Sign painting
Encyclopedia
Sign painting is the act of taking a specific kind of brush
, and with various kinds of paint
, and applying it to a 2 or 3 dimensional surfaces creating letters
, form
s and/or symbols.
Sign painting was/is a learned craft
. It has a very long history within the realm of "artisans-crafts". Historically, apprenticeships were the means of learning the craft. Though many, in the earlier history of the craft were self taught. An apprenticeship could last for years, depending on the skill
of the apprentice and the knowledge of the "master". The skills learned were varied and some quite complex. Basically, learning to manipulate a lettering brush was the core of the learning process. This skill alone could take years to master. There were a number of associated skills and techniques also taught, such as: gold leaf
ing (surface and glass), carving (in various mediums), glue-glass chipping, stencilling, silk-screening.
With the advent of the computer
and various kinds of software now available the sign painting craft has been displaced with computer driven sign making machines. The "craft" has all but disappeared, and in only a few "technical schools" or specialty schools is the craft still taught.
Sign painters are usually self-taught and/or taught by mentors in the business. This is because Sign Painting is rarely offered in schools/universities, which in turn is the reason it could considered a dying trade. However, most professional Sign Painters are quite passionate about their work: computer-generated signs are both a blessing and a curse.
Brush
A brush is a tool with bristles, wire or other filaments, used for cleaning, grooming hair, make up, painting, surface finishing and for many other purposes. It is one of the most basic and versatile tools known to mankind, and the average household may contain several dozen varieties...
, and with various kinds of paint
Paint
Paint is any liquid, liquefiable, or mastic composition which after application to a substrate in a thin layer is converted to an opaque solid film. One may also consider the digital mimicry thereof...
, and applying it to a 2 or 3 dimensional surfaces creating letters
Letter (alphabet)
A letter is a grapheme in an alphabetic system of writing, such as the Greek alphabet and its descendants. Letters compose phonemes and each phoneme represents a phone in the spoken form of the language....
, form
Shape
The shape of an object located in some space is a geometrical description of the part of that space occupied by the object, as determined by its external boundary – abstracting from location and orientation in space, size, and other properties such as colour, content, and material...
s and/or symbols.
Sign painting was/is a learned craft
Craft
A craft is a branch of a profession that requires some particular kind of skilled work. In historical sense, particularly as pertinent to the Medieval history and earlier, the term is usually applied towards people occupied in small-scale production of goods.-Development from the past until...
. It has a very long history within the realm of "artisans-crafts". Historically, apprenticeships were the means of learning the craft. Though many, in the earlier history of the craft were self taught. An apprenticeship could last for years, depending on the skill
Skill
A skill is the learned capacity to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills...
of the apprentice and the knowledge of the "master". The skills learned were varied and some quite complex. Basically, learning to manipulate a lettering brush was the core of the learning process. This skill alone could take years to master. There were a number of associated skills and techniques also taught, such as: gold leaf
Gold leaf
right|thumb|250px|[[Burnishing]] gold leaf with an [[agate]] stone tool, during the water gilding processGold leaf is gold that has been hammered into extremely thin sheets and is often used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of karats and shades...
ing (surface and glass), carving (in various mediums), glue-glass chipping, stencilling, silk-screening.
With the advent of the computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
and various kinds of software now available the sign painting craft has been displaced with computer driven sign making machines. The "craft" has all but disappeared, and in only a few "technical schools" or specialty schools is the craft still taught.
Sign painters are usually self-taught and/or taught by mentors in the business. This is because Sign Painting is rarely offered in schools/universities, which in turn is the reason it could considered a dying trade. However, most professional Sign Painters are quite passionate about their work: computer-generated signs are both a blessing and a curse.
External links
- Article on an exhibition of historical roadside signs in New England
- The Letterheads Website - The Keepers of our Craft - Sign Painting is alive and well!
- The Original Letterheads - A site maintained by one of the founders of the Letterhead movement
- Creative Signmakers of America - Internet Forum for Creative Signmaking