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Just registered…Time to say Hi
Well hello there… There I was skulking around the web at another site when this link came up couldn’t resist it had to sign up. Not only had to sign, but had to post. So here ’tis.
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14 Replies
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I too am new here, and bid you welcome from Western Canada 😆
Tell us a little about yourself and what you do.
Cheers, -
Yeah ok I can do that…born in East London UK, emigrated to Australia with my family in ’82 at the tender age of 15. Fell in love with this country, especially Western Australia where I live.
Married an Aussie girl – Jenny & we now have a son Luke who turns 5 on the 8th of October.
I’ve worked mainly in the car trade for the family business doing after market window tinting, rust proofing and the like. My wife is a graphic designer ( not one of those poncy ones who think they’re Gods gift). When I used to watch her do some work on her computer mainly business cards and stationery for me I was amazed at the mechanics and creativity of what she did. I thought that if I could have my time over again…That’s what I’d do.
As a kid I wasn’t encouraged to do art at all…in fact my teachers were not encouraging at all so I dropped it in second year high school, and never took it up again until a couple of years ago.
A friend needed me to do some window tinting for him as a sub contractor which I did, but he was making some vinyl signs at the same time. Watching him blew my mind…Applying vinyl was so similar to tinting and not having to actually draw something to get a design but to use the computer and plotter to get the results you want was for me.
I traded some labour time for my friend for some teaching and I learn’t the very basics of vinyl sign making.
Now I’ve got my wish…I do creative work using a computer (like my wife), I actually make some thing with my hands, and I’m having the best time learning everything I can.
I’ve got a supplier that has tradesmen working there selling the sign supply stuff. The guys there have been fantastic they see how enthusiastic I am and can’t do enough to educate me when I need it.
Not being formally trained, I make some pretty monumental stuff ups, but I always learn from them. I’ll give everything a go.
I really have the desire to pick up a brush and start to learn how to letter, but don’t know where to start…I’ll figure it out though.
Sorry about the length of this post…I got carried away you’ve just had the abbreviated life of me…
Lee
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welcome aboard lee, nice to see people getting stuck in from the start!!
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welcome Lee!
a great many signmakers seem to be those who do it because they want to and have taught themselves too!
in my eyes, this adds a rich diversity to the trade with so many individuals doing so many varied things in so many different ways!
…it’s a bit like keeping the gene-pool fresh by not marrying your sister…isn’t it? 😕 (except in some southern US states that is – where I undertsand that kind of thing is quite common! :wink:)
great to see you here Lee!
more soon
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excellent lee. thanks for taking the time to post!
like kev has said its good to see somone get stuck straight in..
feel free to help or ask for help. we will all do our best to help. i see the number of folk from aus join us. our biggest poster is from aus, gray hodge. hell of a nice guy and alot of fun gained by him here on the boards & off 😉 😆 😆
if you have a pic and your not sure how to load it… just send me a copy ill do the croping and chopping and load it for you…
once again thanks for joining. 😉 -
Hi Lee.welcome to the boards, I am a UK based traditional signwriter with 30 years experience, so if you have any questions about paint pushing don’t hesitate to post ’em and I’ll try to help if I can !!!, Brian.
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Hi Lee and welcome to the UKSG, you will find a lot of help on this site so checkin regulally and dont be afraid to ask questions, it might help to reduce the number of mistakes you make.
Like you I am self taught, still new to the business and full of enthusiasm. Like you I have also made my fair share of mistakes, its all part of the learning curve. If I had found this site earier I might not have made some of them as there is a wealth of experience and knowledge on the site and people are only to happy to help where they can. All they ask in return is that you try and take an active part when you can. Not bad eh !! -
Welcome mate,
How about sharing some of those tinting tips with us (?)
I’ve always wanted to tint me car, but never really knew the best way to go about it
ANDY
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HI Leeroy,welcome,I’ve got a friend in Australia perhaps you know him.Would that be the Nulabar(is that how you pronounce it?I’m affraid my geography’s dreadfull) that Grays talking about?This friend told of how he rode accross it and since then its always been a dream of mine.
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AAH Pete,
Nullabour… ( No trees)
yeah it’s always been a dream of mine to ride across as well . Man though what a distance. I’d like to take a week or so to do it and stop off along the way. My parents made the drive and dad hated every second of it.
Nothing to see… -
Maybe one cold Whitby winter we’ll pack up our brushes , come over and paint our way round visiting friends and relatives,can you still do that?
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Yeah of course you can…Thats what relatives are for…Free board.
My nan still comes to visit with her boyfriend every year for a month ( boyfriend…they’ve been together since before I was born). My wife and son and I really look forward to seeing them.
Next christmas we’re going over to there. For me a red hot christmas isn’t the same. I want to go shopping down the market when it’s freezing cold. Man, great memories.
Where are your relatives over here?
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Yer, must really get you down Lee. Christmas in the sun, while some of us are freezing our **** off !!!! Not that I am being sarcastic or anything, Honest !!!!
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Hey Martin,
I’m not whinging…Honest. I went back to the UK in ’88 November, and it was really cold. I’d just like to have my roast and all the bits when it’s not too hot to enjoy it. We’re talking about it here at the moment. My wife & her family ( Aussies) want to have a cold meat platter and salads on Christmas lunch. Whereas I want my Turkey and bits. Guess who does all the cooking on Chrissie day?Me.
It seems the best way to get Jenny to agree to the roast and stuff. Plus I’d like to take my little boy around like I was in the lead up to Chrissie.
I guess I’m homesick for the first time in Twenty years.
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