- s ^Oo^-^c-c-^wR, ^hS-iK^j^ , XS > ~l OPPORTUNITY MONOGRAPH m Vocational Rehabilitation Series No. 38 Show Card Writing FOR DISABLED SOLDIERS, SAILORS AND MARINES TO AID THEM IN CHOOSING A VOCATION Frepared bv the FEDERAL BOARD FOR VOCATIONAL EDUCATION and issued in cooperation ivith the Office of the Surgeon General, War Department, and Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Na Grit will beat any a pair ot large shears, a T-square, a box of charcoal, soft lead pencils. won the* war. It and cardboard make up the list of necessary material for the show-card will beat yours, writer. A good-sized drawing board completes the list. ''The better Your handicap is the workman the fewer the tools'' has been said. An expert card unles*>-ou d are 1C de D - writer works efficiently with a board, a T-square, and a half dozen termined to make thumb tacks, it one. The folks back home know What men in the trade should know. that you do not 'endent idle* tor ^ ' t > 0O( * general education is essential for a show-card writer who life, and the Gov- expects to be more than merely a mechanical maker of words and to^help you^re- letters. Those who become expert in the art need a knowledge of establish ywirself designing and an originality in composing effective phrases, such as ment as an inde- can not be resisted even by those who read the cards casually. with every oppor A practical knowledge of the geometric construction of letters is vancement r ^"fundamental, for though simple lettering may be largely mechanical work, skill must not be confined to the utilization of mechanical means You will not be . compelled to take alone. ever^but^vou will ^ knowledge of color is an advantage to those who make sign cards, be given expert Color combinations and contrasts play an important part in producing getting such train- attractive cards. As card writers are confronted by all sorts of combi- you^hoobe't.otake nations of words in inscriptions, it is necessary for them to know letter it. Your disahil- forms; to understand novelty in designing, arrangement, and artistic win not be reduced embellishment; and to exercise taste in harmonizing colors, so as to ti^ng and learn produce cards that will be not only neat and attractive but at the to work. Your same time legible, wagas will be ad- SwcoXTn- What men in the trade d0 ' tinue n in % the same Show-card writers make price tickets and all types of trade cards amount that will used in windows, on special sale sections, on the announcement boards be paid if you do . ., . . . . , not take training, ot theaters, on automobiles, in cafeterias, in street cars, and wherever and voiiaml 1 your <>l8e tne card may S( ' rve as a proper medium for advertising. The family will be trade j s carried on in different ways. Cards are sometimes made by ing the period of salesmen who give only part of their time to this work. Other writers to^-ouf' SUP K* ve a " ^ their time to one firm requiring a large number of cards for its own use Some card writers work for show-card firms and others have their own offices and fill special orders. Opportunities. The demand for show-card writers is far greater than the supply, livery small town offers an opening for one or more, who would make a good living at the trade in that locality. How men are trained. Many card writers are trained in the shop. Correspondence courses afford fair advantages to the man who must save time and money, but personal supervision is of great advantage, and personal criticism is essential if a correspondence course is taken. Courses in card writing are now offered in technical schools and Y. M. C. A. classes and voca- tional schools all over the country. Among the schools now offering courses in show-card writing are the following: Federal School of Commercial Art, Minneapolis, Minn. Idaho Technical Institute. Los Angeles Y. M. C. A. schools. St. Louis Y. M. C. A. schools. Lowry Sign and Advertising Service, Chicago. Link's Business College, Boise, Idaho. State Trade School, Danbury, Conn. Appleton, Wis., Industrial School. Kenosha, Wis., Vocational School. Neenah, Wis., Industrial School. New York High School. New York Vocational Schools. Detroit, Mich., School of Letters. Augustana College, Bock Island, 111. College of Commerce, De Baul University, Chicago. School of Industrial Arts, Trenton, N. J. Koester School, Chicago. Semby School, Minneapolis, Minn. The length of time required for the completion of courses depends upon the student; one very good course covers eight weeks. Some students after the fifth or sixth lesson have done work sufficiently creditable to bring a money return. Proper and methodical training is very necessary. Care and exactness must first bo acquired and speed will naturally follow. Courses given in show-card writing cover such subjects as how to mix and when to use water colors, inks, and oils; the care of brushes and pens; the proper kind and color of cardboards to use; and how to apply bronze and diamond dust. The formation of pen and brush letters is, of course, fundamental, and the principles of letter- ing must be taught in a simple, thorough, and correct way . Proper instruction, with application, is bound to bring success. BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF THE COURSE IN SHOW-CARD WRITING GIVEN AT THE KOESTER SCHOOL, CHICAGO. Will yon Carry on* If none of tho oc- cupations out- lined in this pam- phlot are possible ones for you to learn, the Govern- ment has pro- vided hundreds of courses in other lines, among which there is one precisely suited to meet your needs one in which you can become 100 per cent efficient, whatever injury you may have suf- fered. The scheme of oceu nations for which training will be provided by tho Govern- ment free of cost to you includes more diflerent sorts of employ- ments than you have ever heard tell of. Tf you don't find one that suits you in this pamphlet, get another. After you have heen trained. Uncle Sam will undertake to find an employer who needs your help, or if you prefer to go it on your own, you will be pro- vided with an out- fit of tools. If the training misses fire the first time and you find the new occupa- tion unsuited to you , you can come back for another go in the game, and try a new occupation. Lesson plates Nos. 1 to 6. Improved method for teaching correct formation and relative proportions of letters and numerals. Brush method. General instructions. Proper materials, student's worktable, light, how to care for brushes, show-card paint, how to practice, kind of practice that counts, lesson plates explained, how to fill the brush, how to bring the brush to working point, how to hold the brush, position at table, position of paper. Lesson plates Xos. 7 to 10 Single stroke rapid roman lettering. How to begin the practice, time-saving methods, how to hold (lie brush, various positions of the brush explained, how to manipulate the brush to produce clean-cut strokes, purpose of single- stroke vertical and italic roman lettering. Lesson plates Xos. 11 and 12 How to shade letters. Various styles of shading, proper colors for shading, shading as an embellishment, shading to give emphasis. Lesson plates .Yos. 13 to Hi Single strokt cgyptian lettering. Brushes to use, how to hold the brush, how to manipulate the brush to produce the proper stroke, how to practice the elementary lines and curves. Lesson plates Nos. 17 and IS Single and demble stroke alphabet and numerals. Purpose of this style of letter, brushes to use, method explained, different methods of finishing the letters. $25 or $10 a Luton plate Xo. 19 Single-stroke old English alphabet. Purpose of old English lettering Weekl now t0 hold the brush, retouching the principal strokes. What is the dif- Lesson plate Xo. SO Singh-stroke modified roman pen lettering Advantages of pen Terence between lettering for text or descri pt ive mat ter, inks to use , how to practice pen lettering, how to $2S and $10 a week; hold tne p(. n now t0 manipulate the pen to procure clcan-cu t strokes, how to use an ink between comfort . ' . .... . . , * , and poverty: be- reservoir to facilitate rapid work. tween independ- Fifteen practical shou -card layouts. In the foregoing lessons the student acquires suffi- ence and the con- cient ability to enable him to make practical use of his knowledge. Thealphabetscovered pendency! b are sufficient for general show-card use. Therefore, at this point, the course presents tw-een saving for a 15 practical layouts showing how the text should be separated into display lines and rainy day and liv- dcscr iptive groups, also various st yles of letters that may be used in harmony for display mouth The dil and descriptive matter. An appropriate -how-card phrase is used for each layout, ference is one of Display lines and descriptive groups arc indicated in the exact size and styles of letters training. It is the t i , in i ct terine each layout. Specific directions as to color, combinations, and difference be- , , , " ,",,. tween the trained embellishments arc given for each layout. and the untrained A study in design and layout. The principles of spacing, importance of show-card tak" 'trahiinE ef0re ' ded 8 mn gi b<*t rules for spacing, lessons in spacing, how to center a word or line. Condensing and extending letters. now to plan lettering to fit a given space, rules for condensing, rules for extending, appropriate uses of condensed and extended letters, practice exercises. Principles of the balanced layout. Balanced layout denned, how to plan the balanced layout, important points to observe, example > of balanced layout , practice exercises in balanced layouts. Border lines, underscore, space fillers, and panels. Brush ruling, how to draw an ellipse, initial panels, initial letters, a few card kinks. The group layout. How to plan the group layout, examples of group layout, practice exercises in group layout. Combination layout. Purpose of the combination layout, how to divide the phrase into display lines and groups for the combination layout, examples of combination layouts, exercises in combination layouts. Price tickets. Normal style price tickets, bold style price tickets, small price tickets, fancy price tickets, illustrative price tickets, practice exercises. Illustrated show cards. Sources of ideas, tracing from clipped illustrations, how to use the pantograph for enlarging illustrations, the mirrorscope, examples of appropriate designs for various purposes, exercises in illustrated show cards. Principles of col or f Color contrasts. II ow to mix water-color paint, color effects; color combination; mixing standard colors to produce shades, tints, and unusual colors; lessons in color combinations. Shoir-card embellishment. Dry-color blending; spatter work; relief lettering; applying mctallics, diamond dust, flock, etc.; phrase and picture filing; seasonable embellish- ments; floral decorations; poster cut-outs; silhouettes; how to paint muslin signs. Instruction in the use of t lit air brush. Principles of the air brush; sectional view of an air brush; illustrating and describing all important parts; air pressure; how to put a gas outfit together: colors for air-brush use; how to use the air brush: care oft he airbrush; how to cut stencils; practice exercises to gain control of brush; color blending; exercises in the uet and numerals for modern speed ballpen lettering. Lesson plati Vo. .'.'. filiform single-stroke alphalx-t and numerals for Payzant pen lettering. Li i.toti jilnii Vo. .' '. Single-stroke I'ayzanl or -peed ball pen alphabet with retouched spur-. Ltsson plait .Vo. 4. Speed ball pen initial capitals, retouched and embellished. f.rxson plati .Vo. .'.;. -outline roui.ni initial emlH'llished capitals, plain lower-case letters. I.' -yon jihitt Xo. 2'!. Modern roman and fancy alphabets for music pen lettering. Lismn plait .Vo. ?7. Old Knglish text |ien, and small speed ball jx'ii alphabets. Lesson plait Vo :- S|n>cd ball jmti alphabets. Lesson iihitt Vo Itapid single-stroke 1 ant ique roman brush alphaliet. Lft.-on platt Vo. ti I: ipid -ingle-stroke modified roman brush alphabet. lit ' ingle- troke antique alphabc t and numerals. Qualifications. Anyone who fan learn