Cinema Sign

Even though movies are one of our least popular events with teens at the library (for some reason we haven't quite fathomed), we usually show a few for summer reading club, just because they're easy--stick in the DVD, put out some snacks, and you have a program. This year, however, we have decided to show only one (and are having the dickens of a time deciding WHICH one), but that still means I need a "cinema" sign for the event publicity.

I had the same problem this year that I had last--the inherent drama of a movie theater sign is that the neon and white lights appear to best advantage in the DARK, but I don't want to do a big dark cloud behind the sign, because it overwhelms everything else on the page. I tried painting one without the drama of the dark, but still tried to convey neon. It's a bit overworked, and I also don't know how successful it is--I suspect not very. It's a little bland, to my eye. I'll show it to a few people and see what they think. Maybe I will give up on the fancy sign and just use type.

Micron pen, watercolor.

Here is last year's, when I did everything in primary colors plus green. I have to confess that that one felt awkward to me as well.