In reading some of these posts, I see some referencing art schools, etc..
My question is, how many of you have had formal art training, or were able to learn from some one else in the business, as an apprentice so to speak?
Just wondering....
Posted by Marge Cameron (Member # 11336) on :
Dropped out of art school in Wisconsin my junior year, but learned to airbrush from a fellow student while I was there. We both quit to do vehicle artwork in Minneapolis. That led to all kinds of artistic business ventures. Not really an apprentice, since he had only been airbrushing a year himself. Guess I'm both formally educated & self-taught.
Posted by Neil D. Butler (Member # 661) on :
Commercial Art diploma in 1977.. went on to screen printing , then started Hand lettering and Airbrushing.... they never taught much of that in Art School... so like a lot of you folks, I went to the school of Hard Knocks.
Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
I tumbled into the business as a sideline to my autobody business.
The sign business soon returned better profits and I closed the autobody business and went full time doing "signs".
After my first Letterhead meet I realised that I had a lot to learn.
After 15 years of "profitable" work..I had made enuough money to retire..
So we did.
No official training here. Just life knowledge.
Posted by Tim Barrow (Member # 576) on :
I was a very talented youngster able to do lifelike pencil portraits in grade school,...By the time I was in high school I was fortunate enough to have a couple of years of art classes under my belt and received a scholarship to the Governors School of North Carolina,for art,...after that I went to East Carolina University for art because Playboy rated it as the third best party school in the US that year,.. dropped out when Nixon abolished the draft in '73 and after a couple of free spirited years riding harleys and living on the wild side,...went on to apprentice at one of the local billboard shops in the next town over,... "what long strange trip its been,..."
edited to ad,..my dad made me work in a local sign shop when I turned 14 to keep me out of trouble,..if he only knew what he was setting me up for,...after losing sight in my right eye,I actually enrolled last month to go back and study network security at a local college,I've got some real cool teachers and I'm makin' good grades ,...the future is so bright I gotta wear shades,....
[ May 11, 2010, 10:46 PM: Message edited by: Tim Barrow ]
Posted by Preston McCall (Member # 351) on :
Did the four year gig in Drawing and Painting. learned alot. Not so much technique, but more about what real art is and that I wanted to try to make some. Then went to Grad school in Architecture. Hated the tight drawing climate in architecture pre-computers. Immediately afterwards, opened a shop to restore old autos. I know that does not make snese, but it is how I did it. Ran into an art school buddy named Bob Nitcher who wanted to start a sign shop together. He taught me an amazing amount about lettering and the old ways. He was a great teacher and I respect his work very much. Then I did the old car shop, again, opened a wholsale auto auction (ugh) sold out to go run a Chevy store. Couldn't find anyone to paint our showroom windows, so I did it myself and figured it looked like the way to go. 21 years later, I am still trying to master the skill of window painting by hand! Art school was valuable, but having a teacher like Nitcher was the best education.
Posted by Kent Moss (Member # 4295) on :
1963-64 Started w/a quill,hardware store paint & know knowledge,got a little better. My best friend was the owner/builder of the M-80 Modified Race Car,I did the lettering on his cars.
The M-80 & Jerry were well known in New England race tracks.This one I lettered gave me the pride & push I needed to become a real SignPainter some day,the car was going to the famous Race of Champions in New Jersey,think it was NJ. The Race Driver's that drove his cars had been getting better & better,Then a famous Springfield,Ma area driver Rene Charland wanted to drive for Jerry's M-80 Race Car.
Then worked at the oldest,same family,Sign Co.in Springfield,MA,maybe New England, Buccholz Signs since 1899,w/four other Sign Painters.Learned so much there in two years,including that I did not like height's.
U.S.Air Force 1965-1969 Westover Air Base,worked nights at Bob Simpson Signs,Holyoke,MA also New England Signs,Holyoke,MA
Air Force promised me at inlistment that I would be a AF Illustrator,yea right,they discovered that I had served a Apprenticeship as a Toolmaker,so that's what I had to do AFSC 5210 Machinist.
Viet Nam was in full swing,Air Force needed aircraft maintenance support,missed 1st round of guy's to go because I was married,next round had to go.
When returned from overseas deployment qualified for special training for up coming discharge,spent last four months as SignPainter Apprentence,com.Fed & State program,served at Ace Signs,Springfield,MA. I had to work nights at the Air Base,day's at Sign Shop,because I went off base for training.They had training on base for many industries for six hrs. a day,but no SignPainting. After discharge completed the two year apprenticeship with pay $2.85 per hour.
Kent Moss
Posted by bruce ward (Member # 1289) on :
started college, hated college, boring, and having to learn all that BS about, algebra, history blah blah blah.
school of hard knocks, cause I was hard headed
Posted by Dale Feicke (Member # 767) on :
Always liked drawing, sketching, doodling...from grade school. Took several different art and mechanical drawing courses, but never any 'formal' art school. I became a 'car nut' at about 12, looking a Rod & Custom, Hot Rod and CarToons and following the Ed Roth craze.
Started messing with lettering and pinstriping at about 13, and haven't stopped. My earliest work involved mostly vehicles, and evolved into most other facets of the business. I've just always loved doing it. Many other jobs later, I keep coming back. Some people never learn.
[ May 12, 2010, 09:46 AM: Message edited by: Dale Feicke ]
Posted by Craig Sjoquist (Member # 4684) on :
Started out lettering my retail business then neighbors then others, realized I really did not know what I was doing so went to school at St. Paul Voc. Tech for sign advertising for awhile, been growing my education ever since now 35 years
Posted by Bill Lynch (Member # 3815) on :
Met a local sign painter/carver in high school (Frank Horner). Talked me into going to Butera Sign School in Boston, after one year there I went to work.
Posted by Ray Rheaume (Member # 3794) on :
Private art lessons in middle school.
Commercial art classes in high school is where I first got my hands on an airbrush. It was pure luck that I had a former art director of the NY Times as a teacher. He taught us the basics in fine fashion and I've never forgotten them.
Seven years at a tshirt printing company with some occasional art chores after graduation. Bounced in and out of a few more shirt shops before taking the plunge into sign making full time. Been more or less a continued leaning experience since.
I've learned far more from my mistakes than my successes. Rapid
Posted by Jane Diaz (Member # 595) on :
I have my Bachelor of Science in Education (Illinois State) and taught grade school and high school art for about 14 years. Bill has his Bachelor in Fine Arts from Northern Illinois Univ. and his Masters from Penn State in fine art painting. He taught there too as a Graduate assistant. When he started in signs there was NO one to teach him...he just jumped in, read books, looked at other peoples stuff. His motivation was putting food on the table. He did have quite a bit of knowledge from school about paint and processes but had to learn all about signs with the "well, THAT didn't work" method...
[ May 12, 2010, 06:15 PM: Message edited by: Jane Diaz ]
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