well, I don't know about the quick lessons.........
it took me over 30 years of trial and error practice.
basically - it is start from the back and work up.
for a painted background with raised painted letters,
spray your primer and paint over the entire surface.
let dry 24 hours. (or according to the directions on the can).
then, with good quality artist brushes, hand paint the
raised letters. yes, it takes a keen eye and steady hand.
if you are not looking for that show-room look,
several coats of paint can be gently applied with a foam brush
over the tops of the raised letters - don't try to build up 4 coats in 30 minutes.
let each coat dry appropriately.
for the letters with a raised rim, spray the background as described above.
with a small good quality brush - paint inside of the recessed areas - don't worry
about the paint on the top of the rim. but, don't let paint get on the outsides
of the rim or letters. Allow to dry completely.
find your bamboo kabob scewers...... cut some into 4 - 6" pieces and cut a sharp flat edge
on each end with a sharp X-Acto knife ....... this becomes your mini-chisel.
The more aggressive means of removing paint from raised surfaces can be single edged
razor blade scrapers, X-Acto knives, sandpaper glued to a flat block will work in skilled hands.
in a comfortable chair, under a good light, with our grandpa +275 magnifying glasses,
(a craftsman's lighted magnifying glass works best).
gently chisel off the paint on top of the rim - wala !!! simple as that. you can also use
wood popsicle sticks or wood toothpicks. whatever it takes to get the job done.
For small elements, trim the foam brush to suit the needs.
their are different grades of foam brushes - the ones with large cellular openings
are good for painting your house walls with latex paints.
the ones with small cellular openings work well with fine details with oil paints.
if you buy cheap brushes from Harbor Freight - you will end up with cheap Harbor Freight results.
if you just can't pull it off, take your project to a sign shop -
not a vinyl sticker shop.
a true craftsman's painted sign shop where they actually paint with a paint brush.
any good sign painter worth his salt can do it for you.
.