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Signwriter Hannah Whaler paints alleyway for Tinsmiths Alley
There are all sorts of ways of decorating a wall, but when Ledbury fabric shop Tinsmiths had a wall that needed painting instead of reaching for a few pots of emulsion, it called in signwriter Hannah Whaler. So 23-years-old Miss Whaler, who is self taught, took her brushes and brilliance along to Tinsmiths Alley and enlivened the space. Her canvas, long and thin, stretches 12ft down the alleyway to Ledbury High Street, providing passersby with a idea of what they can expect if they follow her sign. It took three days to complete and has been described as "part fairground, almost steampunk, but more than anything a celebration of type with convincing 3D drop shadows".
Hannah at work:
Miss Whaler, who now lives in Bristol, but is originally from Malvern, explained: "I first became interested in hand painted signage when I was at university in Falmouth studying illustration. We were taught how important it was to be able to understand and work with type. Often with illustration your images end up responding to or accompanying text, with book covers and posters especially. Once I started looking into vintage lettering styles, all of which are designed and drawn/carved by hand, my obsession began. I moved from drawing letters to painting them, training myself to use a brush and understanding proportion and layouts.
Signwriter Hannah with her alley painting:
"I’m really inspired by all the traditional cultures that surround and stem from sign painting. So the circus/fairground, canal boats, gypsy wagons, the folk art side of it really interests me. I do a lot of reading up on these things, looking at how the whole culture and way of life of these people feeds into the craft. As well, just the old examples of sign painting I see around me on the street, there are so many examples still standing as bold as ever tens of years after being painted, hidden away amongst the peeling vinyl. Nowadays there is more new stuff out there than there has been for a very long time, there’s an incredibly talented new generation of painters that are hitting the high street and bringing sign painting alive again."
Hannah’s alley painting:
"The best part is standing back and seeing something come together from what was just a sketch a day ago. The worst part is the cold if you’re working outdoors. You sort of paint with your whole body when working on a large scale, so being relaxed and focused is really important, and that’s hard when you are frozen stiff from seven hours painting up a ladder. I also have Reynolds Disease, which is poor circulation, so in the cold lose my sensitivity in my hands, making it hard to hold a brush."
Examples of Hannah’s lettering:
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