Portrait of a Lady in Blue

Often when I am asked to do a semi-permanent sign, I try to focus on animals or food items. I am making signs for a grocery store, after all. Occasionally, however I draw people or flowers. I have been redesigning the signage for our floral section the last few weeks, so I felt inclined to draw a portrait of a lady with flowers.

a lady in blue

This illustration will be featured on the reverse of one of our display “end caps” and will be a semi-permanent fixture in the store. I plan to draw another lady in a different color scheme opposite her.

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Cheeseboard Signage: Work in Progress

I was asked to create signage for our cheese department. There are many ways to “build a cheese board” and sometimes those choices can be overwhelming. I tried to make a fun sign that could guide customers and work with any budget.

The tools of the trade

Nearly finished, some chalk lines erased

As you can see, I am working directly on this farmhouse-style wooden paddle (purchased at Michael’s craft store) using Posca brand paint markers. These markers are the best markers for what I do, in my opinion. They come in a range of sizes and colors and they have replaceable nibs.

For every painted sign of any size, I always do a preliminary sketch on paper and sketch out the design using white chalk. As the paint drys and I get further through the design, I wipe away the chalk while the paint stays in place.