How to make decoupaged letter wood block words inspired by the book Gig Posters

If you've been watching our latest Craftside videos, you may have spotted the letters on the shelf behind us. I made them with a bit of inspiration from How to Create Your Own Gig Posters, Band T-Shirts, Album Covers, & Stickers: Screenprinting, Photocopy Art, Mixed-Media Collage, and Other Guerilla Poster Styles.

In How to Create Your Own Gig Posters, Band T-Shirts, Album Covers, & Stickers, there is a page that features old letterpress blocks and that gave me the idea to make recycled scrap 2x4 wood letters. They would stand up and be totally portable if I wanted to use them at a show.

So I went out into to the scrap wood bin and gathered up a whole bunch of leftover pieces of 2x4 ends and gave them a quick coat of white paint. I didn't cover them completely as I wanted them to look kind of rustic and shabby chic.

I sketched out the letters on tracing paper that was cut to each size of the blocks. I simply laid them out in a random order of size.

I then cut the letter out of the tracing paper and then traced it onto the back of the scrapbook paper. Make sure to flip the letter over so it's reversed!

I then coated the block with Mod Podge, placed the letter onto the block and covered it with another coat of Mod Podge.

I can't tell you how fun and easy this project was. If you let go of your need to be perfect, sketching letters and picking pretty papers is a fun way to express a sentiment.

More about the Voyager Press book:

How to Create Your Own Gig Posters, Band T-Shirts, Album Covers, & Stickers: Screenprinting, Photocopy Art, Mixed-Media Collage, and Other Guerilla Poster Styles

by Ruthann Godollei

Whether your band is just starting out or touring the nation, here’s how you can build its identity by making your own unique gig posters, custom T-shirts, album covers, record sleeves, and stickers. Fans want cool and creative band merchandise, and this book gives you the tools and information you need to create your own.

 

Author Ruthann Godellei is an artist and printmaking professor at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, with vast experience making gig posters as well as teaching band members how to make their own. She explains, with step-by-step instructions and photos, techniques like screenprinting, photocopy art, mixed-media collage, stencil, stamping, and other guerilla art styles.

 

Included as well is a gallery of art and artists to inspire you in creating your band’s look with your merch.

Ruthann Godellei (St.Paul, MN) is an artist and printmaking professor at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her work is in collections such as the Frederick R. Weisman Museum at the University of Minnesota, Rutgers University, Syracuse University, and the Centre for Fine Print Research, Bristol, UK.

 

Comments

[Amy @ chick chick sewing]

I gotta try this one! Thanks for sharing! I also like your new profile pic, Stef... you look gorgeous!

[Sharon Gullikson]

Some of the blogs haven't announced their winners of the Zakka books...I'm hoping that I'm a winner because I NEED the book. But I'm going on vacation in a couple of days and don't want to miss out if I'm gone when they announce my name :)
Thanks,
sharon dot gullikson at gmail dot com
I didn't leave my email address on the blogs, so they may not know how to get a hold of me....