I keep seeing so many amazing projects that people are making using their Cricut, Sillouette or other "fancy" machines. While I love the results (and would definitely love to get one of those machines myself at some point), I often use an "old school" technique to achieve similar results. I can do my own lettering in just about any font, any size and any color using nothing fancier than a regular computer, printer, lead pencil and acrylic paints. It also works for simple graphics and pictures as well.
NOTE: I've been told that the Curlz MT font ranks up there with Comic Sans, Papyrus and others in the "fonts to hate" category ;) However, my girls love the "letters with the curlicues" out of the limited fonts I have to choose from, so it still works fine for us! :)
Here's what you do:
1. Find a font that you like on your word processing software and adjust the font size so it's as large as you need it to be. Then print it out on regular paper.
2. Cut out the name or word you'll be using, then turn it over. Using a pencil, rub over the back side of the paper. ( You don't have to cover the whole paper, just over the letters.)
3. Turn your paper over and place it on the surface where you want your word or image to be. Here I put it on the wooden slats I was using for the name plates, but I've done it directly on a wall before too. Using your pencil, trace over the letters applying medium pressure.
4. Lift up your paper and you'll see that you now have a copy of the word on your surface.
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| It's light, but you can see the outline of all the letters. |
5. Using a stiff, fine-tipped paintbrush and acrylic paints, paint your letters using the guidelines you just made.
6. For this project, I used a ruler to add a frame around the edge of each name plate and then painted that too.
Obviously, this transfer technique wouldn't work on fabrics or other porous surfaces, but it's a great option for wood, walls or any other smooth surface.
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20 comments:
Super neat! I've always wanted to do this, and now I can without breaking the bank on a fancy machine. :) Thanks for sharing!
I do not have one of those fancy cutting machines either. Do the same thing you do.
And for Fabric, that is what stencils are made for.
This is so awesome!! Keep blogging, I'm learning so much :) Jenny
I just love your posts! I stopped by to say how much I love the Slider Cookies, (perfect for my 4yo's backyard party!!) and got sidetracked with the bedside book shelves (and we too get those nasty fines for overdue, lost books!) then I got caught on this page!! LOL!! Just love your inspiration! :o)
~Terry
I am so glad I am not the only person who does this! ;) When I find a great project I don't let my lack of fancy machine(s) stop me either.
hiy a, great idea thanks for sharing x
happy crafting
xmaggiex
This is such a great idea. I always see projects using a shilohuette machine, and I think "I love it, but I can't do this..." Now I feel like a whole world has opened up! Thank you.
That's absolutely brilliant!
http://www.alittlenosh.net
I love using the lead transfer trick. I have a Cricut, but sometimes I prefer the old-school way of doing things! Found you @ Tip Junkie
Awesome ... I use transfer paper (posted here) never thought about just regular old pencil!
I have a gigantic font library and I never thought to do it this way. YOU ROCK (as always)!!
What a neat idea and it turned out great!! I also do not have fancy machines (or the budget for fancy machines)...so its nice to see someone else craft old school style like me:)
Lovely work! I've done it this way before, but I'm looking forward to getting a Silhouette next month :)
By the way, there's no need to limit yourself to the fonts you already have - you can get tons of free ones at dafont.com or several other sites, and it's super-easy to install them. (the Help section of dafont.com has instructions, or you could google for help)
try the "Curly" section for choices your girls might like: http://www.dafont.com/theme.php?cat=105
Ta Da...how simple is that!?! Thanks for sharing, I'll be getting a lot of use out of this tutorial!
I actually use that technique everytime I need an embroidery pattern transferred onto my fabric it works well as long as you have a thick layer of graphite on the paper. To do that I shade the backside of my paper then turn it so that my next layer of shading runs in the opposite direction. It seems to coat more evenly if you do 2 or more pencil rubbings before attempting to transfer.
For more free fonts try www.kevinandamanda.com They have tons of handwriting and traditional type fonts to choose from!
I have a fancy machine but I would still use this way too. Thanks for sharing.
You can find lots of different fonts here (personal use for free)
http://www.dafont.com/
Just stopping by to let you know that I've featured your craft on Family Fun Crafts! You can see it here:
http://funfamilycrafts.com/name-plates/
If you have other kid friendly crafts, I'd love it if you would submit them. :) If you would like to display a
featured button on your site, you can grab one from the right side bar of your post above.
Many years ago I took a fabric painting class and really haven't painted any clothing for awhile. I seem to remember we used iron on transfer paper to get our patterns on the fabric. I do in fact think you could "Monogram" pretty clothing. Mix the paint with Fabric Medium and iron to set.
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