Well..THAT was fun

[ November 24, 2001: Message edited by: Michael Boone ]

One thing that has changed is now when I hand letter for a long time my arm goes numb, my back hurts, and my feet feel like I've walked 20 miles. But, I don't think that has anything to do with the brush or the paint.

While memories of the sweetness of lettering with a brush gives us old timers glassy eyes, the bitter truth is that I would not go back to hand lettering pool rules with 1" Helvetica for anything in the world. Just let me punch one of those buttons and get it out the door.

It was like riding a bike. A little shakey for the first couple of feet, and then swish, swish. Thick and thin, great transitions between the two, long smooth strokes. My hands were doing exactly what my brain was thinking.

There is a certain magic about painting by hand. I'll never give it up, although it doesn't happen every day.

I suppose it's like flying an old fashioned airplane where you are actually feeling the stick and the feed back, compared to modern flying where you move the stick and an impulse goes to a computer and the computer then sends a signal to the flying surfaces of the airplane.

The artwork we produce can be just as spectacular with either method, but the joy to produce is perhaps greater the old fashioned way.

No matter what, take great joy in your creations, no matter how they are produced.

That is what will satisfy you.

I guess I can relate closest to Raymond's and Dan's feelings on this subject. On Raymond's, it is when the aches and pains kick in-- usually before noon. With Dan's it is the feeling you get when you can "do no wrong" with the brush.

What I miss are the little mental vacations you could go on while you were lettering.

I loved planning trips, recalling old friends, reliving childhood dreams.

If I can get over an hours worth of hand lettering in, I can still slip off into never never land, but returning seems to be less rewarding these days.

Oh well thats what the meets are all about, now isn't it.

I watched the feature on Australian TV here last weekend on the Letterheads meet in Portland, a very nostalgic look at the old "Brushmen"....wow. I felt so inspired to recommitt to the brush, truth is I have never left it, I just felt very proud to be keeping this fine old craft alive.

Question is though, how many of us are passing our skills on to a future generation?

One of the sweetest things about using a brush are being able to work the shape of a letter to improve the rithym through a word and being able to tint or tone the colour to find the perfect balance....mmmmmmmmmmm

As far as passing on the skill of brushing...I have tried several times...seems no one wants to go the distance, or maybe I am not the proper teacher, I don't know, but I sure hope it never dies.

For a sign person, there is no experience like it. Long live the brush.

By the way, can you put me in touch with the person who has the stash of Langnickles?

Earlier this year I was painting a logo onto 2 sides of a building: 15'x20' logo on a rough stucco finish 10' in the air. I had to resort back to the "good ol' days" and pounce the pattern with an electric pounce machine (OUCH), use the blue chalk to get the patterns up on the wall, and "cut-in" the letters in using a cutter, then rolled the large areas. A local sign guy came by and asked a million questions, and pretty much hung out for a couple of days just gawking and trying to figure out how I got that logo up there without "lettin'" a computer do it. The sad thing was, he didn't have the slightest idea what any of the tools were, especially the brushes and paint!

These days I don't use the brush nearly enough to be proficient as the "old sign guys" but when I do get to dust them off, that familiar scent of 1-shot and Naptha take me back to the good ol' days!

Yep, there is a satisfaction with brushwork you just dont get with puters, no doubt about it.

Seems to me that the more of this generic sticky stuff there is out there the more my work stands out.

There is a small country town 'bout 30 mile east of here, it sits on the main highway north, I did my first job there 'bout 2 years ago, it has generated a lot more work, to date I have done 9 stores, even the local writers are starting to call it "my town"

It is by creating the work on site that brings a distinctive look, because the job evolves as I go and it generates an incredible amount of interest. My objective is to get as far away from that "generic look " as I possible can.
I am convinced that there is still a place for the "Brushman" and it aint the museum!

As craftsmen we have to work a bit harder so there is a clear distinction between our work and the quickemstickems, carve a niche out for ourselves.

It's too easy to just cut and paste pre-set panels, banners n fonts etc. If this is what we are doing it's no wonder the customers are going to the franchised letter shop down the road.
It's no wonder they can't tell the difference and are only shopping on price.
It's no wonder the signs are all starting to look the same.
It's no wonder there isn't the joy in it for many of us any more.

It saddens me to read many of us saying that we are resigned to the brush as being only part of the "good ole days" and I wonder how the original letterheads would feel about that kind of statement.

I know I have jumped on the soapbox, I am not apologising for that one bit.

Think about it at least .

So I have changed my point of view, rekindled the old love for the trade, I am not working the long hours any more because I have placed a far higher value on my skills, I don't come cheap any more.

My two younger kids are showing some interest, My oldest son will be home from college ( university) next week and he has told me he is looking forward to working with me again. I absolutely relish working with my kids, It adds a whole other level of satisfaction to my work.

I want them to see me enjoying sign making, I want them to know I am proud of what I do for a living.

Food for thought maybe?