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I have been hand lettering for 28 years. The first twelve years of that I lettered all day everyday. The later years I had a computer and Vinyl plotter so I got spoiled. The hand lettering stopped almost all together during those years. Now the other day I built a new drawing board and bought some new brushes. The first stroke was terrible. It was like I had forgotten everything. The snap was no longer in my wrist. Is it ever going to come back? I just dont have the hunger for it now that I once had. any suggestions?
-------------------- Norris Sign Works 102 Doogle Lane Shallotte, N.C. 28470 Posts: 117 | From: Shallotte, N.C. USA | Registered: Jan 1999
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Practice is very important but the state of mind in the real game. Surround yourself with hand lettering, look for old books. Hold a brush in your hand whenever you can (I watch movies with a quill in my hand just to get use to the feel, I know it's crazy!!!) Practice your lettering with a pencil while on the phone. It will get back, don't worry, just LOVE it!
Life is so good!
-------------------- Pierre Tardif P. Tardif Inc. 1006 boul. PIE-XI sud Val-Belair QC. Canada G3K 1L2 418-847-4089 pierre@ptardif.com Posts: 800 | From: Quebec city | Registered: Aug 2002
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Yes start making panels, letter up your storage cabinets, letter some labels, look for other people hand lettering. if your at all interested in hand lettering again it will come back like riding a bicycle. Hand lettering has seen new interest with customers these days as well as other hand made items, besides the good feeling of something you have done with skill and the beauty of a finished quality you can't see in vinyl or print, imagine going to a custom car & bike show and seeing all the graphics done with vinyl and print .. not the same is it.
posted
It'll come back. As time goes on and it becomes more rare, it'll be in greater demand.
Think about it ... just putting a name on a toolbox, for instance ... you can't sit at a computer, type it out, put in the vinyl, weed it, transfer tape it and apply it in anywhere near the time. And that's a single vinyl color. Whip it out with a brush, throw in a shade, a few pinstripes and gather up the cash.
All mailboxes in here get hand lettered and a bunch of individual small projects and plaques, not to mention old fashioned and weathered looking signs for interior decorations. It's a sizable market for anybody wanting to muster up additional work.
Plus it's fun!
-------------------- Bill Diaz Diaz Sign Art Pontiac IL www.diazsignart.com Posts: 2107 | From: Pontiac, IL | Registered: Dec 2001
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Go for it, Buddy. Like many of us, I fell into the vinyl thing too, since it was the easy way out. I never lost my love for hand lettering though, and did it whenever possible. Even then, the vinyl plotter came in handy for making pounce patterns; I always hated that.
As time went by, I got more interested in older, more traditional looking signs,and it just followed that hand lettering would go along with that. Besides, I always loved doing it.
It will come back, Buddy, it may just take a little time. But I think you'll find that as you get the 'feel' back, the enthusiasm will follow.
Since my stroke, I long to be able to letter again. My right arm is coming along but it will be awhile, before I'm able to even hold a brush, let alone use one.
You keep practicing, and I'll try to follow along. This is the first time I've tried to type anything, with both hands. It's amazing how hard it is, but it's coming back. One step at a time...
And just think how many rolls of vinyl and tape you'd have to buy, to replace one can of paint. I remember a seminar I went to, years ago, where Cotton Owens, a striper from Texas,told us (holding up a can of 1-Shot and a striping brush) "with these two things, you can make 10,000 dollars." Now I'm sure that was an exaggeration, for illustration purposes; but the fact is a can of paint will go a long way...and you don't have near the waste as with the vinyl and digital stuff.
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You're just a little rusty. Just like any musican, you gonna have to do a few rehersals. You're silver needs some polishing. Put some oil in the engine and start it up.
-------------------- Signs by Alicia Jennings (Mudflap Girl) Tacoma, WA Since 1987 Have Lipstick, will travel. Posts: 3813 | From: Tacoma, WA. U.S.A. | Registered: Dec 1999
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I got into this business by hand lettering and striping. That's just the way it was done. It took a special talent to do a good job. You had to think about the design, letter construction, and layout Got into vinyl, then digital printing. Now I also have a 4'x8' router. I started advertising "Hand Painted" lettering a few years back. Now I get about 20% of my business from the web. When a customer is looking for "Hand Lettering" on the web, my web site shows up. Funny thing is, most of the people that think they need something painted just don't know. I find the right way to do it for them. I paint a lot of walls. I just can't see painting 3/4" tall Times Roman letters on an office door anymore. Now days I struggle with pinstriping untill the brush starts behaving right.
-------------------- John Arnott El Cajon CA 619 596-9989 signgraphics1@aol.com http://www.signgraphics1.com Posts: 1443 | From: El Cajon CA usa | Registered: Dec 1998
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Buddy, I have the same story as you. Put away my lettering brushes for about 25 years, and got 'em out 2 years ago when I went to a Pinstriping Charity Jam - and I'd never pinstriped before. Great people, great atmosphere, learning, sharing, and support. And all for charity. They happen all the time around the country. Rodney Early has one coming up soon in your state of North Carolina. Great place to get back in the groove! Stick with it.
-------------------- Mark Casey Casey Sign Co., Inc. Berkley, MI Posts: 76 | From: Berkley, MI, USA | Registered: Mar 1999
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Same story...never got totally away from it, but comp. surely ruled. Sold All. All brushnow, true, I don't have to make a living at it, but it pays... YOU NEVER FORGET HOW TO FALL OFF A BIKE..ha ha Buddy, try to conjure up the feeling you used to have when you lived for the Brush... look for old signs and see the faded strokes from a signwriter in the past... yes, do panel swaps...check out CSA...it's not lost, just been dormant for awhile...
mack #189, grey...wonderful lettering brush!
all the Best
john
-------------------- John Lennig / Big Top Sign Arts 5668 Ewart Street, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada bigtopya@hotmail.com 604.451.0006 Posts: 2184 | From: Burnaby, British Columbia,Canada | Registered: Nov 2001
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It comes back. I had gotten away from handlettering a few years ago when a client came in wanting a couple benches lettered.
I think what Pierre said about a "state of mind" is spot on. A few practice strokes until things "felt right" is all it took. Mentally, I felt more comfortable than when I used to handletter on a regular basis. It probably has to do with the number of grey hairs multiplying on my head.
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I've rested my brushes for many years just using them here and there when needed for lettering a race car, adding a shade or laying down a pinstripe. But about 6 months ago a woman called on the phone and asked if we did hand lettering. I told her yes and she said she would stop by. When she came in the shop she wasn't looking for a sign, she said was interested in learning everything she could about hand lettering. She stumbled upon our craft by accident and now was determined to learn how to letter. I lent her quite a few books to read , we talked for quite a while and she has since gone to Pierre's boot camp. Seeing the gleam in her eye when she talked about lettering with a paint and brush reminded of the way I felt when I first became interested in becoming a signpainter. Since then I've busted out the brushes and have used them whenever the job allows. Luckily I had two 18" x 40' panels that the customer insisted on having hand lettered for that old world, hand made quality look a few weeks ago. (the job I stripped the dibond for in the video) By the end of the job I had my snap back! Having this forum to come to is also a big inspiration for me as are Pierre's videos on YouTube. I'll always be a painter at heart, it just took this beautiful woman to walk in the door to remind me of that.
-------------------- Lou Pascuzzi www.economysigns.com Fine Hand Lettering since 1973 Danbury, Ct 203-748-4580 "IOAFS" Posts: 341 | From: Danbury, Ct | Registered: Feb 2000
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