Easy Peasy Sign Making

I adore signs. Most of the signs I make are freehand lettering - but I wanted to try this method. It is fun and my mind is whirling with possibilities.
Print out a saying in the font of your choice. Pssst - shorter sayings take less time (yup yup, I'm a brain surgeon) Prepare your board. This is just fiberboard (pegboard minus the holes). It has been painted and distressed. To add patina, you can dry brush another color onto the initial color or roughly add contrasting color, achieving the desired "look" when the paint is wet (I like to use my hand to spread the paint where I want). The idea is not to mix the colors, but make it look like it's been faded and weathered. For example - this board was primarily cream, but I added a mustard brown color to give it depth and make it look old.

Then, transfer your image onto the wood using carbon paper (a nearly extinct office supply). Oh yeah, you may want to make sure everything is straight and lined up close to perfect. But that's not the fun part. Grab an eensy paint brush and start coloring in your letters.
Once the paint is dry, rub lettering with fine sandpaper to distress. To age it even more, I used a dark walnut stain over all. It's a no-fail recipe. Honest.