm so chuffed that you think it looks stencilled :) That level of precision is totally what I was going for, even though - as you say - with handpainted stuff, as with vinyl records, some level of imperfection gives it its charm.<<
It totally looks stenciled. Go you! Thinking about it...
* The points on the letters greatly contributed to the stenciled appearance. If the points line up, they help everything else look sharper too.
Extrapolating from this, other motifs commonly used in stencils (circles, blocks) should work similarly. If the font makes people think "stencil" their their brains should fill in the details. A bit of foolery, but worth considering. You could study stencil fonts to see if there are more you like. I think Val and Stella UT would look nice handpainted.
* Spacing the letters around the drum furniture helped, because people often fit stencils around something. That break is very common, especially because you have to account not just for the letter but the stencil card.
* The very smart gold-on-green contributed too.
>> LOL! Alas, gold leaf and painting on glass were not included in this course - there's a separate module for those, but I'm thinking of taking it anyway, because I am interested in painting shop windows.<<
Do it do it do iiiiit!
>> I would also absolutely do a pub sign if someone was looking for one, though I'm not sure I'm good enough to make a good job of it yet.<<
Depends on the sign. Basic to intermediate, you could do now. But the high end of pub signs is the high end of signwriting, that is some museum-class epic artwork. You are quite a ways from that. However, that probably costs an arm and two legs, so I imagine most pub and shop owners are looking for something simpler and cheaper. A horse, a fish, a stein, the name of the establishment -- that you could do.
Do you ever go walkabout with a camera? You could photograph pub signs, or other signs, for reference. I'm sure folks would enjoy seeing those if you'd like to share, too. The ones I've seen have been lovely. Not far from me is an Amish settlement, and their serious signs (not the scribbled "Fresh Eggs" kind) are really nice.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2022-11-30 10:58 am (UTC)From:I do like that Val font for filling up space, and the Stella UT where you didn't have a lot of it, thanks! I'm supposed to be looking at lots of different fonts at the moment and picking ones that I will adapt for my own use, so those will definitely go in the bank :)
My other half is the photographer in the family, but I do quite like the idea of collecting pub signs. As is usually the way when you're learning something new, my eyes have been opened to a whole world of stuff I'd taken for granted before.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2022-11-30 11:29 am (UTC)From:Yay! I'm glad you like them.
>> I know Sutton Masque would love to do a dance that also played a tune. <<
That's exciting.
Of course, there are a variety of musical instruments designed for dancing -- leg bells, deer toes, finger cymbals, jingle dress, etc. -- but few of them allow you to change notes.
>>We have a couple of people who write new dances and a couple who write new tunes, so it's something we could definitely do. I might suggest it :)
Go for it! That sounds like fun.
>> We're always very enthusiastic about new things. <<
:D
>>The main drawbacks would be cost <<
They're quite affordable as musical instruments go. The big class-sized sets are more expensive, but the octave sets are no more than a hardback book. They don't seem to sell individual tubes, though, so if you need multiples of one note, you're stuck buying extras. :/ Ah, pass the idea to your composer and see what they come up with.
>> and then having someone have to store them when not in use and carry them around when they were.<<
Well, there are carrying bags on the website. I don't think it's any more of a nuisance than hauling other musical instruments -- and these are a lot smaller than drums.
That reminds me, another thing you could use signwriting for: decorating musical instruments. You've already done one drum. I've seen some gorgeous wooden guitars done up with handpainting.
>> I do like that Val font for filling up space, and the Stella UT where you didn't have a lot of it, thanks! I'm supposed to be looking at lots of different fonts at the moment and picking ones that I will adapt for my own use, so those will definitely go in the bank :)
Yay! :D I love fonts. I like using them for my poetry collections and stuff. It's also interesting to study how the letters are shaped and what "mood" a font gives. Things I like to have:
* a clear sans-serif font like Arial
* a clear serif font like Times New Roman
* a rounded font like Tubular
* a crisp pipe-looking font like Copperplate Gothic
* a set of seasonal fonts and/or holiday fonts
* a few different computer-like or science-fiction fonts
* a few different handwriting fonts, print and cursive
* a handful of fantasy-type fonts like Aidan
* a handful of historic-looking fonts like Percival
* a handful of ethnic-looking fonts (e.g. an Asian one, a Jewish one) that are in English but have the style of the ethnic writing system
* a bunch of special effect fonts like Borghs-Cracked
* including some with things stuck in them like Flowerpower
Think about different types of sign that you would expect to make more than once. I would bet a lot of people will want a relatively plain font, so pick 2-3 basic ones and practice the most with those. Then another bunch of people will want slightly dressy fonts. That pointed one from the drum is a definite keeper, it'll look great on many signs. Historic ones you'll probably need because people willing to pay for signwriting are likely to enjoy history or be doing a historic-type business. The far-out stuff you probably won't need as often, but should have in a lookbook so you don't have to hunt it down when you do need it. Maybe organize that by "mood" or features (e.g. serif, sans-serif, historic). I've seen font lookbooks in bakeries for the cakewriting!
... hmm, if you like pretty baked goods, there's another interesting avenue of practice. There's edible ink you put on with a pen or brush, goes great on hardened royal icing or fondant. And if you muff it, eat the evidence and try again!
https://www.bakerella.com/sweet-talk-cookie-signs/
>> My other half is the photographer in the family, but I do quite like the idea of collecting pub signs.<<
Maybe you could make an outing of it to spend time together. Snap the holiday signs while they're out, because those are extra-fancy. Wait a few months for spring, and you'll see different temporary displays or seasonal businesses along with the permanent ones. Do you have Renaissance faires or other historic recreation near you? Here those are a reliable source of truly classic signmaking.
>> As is usually the way when you're learning something new, my eyes have been opened to a whole world of stuff I'd taken for granted before.<<
I love that too. Just hanging out with you reminds me that I enjoy looking at signs which are more than just commercial knockoffs.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2022-12-01 10:24 am (UTC)From:Yes, we wear bells on our legs - which has been part of the tradition since the 1400s. Probably the only bit that has survived unchanged :) As you say, they can't make a tune, but they can show when someone is out of step!
That guitar really is beautiful! I happen to have a guitar which has been knocking around the house with nobody using it for years. I've marked it down on the list of things that I could paint once I've got in some practice on the pallet in the garden and the pile of tiles left over from tiling the shower :) I need to get good before tackling a guitar.
I must look up the fonts in your list! And yes, maybe print them out and make myself a lookbook, because yes, at the moment I have approximate knowledge of Block, Roman and one rather illegible Script font and that's not enough.
Do you have Renaissance faires or other historic recreation near you? Here those are a reliable source of truly classic signmaking.
We do have historical reenactments, but they tend to be Saxon and Viking and generally don't involve writing at all unless you're lucky enough to find someone who is being a monk. I'm technically still a member of a group called Regia Anglorum, though the morris dancing has meant that we haven't had time for it for years, and I was wondering if our permanent site might need signs. But I imagine that Alan would want to carve something.
Thank you! Yes, there's a lot of art out there in the world that tends to go unnoticed, and I find myself now looking at the printed plastic stuff on most shops and thinking hmm. It's just not got the same character :)
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2022-12-01 06:06 pm (UTC)From:I've seen powwow dances with leg bells, deer toes (which rattle), and jingle dresses (the most musical and controllable of the ones I listed). Some are noisy all the time. Most can be used to make a distinct rhythm. A few, like the jingle dress, can be played more complexly to alter the type and loudness of sound a little bit. But the only one that offers any variety of note is if you put differently tuned zills on each hand, which is not a common choice. It does let you play two-tone drum rhythms though, which goes very nicely with the two-tone doumbek used for belly dancing.
>>That guitar really is beautiful! <<
Run a search online for "handpainted guitar" or "flower guitar" etc. and you will find lots. Common variations include a fully covered front, a patch of decoration on the front, a line of vines around one curve of the front, decoration around the sound hole, etc. Less often you see decoration around the side or on the back of the neck. So it ranges from simple to very complex.
>>I happen to have a guitar which has been knocking around the house with nobody using it for years. I've marked it down on the list of things that I could paint once I've got in some practice on the pallet in the garden and the pile of tiles left over from tiling the shower :) I need to get good before tackling a guitar.<<
I agree that more skill would be helpful, but it's great that you already have a guitar!
>> I must look up the fonts in your list! And yes, maybe print them out and make myself a lookbook, <<
Besides, lookbooks are fun. Also you will need something to show customers, because not many people can even recognize basic distinctions like "serif" vs. "sans serif." They may know they want a certain style on their sign but not know how to tell you what that is. But they could point to a page and say, "Like this."
Hmm, on that note you may wish to print out a signwriting glossary, at least the words likely to appear in a commission. A serif is a flourish on one letter pointing to the next letter. Kerning is manipulation of spaces between letters and how their shpaes fit together. That sort of thing.
>> because yes, at the moment I have approximate knowledge of Block, Roman and one rather illegible Script font and that's not enough.<<
Block and Roman are useful starting points if you have versions you like. Script fonts are more challenging to find one that is legible, attractive, and comfortable to write. Let's see ...
Cotillion is a relatively clear script font.
French Script MT is great for curlicues.
Bradley Hand ITC is a nice legible printed handwriting font.
Kristen ITC is another good handprinted one.
The Lucida font family has a lot of great ones, including a handwritten script. It's a good choice if you want variations on a theme, like if someone wants different fonts on the same sign.
>>We do have historical reenactments, but they tend to be Saxon and Viking <<
Oh wow! Here those are just subsets of larger events.
>> and generally don't involve writing at all unless you're lucky enough to find someone who is being a monk.<<
*chuckle* Then they're not thinking it all the way through.
1) Villages or other divisions of space typically had someone who could make boundary markers, although not necessarily write something like a manuscript. It's why we have so many of them left, the ones that were made of stone, but people used wood more often. Sometimes these were done in runes or other alphabets ("This is as far"), but other times they had clan symbols or the like.
2) Signs didn't start out with alphabets, they started out with symbols or pictures. An arrow and a horse pointed to the livery. A stein marked the pub. And so on. It's why the oldest businesses are most prone to having pictures with words on their signs, although few people remember that's why.
So if your group wanted to use signs, those are some widely used period examples. Most of the very little we have left of Pictish writing is from boundary markers. Probably not all the signwriters were even literate -- there were illiterate copyists, and it doesn't take a lot to copy "This is as far" or "Livery stable."
>> I'm technically still a member of a group called Regia Anglorum, though the morris dancing has meant that we haven't had time for it for years,<<
Such a beautiful site! I love the coracle.
>>and I was wondering if our permanent site might need signs. <<
Excellent idea.
>>But I imagine that Alan would want to carve something.<<
Historic signs often included carving and painting together. Pencil in the lettering or images, carve for relief, paint over for contrast.
>>Thank you! Yes, there's a lot of art out there in the world that tends to go unnoticed, and I find myself now looking at the printed plastic stuff on most shops and thinking hmm. It's just not got the same character :)
Plastic is great if you want pop-in letters for a lit sign, or anything you wish to change frequently where chalk is unfeasible. But I agree that it has nowhere near the character of a handpainted sign.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2022-12-06 09:41 am (UTC)From:That's a really useful font website too. Thank you!
As for signs in Regia, I don't think that they would have been in existence yet. This is a time when things like inns and livery stables had not been invented yet. Everybody was making their own flour and beer and clothes. And there would be five or six small houses to a village, where everyone knew each other and knew who held what. So no need for signs.
I agree that there were boundary markers, but they wouldn't necessarily have been signs either. So and so's boundary went along the stream and then turned right at the pine and continued until the rock that looked like a hat. Either it would be written down by a monk, or it would be held in common memory and if there was a dispute in court, either the monk or the neighbours would be called to witness it.
In general, when we re-enact, we reenact an encampment - a Lord's family and household on the road going somewhere, and again you don't need signs in a tent village where everybody already knows everyone else and what they do. We shouldn't really have signs in the permanent settlement either - you can see which one the Lord's hall is because it's the enormous one with the fine decoration - but the signs would be for the public rather than for us.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2022-12-06 10:12 am (UTC)From:Yay! I'm happy I could help.
>>Mr Man who runs the course prefers a looser sort of script, but I prefer it if it looks like it has some kind of rules.<<
You may want to make "loose vs. regular" a question to ask clients who request script or handwriting type fonts.
Me, I tend to focus most on legibility, which doesn't necessarily have to be regular but does include more of those than really loose ones.
>> That's a really useful font website too. Thank you!<<
:D There are many font websites, and the good ones will include a sample of the alphabet. You could probably just spend an afternoon browsing some and printing off fonts you like.
>>As for signs in Regia, I don't think that they would have been in existence yet.<<
Fair enough. It still sounds like an interesting event.
no subject
Date: 2022-11-29 10:46 pm (UTC)From:Our team, Anyonymous Morris copper were very fortunate. We inherited a beautiful drum when we started, it's got a fabulous red dragon painted on it.
no subject
Date: 2022-11-30 09:55 am (UTC)From:Ooh an inherited drum with a dragon on it sounds awesome. Every side watching you is jealous, I bet :) I wanted to paint a green man face on the other side of this, but it's got too many plaques and enormous holes that once clearly mounted the drum to a drum kit, so there's not enough free space for it.
no subject
Date: 2022-11-30 12:29 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2022-11-30 09:56 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2022-12-01 03:58 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2022-11-30 11:00 am (UTC)From:Secondly, the drum looks fantastic!
no subject
Date: 2022-11-30 11:12 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2022-12-02 10:08 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2022-12-05 04:22 pm (UTC)From: