By signcraft
Posted on Thursday, August 1st, 2019
Texture always adds appeal to a sign design. It creates contrast to the otherwise flat surfaces of the sign, and contrast catches the viewer’s eye. Here’s an easy way to add texture using Gorilla Glue polyurethane glue. It works on letters and graphics, and it looks great finished with paint or gold leaf.
Rodger MacMunn, of TR MacMunn & Sons Signs, says one ideal use for Gorilla Glue texture is on the tree graphics that so often are part of sign layouts. It’s fast, looks great and adds value to the sign. Don’t forget to charge accordingly for knowing how to add appeal and value.
“Over the years,” Rodger says, “I’ve noticed that sign makers, myself included, use a lot of lone trees on signs where there is no other obvious theme. Apartments, retirement homes, condos and parks come to mind.
“It’s usually a good choice, because almost everyone likes trees. However, they can be rather boring, and there’s an old saying among artists: You can paint leaves all day and still not have a tree.
“Here’s an easy way to add value to a sign, by adding some extra dimension to a tree graphic, with a minimal investment in time or materials. By applying Gorilla Glue polyurethane glue to any surface, adding moisture and stirring it around, you get a very random texture when dry. You can control this a bit, by increasing the amount of glue in places, or by the amount of water added, but that’s about it.”
Rodger explains the process here, step-by-step. The glue dries hard and smooth, making it ideal for gilding or painting.
With a tree, the result is a relatively accurate texture that’s easy and fast to paint. It adds interest to an otherwise flat silhouette. With some experimenting, you’ll find other opportunities to put Gorilla Glue texture to work on your signs. Rodger sometimes uses it on letters and finishes it with gold leaf, as you can see in the signs here.