A good sign painter, like any master of his/her craft, has the ability to transform the letters into seamless, effortless and beautiful experience. I had the good fortune to have a VHS tape recording the night back in '86 when Michael Jordan lit up the Celtics for 63 points. I watched that game for the next few weeks many times. The last time I watched it was just as riveting as the night I watched it live. He made the domination of some of the greatest players in the game seem so simple. The analogy is a bit skewed but stick with me on this one. The sign painter has to compete with the current wave of so-called sign designers that use perfectly cut vinyl lettering stuck to the side of a truck or board. The lettering is all done by machine and usually that machine is run by folks with little to no design knowledge. The letters, though precise, lack an emotional response. The throwback sign painter wields a brush and some paint and dives in over a rough sketch. When we come upon a true sign painters work, we have a very human response to a human event. Cut vinyl is flat. We simply read the words. Michael Jordan, in that instance of his 63 point explosion, made me view the rest of the players in the league in the same way I currently feel about cut vinyl.
I'm not sure of the artist/sign painter responsible for the work I'm about to show you, but it really is nice stuff and worthy of a view....
This trailer has been slowly rotting just south of R. B. Walter Elementary in a field that is home to some regular auctions throughout the good weather months.
So good...this is logo material!!!!
love how the "i" transitions into that beautiful "z".
Some time ago, my boss asked me to design a sign to hang above the Office door. As people enter our school, they need to understand that checking into the office is essential for school safety. I took on the job of creating an interesting design for the spot. The process went like this....
First: brainstorm, sketch, brainstorm, sketch, brainstorm, sketch...and buy a piece wood and cut it to size (it is always good to have that blank surface staring at you to give you that kick in the pants!)
Second: Scan the parts into the computer and begin the shuffling around in hope of finding the right composition. It has to feel right. If words are a part of the composition, choosing the right typeface is essential to the success.
Third: I did all my Photoshop designing to scale (27"x20" at 150dpi grayscale). I then chop the finished design into 8x10 chunks and print them out. The pieces then get trimmed and tapped back into a collage that looks like my final sign. I give a light rubbing of hard graphite on the back side of the collage. Tape it onto the sign board and trace it with a mechanical pencil which leaves a light pencil line to fill in with paint.
Fourth: Paint. I keep a few pieces of paper laying over the graphite so my drawing hand/arm doesn't smudge.
FRONT
BACK
Last: I will coat the entire sign with a water based finish, Polycrylic (clear satin), to protect it. Before that is done, I will choose some sort of trim treatment to frame off the design.
I hope to deliver it to the boss soon since he's retiring after this school year. I'll take some shots of it when it hanging above the Office door.
My latest design for society6... not sure how this design came to be...most likely I was doodling a font and noticed discover can be broken into two interesting words. I'm sure I'm not the first person to notice this but ran with it anyway. Used some old magazine photos to fill the lettering. Later.....
professionally speaking, this is a hectic time of year. sorry for the lack of comics lately....will try and get on it in the next few months....
