Step 7: Using your foam board template, mark each hard board carefully follow-
ing the template guide. Allow a tall neck... I like about 4” above the shoulder. Care-
fully cut the boards along the contour lines using a jigsaw. If you cut carefully and
slowly without forcing the saw you should have a fairly smooth cut. Another tip is
to place wide tape along the cut lines (with your marks on the tape) then make
your cuts. The tape helps to hold the material so that it doesn’t shred or fray off
as badly while you make your cuts. After the cuts are made, simply remove the
remaining tape. I am fortunate enough to have a friend with a wood shop and a
very nice scroll saw. He uses ‘spiral blades’ which allow for clean curves and very
smooth cuts, and was gracious enough to cut the boards with my assistance. His
curved cuts were better and smoother than mine using a hand held scrolling jig
saw.
Step 8: From the top, center of the neck, measure down 2” and make a mark. Us-
ing your drill and 1” bit, drill through the hardboard at this mark, creating a small
finger hold and a place from which to hang your board.
Step 9: Most hardboard will have wood fibers clinging to the edges of your cuts,
no matter how carefully you make your cuts. Using very fine grit sandpaper,
sand away these edges. Your goal is not only to remove the fibers, but to give
each edge a gentle roll, removing every hard edge. This will ensure that your
shirts slide smoothly on and off of the board preventing any tearing or unneces-
sary stretching of the shirt material.
Step 10: Wipe off all dust from the surface and edges of the
sel and paint all the info is on the neck right in front of me. For
board using cheesecloth. The hardboard still has a somewhat
the sake of reference, I’ve provided the measurements for my
open pore quality, allowing small fibers to come loose over time,
boards and the Illustrator diagram I created to cut my boards.
sealing both sides with a light coat of clear spray paint resolves
(see above for diagrams).
this issue. You may also opt to paint the boards and decorate * For Accuracy Sake: I would recommend measuring each
them. Some artists use different colors for the various sized individual size before laying out your shirt board diagram, or
shirt boards for easy, fast recognition. I prefer to keep mine in cutting any boards. Cutting the boards 2” larger than the mea-
a high-gloss white because the light color aids me in seeing a sured shirt will ensure the perfect fit, and the right amount of
paper with a design under the shirt when transferring cartoon stretch. Use my diagram as reference, but always measure for
and caricature designs, then I color code the neck of the board yourself. Keep in mind that I use Jerzees Heavyweight 50/50
for each size. shirts, other brands may measure differently.
Conclusion: *Viola* You now have a great shirt board, and the
Adult Sizes: Small (34-36) 20” width (Also Child Large)
satisfaction of having made it yourself. Hang your boards up in
Medium (38-40) 22” width
Large (42-44) 24” width
a dry place. Keeping them off of the floor, or out of a stack, en-
X-Large (46-48) 26” width
sures less warping of the board over time. The tall neck serves
XX-Large (50-52) 28” width
as a point of reference for me. I photograph and catalog my XXX-Large (54-56) 30” width
designs on card stock for reference as I paint. My front man
Child Sizes: Large (14-16) 20” width (Also Adult Small)
takes the order on a small form listing colors, names, etc, pulls
Medium (10-12) 18” width
Small (6-8) 16” width
the design card and clips both to the neck of the board with the
X-Small (2-4) 14” width
shirt ready to go... All I need to do is place the board on my ea-
Enjoy your new boards! Scrib
issue26.indd 30 11/4/2009 9:36:20 AM
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