i was asked to post a how-to on the styrofoam signs i have begun making, so here it is.
you can either freehand the letters or use stencils. the others were free-handed as i wanted them to be very rustic. this one i used stencils. you will need a sharp razor knife or an x-acto, magic marker and the styrofoam itself at this point.
letter your board
begin to carve
hold your weapon of choice at about this angle when carving. this allows the letters to easily pop out.
carving the letters is time consuming and messy...
for the next part, you'll need black, brown and tan paints, paintbrush, and a heatgun
all carved up. notice how i cut long, meandering streaks across the sheet of foam? this simulates the woods texture. now take your heat gun and hold it about a foot away from the board. keep it moving-if you hold it still, you'll melt through. this closes the cells, makes your letters stand out and allow the woodgraining to 'pop'
fill in the letters and symbols with the black paint.
go over it with the brown paint and while it's still damp, smear in the tan so it flows into each other slightly
now allow it to dry somewhat. then using the drybrush method, add some black streaks.
there you have it!
i hope this makes sense. feel free to holler at me if you have any questions!
