My First Steps in Sign Painting

It all began when Solia gifted me this course a few years ago. I finally decided to dive in, starting with the tools I had on hand while waiting for proper brushes, paints, and canvases to arrive.

• Brushes – A natural long-bristle brush Art Creation, R&L Moderna brush and R&L NocturnaPro Stroke.
• Paints – Acrylic paints in black and mixed tones Amsterdam; kids’ gouache for early practice.
• Canvas & Paper – Off-white practice paper rolls, later upgraded to canvas for the final piece.
• 3D-printed paint mixing caps – Designed and printed by Solia to keep mixed paints from drying out.
• Tracing paper & pencils – For transferring sketches and building confidence before painting.

At first, my lines were jagged, my pressure uneven, and my curves looked clumsy. Chisel strokes especially gave me trouble—I rotated my wrist too fast or too slow, and everything came out shaky.

But even in the roughness, I loved the process. Each failed line taught me something new, and I was amazed at how many styles could come from just a single brush. My only regret was not starting sooner.

When the new brushes arrived, I couldn’t wait to test them. The natural brush was still tricky to control, but acrylics felt amazing—fast-drying and smooth. The Moderna was great for details, while the NocturnaPro quickly became my go-to.

For the final project, I sketched two lettering options: one in script, one in the more traditional Casual Letter Style. The casual style instantly felt right, so I traced it as my main reference.

With the background painted and the sketch transferred to the canvas, it was time to face the nerves. Mixing enough paint for the whole piece was key—once the color runs out, it’s impossible to match it exactly.

After two careful coats on the letters, the final result started to shine. I could see how much progress I had made compared to my first shaky strokes, and that made every mistake worth it.

A huge thank you to Christopher Rouleau for such an inspiring and easy-to-follow course—it made every step of this learning journey both approachable and exciting.

And special thanks to Solia, who not only encouraged me to dive into this craft but also helped film the entire process so I could share it here.