Some of the paintwork executed by really skilled signwriters and coach painters can be smooth as glass, even though brush-painted.
Real craftsmen.
not only that, they also knew how to draw beautifully proportioned lettering. As you say, usually in one smooth flowing movement.
Not like the computer-generated auto-kerned vinyl used today.
Pic of the Day
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conistoncollie
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Re: Pic of the Day
I just checked pictures in Leo's book and I agree, the original colour looks like 'normal' white in those pictures - not yellowish at all like old english white.
Re: Pic of the Day
I went through the book again this morning and there is one almost full screen picture of the sign where it does look a tiny bit yellowish, but the whole sponson looks yellowish from pollen and all the other stuff that swims on the water surface. Besides that the whole sponson doesn't look freshly painted in that picture, there is a scratch within the sign, so the yellowish touch could be already some kind of aging.
Maybe the term "old white" comes from aged white and the colour was especially mixed to reassemble aged, former 'normal' white? I'm not a colour specialist, but comparing the sign against white shirts, white overalls and socks, it seams as if the original sign was more a normal white. But I agree, these are 50-60 years old pictures, printed in a book - so they can be missleading.
Maybe the term "old white" comes from aged white and the colour was especially mixed to reassemble aged, former 'normal' white? I'm not a colour specialist, but comparing the sign against white shirts, white overalls and socks, it seams as if the original sign was more a normal white. But I agree, these are 50-60 years old pictures, printed in a book - so they can be missleading.
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conistoncollie
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Re: Pic of the Day
The photo of the two sponsons after the accident available from Mirrorpix shows a pure white.
Occam's Razor
Signwriter presumably asked to paint infinity/Lloyds in black on white.
or was he specifically asked to paint it black on 'off white'
as you are now applying the graphics, did you find any traces of the BS Bristol Siddeley logos on the engine cover?
Occam's Razor
Signwriter presumably asked to paint infinity/Lloyds in black on white.
or was he specifically asked to paint it black on 'off white'
as you are now applying the graphics, did you find any traces of the BS Bristol Siddeley logos on the engine cover?
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Renegadenemo
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Re: Pic of the Day
Only one of the Bristol Siddeley badges was present. It was an etched stainless steel thing. We took it off and gave it to Gina and it currently resides in the museum in Dumbelyung.
As for the white - the new paint is an exact match for the original roundel, which to my eye anyway seems to be how it always was. There is no sign that the paint has deteriorated in any way unless it has managed to do it throughout the entire thickness of the paint and in a perfectly uniform way over the entire painted area. It also just looks right on the side of the sponson and will doubtless look a lot whiter in daylight. I purposely stayed out of the paint choosing exercise, opting instead to wait and see what the guys decided on but when I opened the tin I knew it was right.
As for the white - the new paint is an exact match for the original roundel, which to my eye anyway seems to be how it always was. There is no sign that the paint has deteriorated in any way unless it has managed to do it throughout the entire thickness of the paint and in a perfectly uniform way over the entire painted area. It also just looks right on the side of the sponson and will doubtless look a lot whiter in daylight. I purposely stayed out of the paint choosing exercise, opting instead to wait and see what the guys decided on but when I opened the tin I knew it was right.
I'm only a plumber from Cannock...
"As to reward, my profession is its own reward;" Sherlock Holmes.
'It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to.' W.C. Fields.
"As to reward, my profession is its own reward;" Sherlock Holmes.
'It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to.' W.C. Fields.
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conistoncollie
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Re: Pic of the Day
Mike
the attention to this detail is admirable.
that photo of the post-accident sponsons at the slipway convinces me they were white in 1966. Other colours in that photo look reasonably natural.
Sampling that photo in CMYK gives 10% yellow.
The photo of the newly-painted roundel gives 45% Yellow - albeit under strip lighting not ideal for colour matching.
The original (faded) panel in daylight reads 30% Y
The other MirrorPix view (p86 Sheppard 1st edn) taken on the water with curved spray shields looks pure white too. I have an original print from the neg.
direct sunlight can be harsh.
Interesting to note the upside-down Union Jack on the tail fin has white which looks white. The anaerobic conditions under water perhaps limited the fading which occurs on exposure to air/pollution.
It might be that the reason it looks white in so many contemporary colour photos is simply because ... it is white.
The off-white theory assumes that that white paint would not fade after 50 years (otherwise the surviving panel would still be white), that it was painted off white originally, and all (or most) known contemporary photos have somehow recorded it inaccurately as pure white.
The white theory assumes the original white paint has faded after 50 years, that it was painted white originally, and most known contemporary photos on slide and colour neg film recorded it correctly as white.
the attention to this detail is admirable.
that photo of the post-accident sponsons at the slipway convinces me they were white in 1966. Other colours in that photo look reasonably natural.
Sampling that photo in CMYK gives 10% yellow.
The photo of the newly-painted roundel gives 45% Yellow - albeit under strip lighting not ideal for colour matching.
The original (faded) panel in daylight reads 30% Y
The other MirrorPix view (p86 Sheppard 1st edn) taken on the water with curved spray shields looks pure white too. I have an original print from the neg.
direct sunlight can be harsh.
Interesting to note the upside-down Union Jack on the tail fin has white which looks white. The anaerobic conditions under water perhaps limited the fading which occurs on exposure to air/pollution.
It might be that the reason it looks white in so many contemporary colour photos is simply because ... it is white.
The off-white theory assumes that that white paint would not fade after 50 years (otherwise the surviving panel would still be white), that it was painted off white originally, and all (or most) known contemporary photos have somehow recorded it inaccurately as pure white.
The white theory assumes the original white paint has faded after 50 years, that it was painted white originally, and most known contemporary photos on slide and colour neg film recorded it correctly as white.
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Renegadenemo
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Re: Pic of the Day
Will someone please tell me what colour to paint the bloody things? I just took the paint provided and made a start. Learned a long time ago that it's easier to stay out of arguments over colours. The blue was bad enough! The off-white does look good, though.
I'm only a plumber from Cannock...
"As to reward, my profession is its own reward;" Sherlock Holmes.
'It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to.' W.C. Fields.
"As to reward, my profession is its own reward;" Sherlock Holmes.
'It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to.' W.C. Fields.
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conistoncollie
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Re: Pic of the Day
White
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conistoncollie
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Re: Pic of the Day
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Renegadenemo
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Re: Pic of the Day
Nope... if she'd been locked away in a crusty old museum all this time she'd have off-white roundels so that's what you're getting!
I'm only a plumber from Cannock...
"As to reward, my profession is its own reward;" Sherlock Holmes.
'It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to.' W.C. Fields.
"As to reward, my profession is its own reward;" Sherlock Holmes.
'It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to.' W.C. Fields.