My efforts

[Noniron]

I have done a few shirts they are good . I did the chick first then the cat ,and then the skull. Letters are hard to do freehand ,anyone any tips. That's my girl posing LOL.

[Noniron]

[Noniron]

These are as cute as can be & anyone is blessed to have a little red headed sweetheart like this!!..I hope the darling shirt made Chloe's owie go away..she has stickers & gauze all over her hand..Gotta be a story there.. I have lots of tips all about lettering.. you've really done quite well with these.. It takes practice & a lot of it..I think I have some lessons & tips somewhere here on the forum but I don't know exactly how to find them..for the time being you can go to some of my previous posts on lettering.... Very nice job on your shirts!!

[Noniron]

Thanks darladidit yea she is good fun ,she has even had a go with the airbrush LOL. I think it is because Daddy has a sore hand ,she had to have one also.
Can I ask do you make a livin with your art ? or am I just dreaming . I need to find a way to make ends meet here , I cant do my job anymore , (car Metalwork) I just do not have any power in my hands anymore. I love art and would love to try and make it work.

I make a fair to middin' living with my airbrush & since I think you use more of your body to airbrush than the power of your hands I think there's the possability of you doing it too..You show great possibilities with your shirts-- if tshirt painting is what you have in mind doing??..Location is the absolute key to quick success but I think any area can be built up given some time.. Where are you from Noniron?? Making a living can be far more than a dream, but of course it's hard work & hustle, but there's something very sweet about being your own boss & setting your own hours..Everything is a trade off & there are both good & bad points of being a tshirt artist--I've been happy with it though & it's afforded me just enough to keep on going..my tshirt shop is in Corpus Christi, Tex. & I work in my booth on Fri., Sat., & Sun.,doing any custom work I get through the week..

[Noniron]

Hi darladidit I am a long way from you ! Belfast Northern Ireland , I think self employment is the only way I can keep working. I would be doing custom paint also ,anything really to make a wage ,that's all I want to pay the bills . Things are starting to look good over here ,people have more cash in their pockets . Sometimes you have to make your own market for your work.
Thanks for the help.
Andrew

Well!! No wonder..I was un-aware of your location--that's why a georgeous red headed Irish belle..she must be very proud of her daddys skill & it's cute she has her hand all wrapped up to mimic him..
Here in America a new fad is sweeping the country & airbrushed tshirts seem to be quite popular--especially anything with a personal name on it..Since I'm able to letter a pretty name & paint a fair or cute picture, I've been able to make a living set up in a flea market type atmosphere..Unless the same strange occurance is happening there in Ireland I think your best avenue would be to head in the direction of custom auto & bike parts, but since I'm unfamiliar with this end of airbrushing other members may have to give you more information..I firmly believe the airbrush can be applied & headed down many different avenues that can be put to use making an additional income..At least you understand that you may have to make your own market, but the airbrush has sure made it easier for me..It's a pleasure to meet you & I sure wish you luck if you give this a stab..

[yardartnut]

nice work...and doll of a girl there too!

[AirTodd]

Nice looking shirts you did.

Keep Practicing, Thats How Your Ever Gonna Get To Be Good.

[xzotic ink]

SORRY DARLA im gonna tell ya how to cheat on lettering, dont shot the messenger darla, shot the message? ok,yes, darla is 100 percent correct, practice your lettering, but since i hate to practice and always want results like yesterday, i learned to cheat on lettering, lol..ok go to your computer, go to fonts on your word processing page, and mess with the styles and sizes, than print it out, then use a number 11 to cut out and spray! throw some highlights or drop shadow and your just as good as the pros...but heres the bad part-- if your going into an open business where people see ya spraying the actual names , than it doesnt look good for business, theyll say "you cant do basic lettering", not a good business choice!! As for me, i spray indoors and sell outdoors, so ive been able to get away with it, lol..its also a lot more time consuming!! but yet again, youll have top notch lettering!!! lol..

[xzotic ink]

im so rude, NICE T SHIRTS AND GREAT PHOTOS!! Got to love the family support!

[Noniron]

xzotic ink sounds good , do you stick the paper to the shirt to stop underspray ? if so what do you use?can you use spray glue on the paper?
I did the letters on the skull with low tack masking tape and that worked good . And it will be a long time before I would work in puplic LOL.

xzotic ink brought this thread to my attention again & I'm glad she did..She thinks I'm going to SCOLD her because she THINKS that she's found away to skirt around learning to handletter--well!! she's right & she's wrong at the same time.. I firmly believe that any way at all that you can get your artwork out of your head & onto canvas (anything you want to put it onto) is fair!! & for someone who paints for a hobby or is new to the game of tshirts by all means copy & cut your letters out & you may be able to get away with it for a small amount of time..The most valuable thing a tshirt artist has going for him is the ability to handletter,(anyone can paint a cartoon picture!!) but if you don't know how & you're in the tshirt business, sooner or later a hot shot painter is going to call you out..It's not a lot different than a wild west shootout & guess who's going to get shot dead in his tracks..The artists who has devoted the time & made the effort to learn to letter is going to win the big prize & send the other artist home with his tail tucked..Even though I may seem like a sweet older lady, I've done this many times & take pleasure in doing it--I've tucked a lot of tails!!..I figure it's a lesson for this poor artist to learn..It's a hard business!!
In order to learn to letter it's a great help to look & study any lettering that you find attractive..I'm a font freak & download a lot of freeware fonts..the internet is running over with them & my computer is full of them..The thing is, they may look pretty on a piece of paper & they're great for a printer, but when you apply them to your artwork they have no heart..& even though it's just a cheap piece of cloth that will render your artwork as practically worthless it still should come from you & show heart..I would advise anyone interested in learning to letter to look at any & all packaging around them..candy bars & cereal boxes have beautiful examples, newspapers & magazines--& try to copy them..Lettering is a very specialized field & it's undertaking is only for those with high self esteem because it will humble you..It's even very difficult to teach & the men who trained me said they would never teach anyone else!! But it can be sooo rewarding--both monetary & satisfaction..I paint silly tshirts now & most of my lettering to those who taught me would be considered pretty crappy--but I'm doing so well with it that they would be pleased..
Here is a quick sketch that I made while my computer restarted..very quick..It shows a simple helvetica print & then I take that simple skeleton & give it some heart..the script I have here is going everywhere which is not good--but your customer will not know..
In the tshirt business--he who writes the best name, will win the game!!
I encourage anyone who has the notion of painting tshirts for a living to study the art of hand lettering..it's pretty critical.. --& for God's sake try to give all your work some heart!!!

[xzotic ink]

i had to tell ya darla, i didnt want to tell someone to practice the wrong way and in the long run it would of bit them on the as.. I like the second one the best, it looks graffiti style, and the third is more flowing. For me, after i do the hard design i always screw it up with some floating lettering that looks like it does not belong with the work. so in the meantime, i WILL PRACTICE my basic lettering on newsprint.. As for the answer to this thread above about the stenciling, the how to..well i use adhesive spray in a can, and make sure you print your letters out fat enough, sometimes they can look too skimpy , so always size them up and dont be afraid to add a little more fatness to the letters. Ive learned to cut time down by lightly spraying directly in front of the stencil, DO NOT BEND OR TURN THE GUN, THATS WHEN IT LIFTS AND YOU GET UNDERSPRAY!! When you just start doing this, you should take paper and tape off the rest so you dont get over spray catches on areas you didnt plan to do it on. Remember NOT too close, or too heavy it will puddle underneath..Then you got another mess to deal with. BACK TO DARLAS POINT, she is on the money, everyone likes my designs but if we get real can i really satisfy a customer with freehanding there name on the spot, NO! because i DID NOT PUSH MYSELF TO PRACTICE THE BASICS!! Matter of fact, Im gonna start a thread on that soon..thanks darla!

[Noniron]

Thanks darla and xzotic ink , this is great info . Is it best to practice on paper or use something like a old sheet ? .I have found painting to cotton very different to painting on a hard surface.Thanks again for taking the time to help me out.

Noniron, when I give lessons I always use a real good brand of paper towels..called VIVA over here..A good brand will have the same feel as cloth..newsprint would be a second choice..
I always work with a pallet--just a heavy weight piece of posterboard set against the wall--this is what I use to blow my brush out after color changes or if I need to test before going to the actual art piece..Use a small amount of spray adheasive to put your paper towel on the easle & practice to your content..it takes alot (rolls & rolls of paper towels)!!--but you've already shown you can do this..