I made a post on Letterville about a month and a half ago that asked you for tips and tricks for the beginner sign painter. The original submission date was January 31 and I am now extending it to the end of March. I would like to clairify and provide a visual example of what I am looking for.
First, I want this to be an informative piece that gives beginners a go to place to learn about brushes, the purpose behind those brushes and why (i.e. when do you use a fitch vs a quill), how to clean your brushes, store your materials, layout a design on glass vs a wall vs a metal sign, and so on.
I am not an expert in sign painting and I am not going to assume I know the ins and outs of the craft. However, I know you do. I know that the Letterville community is made up of masters who are self-taught, were apprentices, went technical school and some even went to art school. I know that each sign painter has learned the craft differently and I know that many of you have your own little inventions and creative solutions to making a job go smoother or faster. These tid bits of information are the gems that are passed on from master to apprentice but are at risk of being lost as technology advances and the master apprentice relationship breaks down. Part of my thesis seeks to document, preserve, and hopefully find a way to sustain the tradition. It is a large project and I want to put my energy into accurately representing the craft. I am here to learn and listen. I have attached an example of the kind of information I am looking for. It was submitted by Mark Oatis and he used imagery and language to narrate the tip (I have tried to imbed the image into this post I hope it shows up). This is an example of how the subject was approached. I welcome creativity. Have fun with your submissions and remember I am not the expert you are and I want you to tell me what is relevant.
If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or would like to know more about the exhibit or programs you can email me at sredles@mica.edu or you can call me at (610) 733-5369. I welcome your feedback and would love to talk. [IMG][/IMG] [img] http://file:///Users/samantharedles/Documents/MICA%20/THESIS/Tips%20and%20Tricks%20for%20the%20Beginner%20Sign%20Painter/Submissions%20/Mark%20Oatis%20Beginner's%20Tip%20%2314.pdf [/img]
Sincerely,
Samantha Redles Curator of Not Yet Lost! The Art of Maryland Sign Painters
-------------------- Samantha Redles Curatorial Practice MFA Candidate '15 Graduate Program Assistant Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) www.micacuratorial.org (610) 733-5369 Posts: 4 | From: Maryland | Registered: Nov 2014
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ok......i kinda got a handle on what your trying to do, but i see a problem with your approach to getting the info you want. seems to me it be in your interest to do face to face, a get the pictures you want from a person to person arrangements. a lot of the things we old painters know and learned, by either instruction from another old sign painter, or by self discovery of a process that now has become, to us....."normal everyday knowledge" and we dont even think of it as anything special. i am one of the few here that has been exposed to academia as i was an art major at PENN STATE(fayette campus, not far from maryland)and was also the assistant to the art prof for my time there. he was an internationally know artist, and pottery was his main media. he also painted, and did wood carving. i was fortunate to have him as a prof and a mentor as became a close friend to him. this is one of those types of art that will require you to get "hands on" to be able to understand how it is done. all the books, videos, and stories.......wont begin to make any sense till you get awash in 1-SHOT and handle a QUILL.
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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OP, please do NOT have a heart attack or pass out or anything, but
I have to agree with Joe that visiting some sign shops would be your best bet. Another avenue would be to get into the archives of SignCraft Magazine. There is a ton of info of the type you are looking for there. I doubt that you are going to get as much information from this site anymore. Letterville has definitely seen much more activity in the past than it does now. Also, without seeing what I am doing, or being able to take pictures, you wouldn't get a good grasp of what I was talking about. Most of the other simple tricks and techniques are covered in a variety of books.
[ January 21, 2015, 02:57 PM: Message edited by: Dave Sherby ]
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5396 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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When I was a young sign painting apprentice, besides sweeping the floors and keeping the shop tidy, I had to practice painting letters on pieces of glass- I would paint and practice, then my mentor would walk by, look at the finished project, tell me what I did right, what I needed to correct- then wipe off the painted letter and start again... Once I had block letters, he moved me to script and so on.
The most important thing I learned as an apprentice: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER EVER use a metal yardstick on the electric pounce board when you are making pounce patterns
-------------------- Michael Clanton Clanton Graphics/ Blackberry 19 Studio 1933 Blackberry Conway AR 72034 501-505-6794 clantongraphics@yahoo.com Posts: 1735 | From: Conway Arkansas | Registered: Oct 2001
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I understand and I have been going to sign shops talking to guys and gals. I have been to the Signs of the Times Archives, the collection and archives at the American Sign Museum, have read through some of the old tips and tricks books that Sign Craft put out, and went to Shipshewanna to get some wall dog experience. I have spoken with Tom (yes he is still a nice guy!) at Sign Craft but it was more related to making connections to people in Maryland. I am also a subscriber to SignCraft.
I have also posted this on the Sign Painters Support Group on Facebook and John Downer pointed out that there is no substitute for finding a mentor and trying to learn everything you can from that person. He is right and I am not trying to create a document that can substitute that relationship. But his statement is a tip. It is also a statement that needs to be up front and emphasized.
-------------------- Samantha Redles Curatorial Practice MFA Candidate '15 Graduate Program Assistant Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) www.micacuratorial.org (610) 733-5369 Posts: 4 | From: Maryland | Registered: Nov 2014
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You may, also, benefit, in your research, by reviewing early issues of SignCraft......Say, from 1980 to the present and, also, earlier issues of Signs of the Times, prior to the origin of SignCraft......Who knows, maybe you will be able to interview some of the real old timers, who might be willing to spill the beans on how we did it.
While reviewing old Signs of the Times and SignCraft magazines, I am sure that you will be able to find and see some of the work and experiences of some of the most talented and skilled sign artists/sign painters, pinstripers, gilders, hand carvers, showcard artists, etc., from those early years, that I have ever seen, in my over 47 years in the sign trade, and who influenced so many of us with their God given skills and talent.
For example, the following sign artists come to mind,although there so many others who, for unknown reasons ( to me ), did not benefit from receiving exposure in the two most important magazines of the trade, of those days...Signs of the Times and SignCraft:
Chester Cunningham Big John Brassel Keith Knecht Mike Stevens Bob Behounek ( Chicago ) Raymond Chapman ( Texas )
etc., etc. etc.
There were so many others ( Nationwide ), but my memory fails me, at this moment......Some of them, I ran into and/or had the privilege of knowing, personally, or worked next to them, during the days when we were all like gun slingers ( like Keith Knecht used to say ), who came into town, to show our skills and speed with our talents, so we could impress the local sign shop owner and get some work from him/her or, even a permanent job in the sign shop.
Those were the days, Samantha......I really do miss them......We had a good run.
Here is my contribution to your endeavour.....My first sign painting teacher,at Butera School of Art, at 111 Beacon St., Boston, Mass...Circa 1971... Our beloved Mr. Mario Carmosino, or, as we used to call him: "MR. C".......What a temper he had !
I don't think that Mr. C weighed more than 110 lbs, but he could, truly, scare the wits out of you, if you did not follow his instructions.
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