I am presently posting a few old signs advertising gas,coke,spark plugs etc...as well as the usual no smoking and no trespassing signs.Most of these I got off the internet(tinsigns.com)Mine of course are from the 1920-30s era.It is important that you do a little research here to confirm the era of your signage.It can be earlier than the era you are trying to depict,but,of course never later.The older the signage,the longer it has been hanging there,the more weathering required.
I usually weather my signs with pastels and acrylics.With a wood surface there is no danger of the pastels rubbing off,so I use them to shade around the sign where crud and dirt may gather(it also makes the sign stand out from its surroundings)Then I take an old toothbrush and dip it in very watery raw umber acrylic and with my thumb I flick on a spray of crud.Nails can be weathered using dots of burnt umber gesso followed by a burnt sienna overcoat,and then a little burnt sienna pastel to soften the appearence.Drips an stains can be simulated with very watery burnt sienna.
I prepare the signs by spraying them with laquer(do not brush as it smears)Then I glue them with white glue to cardboard or thin plywood and trim as required.
When placing signs remember to use your imagination.They dont always have to be in the center of the wall or exactly level,depending on the situation you are trying to represent.A real old sign could even be hanging off one nail or hardly be readable or have graffity on it,torn on the edges,bullet holes in it ... etc.etc.When walking or driving around make a mental note of what you see in real life.In fact,that is a good habit to get into anyway,one of the things that seperates a good artist from an average one,is his attention to detail.Cheers! John.
