Photography & Lettering Archives

Performance Automotive – Truck Lettering

September 30, 2009 By Laura 2 Comments

I know some of you have been waiting to see how the truck lettering is prepared, before it goes on the trucks, but that’s not this post yet. lol. He will do that at some point. But this is Laura, actually, blogging for Michael : ) I took photos of this job for Michael, not only because I like the layout, because I think this tow truck is adorable! Isn’t it just CUTE?! It belongs to Performance Automotive, out of Plymouth. I love the red, and the tinted windows, too.

Also, I didn’t think we posted a 2 color job yet. It’s a sharp looking job.

Michael has been taking care of Performance Automotive for 10 years now.

So here’s the door before lettering, obviously.

Lettering with outlines are done in 2 layers. What ends up being the ‘outline’ of the letter, is actually a bigger, solid letter under neath the top cut letters.

In the 3 photos above, he is positioning the first layer, which will be the lettering outline.

There it is, applied.

Now here, he is applying the lettering over the outline layer.

Nice, huh?

The blue is outlined in metallic silver. It’s hard to see in a photo, but there is a bit of shimmer to metallic silver.

The kids got their rides in the cute tow truck, and the owner picked it up the next day, and was very happy with the job done, as always.
Need some business vehicles lettered as well? You can reach Michael at the following email address:
Alphbtman@aol.com

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Lipsett Oil Truck Lettering

August 29, 2009 By Michael 5 Comments

Hi Folks. This is Michael. : ) As I am sure we’ve mentioned before, my father was in this trade of signs and truck lettering for 52 years or so. Lipsett & Sons was a client of his for many, many years, until my father retired. I’ve had a business of my own (Michael P. Richard – Truck Lettering, Etc.), so when my father retired, a lot of his clients naturally came to me. Lipsett & Sons has been one of those accounts. Just since then, in late 2006, I have lettered for Lipsett, 3 service vans, 2 oil trucks, and 1 enclosed trailer.

The lettering for this truck I had already cut out. For existing accounts, I have the layouts I have created at a prior time, in my computer, for the various size and style trucks. But for new vehicles, I need to take measurements, and create a properly sized layout. Sometimes designing a logo in the process, for a new business. Once that layout is approved by the owners, we arrange for the lettering to be done on the vehicles.

So here’s this one freshly painted and waiting, in my own driveway. I work from home whenever possible.

To be brief, once the lettering is cut, weeded and taped, I hinge it with tape in place on the vehicle, measuring carefully to be sure everything is going to end up where it should. (I will explain the cutting, wedding and taping more in depth another time.)

Then I cut the large pieces, just to make it easier to work with.

I lift it up, peel off the backing, bring it down straight and tight, and squeegie it down.

Then I remove the mask, and move on to the next.

On this particular job, they also want box striping all over.

The kids love to watch me work, and sometimes help! I still had the side you can’t see, to do.

The striping really adds a little something. It looks sharp, as simple of a layout as it is.

See 2 of my kids in there? When I have to turn the truck around, to work on the shaded side, they love to take turns having a ride in the big trucks. Here above, the job was complete, and I was just turning the truck around, so that when the owners came to pick it up, they could just drive it out straight. But also, there were 2 kids who hadn’t had a ride yet.

Calling this one done!
If you’re a local business and need any kind of vehicle lettering, you can contact me, Michael, at the following email address:
Alphbtman@aol.com

Thanks, Lipsett & Sons, for your continued business!

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{A}’s Haircut: Before, After, and Even the Middle!

August 9, 2009 By Laura 18 Comments

So here we are at the big reveal! {A}’s haircut, before and after! (I wonder who is already skipping the jabber and scrolling right to the bottom right now! lol) Patience, patience! (I test your patience, too, with my overdue posts…don’t I? ; ) Us girls just LOVE this stuff, though, don’t we?

I really AM going to get RIGHT to it! But I just wanted to mention, very quickly, that you can expect to see most photos in this section of the blog, watermarked with my logo. Especially the portrait type ones. It’s part of my work flow in posting portrait work on the web, and necessary for this new business blogging section, for all of the clients coming for whom I’ll be posting sneak peeks for here. (Awesome stuff coming up near the end of August or so.)

Ok, back to the intent here. On the way to salon, I had to take just a couple more before photos. In a ponytail, is how {A} most always wore her hair, every day. So we really needed photos of her with her hair pulled back as well. I loved it when she wore it down, and if I asked nicely, sometimes she would appease me. But a ponytail was the typical daily style. Just like this…

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Michael took one look at this photo, and first said, “JCPenney”. Which made me laugh out loud. Then he said, “Nice”. So every time I look at this photo now, I think of both of those things, in that order.

There’s the back.

And off we went to the salon.

Janine Cliffe is our family hairdresser, and has been for many, many years. She currently works for Shear Creations on Long Pond Road in Plymouth, MA. (No web site.) She was Michael’s stylist first, for several years, and I think became mine when she came to cut my hair when I was pregnant with the triplets! I was on complete bed rest, so listen to this: She cut my hair, with me lying down, on a full length reclined lawn chair, in our kitchen! It’s true! She passed that test, so I kept going to her. Then around the time that the triplets turned 1 year old and needed their first haircut, she instantly gained 3 new clients! It was then that we started hiring her to come to our home on a regular basis, and when she does, she does Michael’s hair, the triplets and sometimes gave {A} a trim. Most times I choose to go to the salon, though, because I am often having something else done besides a cut, and I want Janine comfortable with the bigger jobs.

Almost time for the cut! YIKES! It was bitter-sweet. It still is, actually. She has SO much hair, Janine divided it in 2 side by side ponytails, which I thought was a smart start.

No going back now!

“Oh-my-gosh.” (I think I said that 100 times when I was standing there, in between deep breathes.)

What an odd little photo. lol

After the razor chop, Janine cleaned it up nice with her scissors. I just didn’t take more photos then. I was busy, recovering.

That’s Janine (Cliffe) on the left. She’s so pretty. And the BIGGEST RED SOX, PATRIOTS and CELTICS FAN you will ever meet. I’m not even kidding. She’s very cool. She didn’t charge us for this special cut, either, which was SO nice. (Thanks again, Janine!!)

A little while later, after some shopping, and some of my favorite comfort soup <sniff, sniff>, Panera Bread Broccoli & Cheddar, we stopped on the way home and got some after shots

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How do you like it? Can you even believe the curl and waves now? I knew before the haircut that her new hair was growing in pretty curly, and figured some was weighed down. But I didn’t expect this! Michael has some crazy thick hair, and TONS of it, but he keeps it short and spiked. I think {A} must get her hair from her Daddy (As well as the crazy long monkey- toes, but that’s another story.). No one would believe how heavy her hair was. There was just SO much of it.

She gets her crazy eye color from my mother. Michael and I both have brown eyes. Mine are a medium golden brown, and Michael’s are more black-brown. I really loved how her hair came out. I think she’s a DOLL anyway!

Another bizarre, if not creepy, photo, I know. But here’s her hefty Locks For Love donation! 17 and 1/2 inches! And about 17 pounds too.

It would be weird to end with that photo….so here is the before and after, one more time, one right after the other.

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JC Penney!

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After.

Tell us what you think! And was this fun or what?!

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Changes Are A-‘Comin’! – A Photo Shoot of Our Oldest Girl

August 4, 2009 By Laura 8 Comments

These past couple of months have been slower with my photography business than any year in a long time. Probably because of the economy and people cutting back some, a photo shoot is just not at the top of the list in families sometimes. I understand that, and I’ve been more than content with this slower-summer paced, and just hanging out with my kids even more. But it looks like that phase of summer is over, because suddenly the work for me has just started pouring in this week, and I am booking photo shoots left and right! I always try to be careful not to book too much work, because our family and the kids schooling are my first priorities. But we do need the income, and I do love my work. Balance is always my daily goal and challenge though. Things are about to get a lot busier. And that means, so is this section of the blog!

But this post was a mini-session photo shoot for {A}. We decided we needed to get some photos, for memories. Not only because she just turned 12 years old last month, but for another reason as well…..which I’ll share at the end of this post. But here are some of our favorite shots of our oldest baby girl. Looking at these photos just fills my heart. We love her so much. She is such a good kid, so full of faith, with a loving and joyful spirit that shines every day. And man, has she grown A LOT in the past 2 years. (She’s even taller than me now.)

Michael and I really, really love this one above, because it is SO HER! Always laughing.

When I am away from her, (which is so seldom), and I think of her, that is exactly how I see her in my head.

Just look at how crazy long that hair is! And it’s heavy.

Always digging her toes in the sand.

She just loves, loves the seashore. It’s part of her home.

We were sure to get some photos, because . . . . . . she is getting her hair cut! It’s always been very, very long.

Always. Not that getting it cut could ever change her beauty, that truly shines from the inside, out.

I did take some other before and after shots, too. Would anyone like to see? : )
You can see how her haircut came out, right HERE.

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The Process of Gold Leafing – A Church Steeple Cross – Part II

July 19, 2009 By Laura 2 Comments

We have been showing our readers the process of gold leafing a church steeple cross. This post is Part II, and shows the completion, of the process.
At the end of Part I, we left off at a point in the process where the cross was being completely covered in the gold layer.

Above is a photo of that step completed, and ready for the next phase.

These papers all over the floor are sheets that the gold came off of. As you can see, as little gold as possible is wasted.

But there is still a whole lot of loose bits of gold over the entire surface of the cross at this point.

So the next step is to burnish the gold. This is done by gently rubbing the surface in circle-like motions with a large wad of very, very soft cotton.

This helps adhere any gold that was not stuck by the sizing, and it also shines the gold. The loose flakes are truly as light as air. You can kind of see that by the piece hanging from the cotton in the photo above. If you were to put a piece of this gold between your fingers and rub it, it would just disappear.

Looking at the top left arm of the cross in the photo above, you can see the transformation that is taking place on the surface of the cross, from the burnishing.

When he is working quickly, there is gold floating in the air all over the place.

Remember I told you how {A} loves to help us on jobs, but that she especially has some incentive with golf-leafing jobs? Well…..maybe this will explain why…..

She catches all she can!! She’s not above picking up any bits off the floor either!

To a kid, well, this is as good as GOLD. But in this case, it literally IS. lol. Like all of the $ she makes, she’ll save some, spend some, and give some to charity. That’s just how she rolls.

She’s just about done….

The complete process of this cross too 5.5 hours. Given that Michael is 5′ 11′, you can gather it’s a pretty sizable cross, and it’s pretty heavy too!! Notice how he is holding it up with the wad of cotton. Oils from your hands will break down the gold pretty quickly, and leave dull spot in that area.

Of course, you can’t appreciate it’s true beauty until you see it mounted on that church steeple. This cross has long since been picked up, and I am waiting on a photo of it sitting upon it’s church. When I receive it, I will share it with you, for you to really see it at work. : )

In not being able to handle the cross with your bare hands, and the surface being so delicate, you might imagine how difficult it might be to install the cross on it’s steeple. Well, here’s a little chuckle for you: Just between us, I heard this steeple jack wraps the cross in toilet paper!! Then he wraps it in bubble wrap and a blanket, to safely get it securely in it’s place. Then he unwraps everything, and let’s it shine in all it’s glory in the sky.

Did you ever realize all of the work that went into the gold crosses you see at the top of church steeples? Perhaps as you see various crosses on various churches all over the world, you’ll have a new appreciation for the craft that goes into them, and be able to share with someone else the process of gilding the gold crosses they see. You’ll sound so smart. : )

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