how do i go about learning how to signwrite?

[Brian Little]

hi Ali
Theres an excelent book SIGNWORK by BILL STEWART i would recommend to you get .the first edition might be in your local libary ,if not you can order it from Handovers. You could also order your brushes from there just to give it a dabble. You dont have to spend a fortune on this Ali. I personally use pure sable chisel edge writers but theres cheaper alternatives.Ill get back to you with address shortley

Regards Brian

[Brian Little]

hi Ali a bit “mingin” from a bit of a drink last night ,cant seem to see the phone number so heres there web …www.handover.co.uk. The great thing about the traditional method is you make a mistake on site ….a simple rag and turps sorts it out .no more back to the work shop to cut out replacement letters or logos . Another company is wrights of lymm, im afraid dont have contact imfo for them but directories will be able to help you .

Regards Brian

[Brian Little]

Ali heres the number ..0207 272 9692

[Jill Marie Welsh]

Get thee to a Letterhead meet.
It costs a fee to get in, but the knowledge you will walk away with is priceless.
There will be one in Scotland next May.
You also live in a land with a few great sign writers.
Also, subscribe to AMAL
(a magazine about letterheads)
It’s published right near me,
and features some true eye-candy.

A Magazine About Letterheads
PO Box 404
Sewickley, PA
15143-0404

My best friend is a traditional signwriter in Cowdenbeath.
She went to sign school somewhere over there!
Love….Jill

[John Harding]

Ali

Contact BSGA 01733 230033 they will tell you where you can do an NVQ with various options one of which is traditional signwriting gold leaf etc

John

[Neil Davey]

Ali

The best thing to do is practice. When I was an apprentice I used to letter a board in a sans serif style, painting the alphabet over and over again concentrating on curved letters alot and letters like B & R & K’s.

Then I’d wipe them off and start again.

I’m left handed so I found it a little bit more difficult than a righty, but I can write back to front really well.

Neil

Wrights of Lymm are good for supplies.

[Brian Little]

hey neil did we have the same boss :lol1: :lol1: :lol1: i had to practice times roman lettering over and over again im also left handed …he used to drum into me if you can do that properly you can do any style …the easiest is script lettering contrary to public perception

[signworxs]

Handovers do a range of brushes called the 2112 range they are a chisle edge extra length out sable and are teriffic value for money, I used to get them in for all the students on my course. If my memory seves me right if you buy every other number ie a number 2/4/6/8 that should come to about £30ish then about 4 tins of one shot at £6/7 and youre away for less than £60. As john says get hold of Bill Stewarts book as well, order that at the same time from handovers. Go for it! you will have fun, there are some very talented traditional guys n gals on here who will be happy to help with advice. Also dont dismiss combining traditional methods and vynull, a simple air brush blend across vynull lettering takes it to another level and takes seconds.

[signworxs]

Just noticed in neil and signs elite’s posts that they are lefties, as you can see from my avatar so am I………….spooky :lol1: like them I also spent about 4 years constantly painting Gill Sans, geez how I hated Eric Gill back then. (:)

[Brian Little]

sure is spooky ……bet youve drawn the maul stick over the letters and smudged it in to the vehicle or board before youve noticed ….i know i have and thats spooky as well 🙂 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

Regards Brian

[signworxs]

oh yes Brian been there got paint on the t shirt. wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to wipe off the side of a van (:)

[Neil Davey]

Ever got to the end of a panel only to run out of space, oops, clean it off and start again 😀

Worse still ever left a letter out of a word, these computer guys & gals with spellcheckers don’t know the fun their missing.

I sent a sign out once on the side of a trailer, should’ve read ‘WEATHERBEATER’ but I left the H out ‘WEATERBEATER. Some guy in Scotland noticed it 2 weeks later

😀 😀 😀

Cheers Neil

[Brian Little]

ive done trucks that have went around for years without the owner noticeing id miss spelt a word. usually a place name …..and usually pointed out by a small child 😀 😀 😀

Brian

[Brian Little]

Nik it gets worse than that ……when i emigrated to Brisbane in the late 80s one of my first jobs was a hairdressing salon no less than 3 times!!!! i knackered up the phone number….it wouldnt be so bad but it turned out one of the numbers was a dog grooming parlour ! the list is endless of misspelt words

Brian

[Brian Little]

we must have a problem with hairdressers!!

[A Misselbrook]

Traditional is the way! Look into my eyes! 😮 ..Yeah give it a go cos you’ll get a hell of a lot more satisfaction out of a job when you know its all done by your own hand!! I use a company called ‘Gold leaf supplies’ I agree that its best to practice, practice, practice!!. Do yourself a drawing onto paper, tape it up and paint it in. Then do it all over again! Good luck!

[Jill Marie Welsh]

To practice, you could paper print out a word on your computer,
then rest a sheet of glass over it and use it as a guide.
Then wipe off the paint and try again.
I first started painting with cheap craft brushes.
When I got my first lettering quill it seemed to be 3 inches long!
But once you get the hang of manuvering the brush it’s like magic.
I do think casual or script are the easiest alphabets,
and of course Hellvetica sux to paint.
You must also remember that the round letters are bigger than the straight ones, or they don’t look right.
A good way to spot shaping errors (not spelling ones!)
is to turn your panel upside-down.
Of course this is not practical when lettering a vehicle.
In 20 years, the only thing I ever painted wrong was some transposed numerals on a phone #.
Funny, I have omitted more letters in vinyl, and once I actually spelt something wrong!
Love….Jill

[Alison Falzon]

Thank you so much for all your advice….

quote signworxs:

Handovers do a range of brushes called the 2112 range they are a chisle edge extra length out sable and are teriffic value for money, I used to get them in for all the students on my course. If my memory seves me right if you buy every other number ie a number 2/4/6/8 that should come to about £30ish then about 4 tins of one shot at £6/7 and youre away for less than £60. As john says get hold of Bill Stewarts book as well, order that at the same time from handovers.

Is that exactly what I should order? Do I need anything else?
I have just looked at the Handovers website, and there is so much on there (I’m now totally confused!!). Sorry to sound dumb but I don’t want to order things I won’t use (or not order things I need!) What about cleaning the brushes – do I need something for that?!

Thanks again,

Ali

[Brian Little]

white spirit Ali …….also its good practice to put a little grease on them just to keep them in shape
Regards brian

[Jill Marie Welsh]

My favorite brush is a good red sable.
These have metal ferrules and come from Germany.
But since I only have 1 size, my others are all Luco blue-handled quills.
I usually buy either odds or evens, like 1 3 5 7 9, etc.
I also have several French Masters and 1 Langnickel red sable.
An excellent brush is a Jensen’s Swirly Q.
It is a great outliner and REALLY long.
For pinstriping you can get the little sword stripers.
I have both Macks and Excalibers, which are really tiny.
I clean them with Turpentine and use baby oil on them to keep them supple.
They no longer make Sapphire Brush Oil, which was my fave.
I have also used 10W30 oil or transmission fluid in a pinch!
Many Letterheads have an ultrasonic cleaner for their brushes
which they fill with Rapid Remover, a citrus-based product.
They get so clean in this thing that you don’t even need to oil them.
Many people pallette their paint on old magazines ot cards to force it up into the ferrule.
I just use the side of my cup.
I use mainly 1-Shot lettering enamel.
Love….Jill

[A Misselbrook]

Hiya!
You only need to get brushes that are quite cheap to begin with, instead of getting pure sable you could get a few chisel edged brushes that are a mixture. To clean the brushes i use white spirit and then shape the brushes again after use with vaseline.
seeya

[signworxs]

sorry don’t agree with buying cheaper brushes (though I do have some sable ox mix myself) you may get a poor result from them and not bother anymore, you wouldn’t buy a socket set from the £1 shop to learn to be a car mechanic. Im a big believer in buying the tools you are going to work with. mho :lol1:

[Alison Falzon]

Okay, so let me get this right then…..MY BEGINNER’S SHOPPING LIST…

Signwork book
3/4 pots of 1-shot lettering enamel
some chisel-edged brushes
white spirit / turps for cleaning
vaseline / baby oil for keeping brushes soft

I’m confused about the brushes, as there seems to be millions on the Handover website – what sizes should I go up to? should I go natural or synthetic etc?

OR should I just get the book first and then decide on the rest when I have a bit more knowledge??!

Ali

[Marekdlux]

I have been thinking about doing some paint work for a while, after reading this thread I am going to pick up a brush and give it a shot. I like the suggestion of printing something, then putting a piece of glass on top of it. Thanks. 😀
-Marek

[Neil Davey]

I would buy a 2, 4, 6 to start with. I use sable in a quill, their great brushes. probably cost around £40 for these but it’s worth it.

Obviously the size of brush depends on the size of the letter you want to paint, it’s much harder the smaller the letter so vary between 1 inch and say 4 inch with these brushes.

Best to practice with the right brushes, don’t go cheap or you may find you give up.

Good luck

Neil 😀

[Jill Marie Welsh]

http://63.161.215.98/lettering.html
there are pix on this page….the kind of brushes that I use are on here.
I get the quills with the plastic (?) ferrules, not the metal flats.
They will feel a mile long at first.
I also love the Alan Johnson signature brushes on this page.
Only get synthetic if you are planning to paint with water-based lettering enamels.
And don’t get cheap junk brushes, these are tools that if treated properly will last a lifetime.
You might want to get yourself a mahl stick too, to rest your hand on.
http://www.misterart.com/store/view/001 … -Stick.htm
This is a Swirly-Q brush:
http://www.beugler.com/beuglerstore/Qua … ories.html
But it’s not for beginners! hahaha
These are pinstriping brushes:
http://www.mackbrush.com/original2.htm
I am not too great at striping but I still love the brushes.
As for paint colors I would get black, white, bright red, primrose yellow, medium green, and reflex blue. That way you can mix up other colors.
Also get some cheap paper cups (like bathroom-sized ones)
and some popsicle sticks for stirring.
Love….Jill

[signworxs]

Ali as I said in my other post the 2112 range are excellent brushes I use them myself and I would go for a no2,4,6,8.

[signworxs]

just checked out the prices on handovers web site 2112 no2,4,6,8, £28.53 one shot basic colours are £6.22 a pot and a mahl stick £10 so I recon a basic kit can be put together for about £70 +the book at £20max have fun :lol1:

[A Misselbrook]

You gotta make your own mahl stick! A length of dowel sponge on the end squished into a ball then wrapped up with a bit of chamois or any old cloth!!

[Jill Marie Welsh]

….I’ve noticed that men have this “thing” about who has the biggest mahl stick… 😕
I like mine cuz it’s in 3 pieces & fits in my kit real nice.
That’s the other thing you’ll need…a tackle box or a tool box to carry all your sign stuff in!
Love….Jill

[Alison Falzon]

quote Jillbeans:

….I’ve noticed that men have this “thing” about who has the biggest mahl stick… 😕

It’s no good having a really big one if you can’t use it properly though!? 😉

Anyway, thank you so much for all that info…

I’m going to sit down over the weekend, write everything down and get ordering on Monday!

I’m really looking forward to this, and no doubt I will keep badgering you all with questions!

Ali

[Hugh Potter]

hi Ali, i know this is an old thread (i’ve only just discovered this sectoin 😳 ) but i’ve been having similar thoughts to your original post, it’s a skill i’ve always admired, and with the proper mental application, i know i could do it,

i was wondering what you ended up buying, how much it cost, and how have you got on so far ?

thanks H

[Brian Little]

i just use ordinary white spirit Ali….and a little bit greese to keep the brush in shape
brian

[Alison Falzon]

Well although I had the book, and bought just a couple of small brushes and a pot of One Shot, I never actually got round to finding the time to have a go.

I had to take the book back to the library last week because I kept renewing it for months.

BUT my children are both starting school this week (what a nightmare!), so in theory I should have some more time on my hands once I get into a bit of a routine.

Coincidently a friend of my parents used to be a traditional signwriter and I was speaking to him the other day about it, when I was doing his van and he has kindly offered to donate all his brushes to me…….so watch this space!