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Same here. I just hand lettered 36 2x4 coroplas signs. Yesterday, I hand-lettered 61 windshields. Painted $18,010 worth of hand-lettered showroom windows last month. No vinyl cutter, no router, nothing but paint, rollers and quills, here. No commercial shop and work out of my F150. 23 years and my fixed expenses are still low with no employees. How do you spell RELIEF? ....L-O-W O-V-E-R-H-E-A-D! No stress-Make money-Have fun...the 3 rules.
-------------------- Preston McCall 112 Rim Road Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 text: 5056607370 Posts: 1552 | From: Santa Fe, New Mexico | Registered: Nov 1998
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Old Signwriters don't sound off they quietly fade away LOL. Same here only paint and some carving. But lotsa brushes.
Posts: 97 | From: Summerland BC | Registered: Mar 2009
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Old Signwriters don't sound off they quietly fade away LOL. Same here only paint and some carving. But lotsa brushes.
Posts: 97 | From: Summerland BC | Registered: Mar 2009
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Worked on an old train car today. Just finishing a bunch of signs and life preservers for a historic park, a couple of gas pumps, an antique truck. Start a canvas banner tomorrow, then start all over again next week. Almost all my work is hand painted.
[ May 16, 2012, 03:44 PM: Message edited by: Rick Janzen ]
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I've cut way down on the computer & vinyl work over the last 2 years. It had gotten to where only 10% of the work was paint; now well over half is painted. I'm happier with my work but ran into an unexpected problem— lack of space because the work is here for a much longer time before it's done.
-------------------- Frank Smith Frank Smith Signs Albany, NY www.franksmithsigns.com Posts: 807 | From: Albany, NY USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Yep, hand lettering and pinstriping up in here. Did the cuteist little Peterbilt Cabover over the weekend.
-------------------- Signs by Alicia Jennings (Mudflap Girl) Tacoma, WA Since 1987 Have Lipstick, will travel. Posts: 3812 | From: Tacoma, WA. U.S.A. | Registered: Dec 1999
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Hand lettering, pinstriping and carving here!
-------------------- Len Mort Signmaker1.com 11 Juniper Drive Millbury, MA 508-865-2382 "A Good Business Sign, is A Sign of Good Business"(1957) Posts: 811 | From: Millbury, Ma | Registered: Dec 2006
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About 10 years ago, I would turn down anything that could be done with a machine; the market was too competitive. Then work got slow, and I figured that I might as well try to get those jobs. I spent a lot of time bidding jobs I didn't get. It got worse, till the point it was pitiful. Even when I did get a job, a huge percent, sometimes half the cost was materials. Then several hand painted jobs came in, and even though they took a little while longer, a huge amount of the money went in my pocket. Wow, long time no see that. Now work is taking off. I'm turning down most vinyl jobs and having a major art and sign renaissance. As they say, correlation does not equal causality, I don't think focusing on hand painted work caused an upswing in calls, the upswing actually coincides with revitalizing my Bible study. Not trying to make an opportunity to preach, just putting credit where it's due.
-------------------- James Donahue Donahue Sign Arts 1851 E. Union Valley Rd. Seymour TN. (865) 577-3365 brushman@nxs.net
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what's for lunch, Benjamin Franklin Posts: 2057 | From: 1033 W. Union Valley Rd. | Registered: Feb 2003
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and late last week I had a two plain banners to redate-it was actually quicker to sketch in what was wanted, paint out what we didn't want, and do the new dates by brush-fasher than waiting for the plotter & PC to boot up anyway & wasting app tape & a fair bit of vinyl.
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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Store windows yesterday. Special mixed colors and the customer was very happy.
-------------------- Bill Riedel Riedel Sign Co., Inc. 15 Warren Street Little Ferry, N.J. 07643 billsr@riedelsignco.com Posts: 2953 | From: Little Ferry, New Jersey, USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6712 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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More vinyl than I care to talk about, but I did get to letter another old safe door last week. I have a customer that restores old safes, and vinyl (or even vinyl masks) is not allowed there. Always feels good to get the brushes out again.
-------------------- Don Hulsey Strokes by DON signs Utica, KY 270-275-9552 sbdsigns@aol.com
I've always been crazy... but it's kept me from going insane. Posts: 2274 | From: Utica, KY U.S.A. | Registered: Jan 1999
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The only time I use paint these days is in my Airbrushing Jobs, and Pinstripes that I do occasionally... all my signs are Vinyl... but that gives me time to do my Airbrushing Jobs and Pinstripes... lol
-------------------- "Keep Positive"
SIGNS1st. Neil Butler Paradise, NF Posts: 6277 | From: St. John's NF Canada | Registered: Mar 1999
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Thank you all. this has been most enlightening. i am pleasantly surprised that so many regulars here are still getting with it painting style.
It does make me wonder though, if this many are doing this why am I not seeing more of it in the portfolio section? Folks this craft is precious to me. The sight of hand lettering still excites and is an encouragement to me.
Please. Let's be a community of artisans and do better for each other.
-------------------- Bob Sauls Sauls Signs & Designs Tallahassee, Fl
"Today I'll meet nice people and draw for them!" Posts: 765 | From: Tallahassee, Fl | Registered: Jun 2009
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The only time my plotter runs is to do a pattern on the rare sign job that comes along. I still do hand lettering though, mostly at motorcycl rallys. I did a rally a few weeks back where it seemed every other job was lettering. This stuff is pure gravy, put a couple"s names on the back of a trike in script $60-$80, ten minutes tops including making the sale, knock it out and then get back on the full striping job on the dresser.
-------------------- George Perkins Millington,TN. goatwell@bigriver.net
"I started out with nothing and still have most of it left"
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I do mostly vinyl signs around here, it's my bread and butter, but gets boring. Fortunately, I get just enough hand lettering jobs each year to keep me happy - usually old-timers restoring something, which is always unique and fun. I just hand lettered a bunch of show cards for a guy that restores antique vending machines. I'll try to post picts. in portfolio area. Some of my lettering quills are 25 years old, I take very good care of them - they are my pets that make me money!
-------------------- Kathy Weeks Weeks-End Signs & Graphics Lake Elmo, Minnesota Posts: 249 | From: Lake Elmo, Minnesota | Registered: Mar 2009
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I just hand-lettered one side of a 4' x 6' sign. Letter it with vinyl twice that failed, it faces south & gets sun all day long. Guess we will see how long the One Shot holds up.
-------------------- Judy Pate Signs By Judy Albany, Georgia USA 229-435-6824
Live simply...Love generously...Care deeply...Speak kindly...Leave the rest to God. Posts: 2621 | From: Albany,GA,USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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I painted the small edges and curves of satin tapestry fabric for a victorian doll dress with my granddaughter. I had to use quills so I could turn the corners, etc. It felt like back in the painting 0's and S's days
-------------------- Deb Fowler
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible - Walt Disney (1901-1966) Posts: 5373 | From: Loves Park, Illinois | Registered: Aug 1999
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If I don't get handlettering jobs I write about them. Here's an excert from "Arterial Red" a book I'm working on.
Solo rewards Maybe it’s time for a little story. Be patient, it’s worth it. Let's go back to thursday, May 23rd. 1964. I started in the sign game right out of college, apprenticing with Buddy Langhorn, an old sign guy in Southern Cal that I had met and admired. I was lucky to get hism to take me on. It was a year or so before he allowed me out on a job by myself. I guess he waited until he thought I could find my way back to the shop. My first solo was at Huntington College in North Pasadena, doing some glass doors on campus. I thought that it was just “skutt” work, something Buddy wanted to avoid doing. So he sent me, the humble apprentice. I hated lettering Helvetica lowercase but Buddy had taught me some little shortcuts that made it almost tolerable to hand letter the style. He had insisted that every job should get your full attention, your best. Tape was the big deal when you lettered Helvetica. We used thin tape on the top and bottom of the line to make all those square endings on the letters. Then you could focus on getting the curves perfectly balanced. So I measured and snapped the tape across the glass and attached the pattern on the outside. I was lettering the words backwards, looking through the glass to the pattern on the other side. You have to do this to avoid all the pounce chalk dots you would otherwise leave in the letters. White paint would capture and show the dots through the glass, because both sides show. That’s why Buddy didn’t want to do it. Extra steps. And you have to hold your head just so, so that the tape lines up with the pattern through the quarter inch of glass while you work. I was slower than I would have predicted and I was nervous because I thought I was fumbling a lot. Apprentice complex… I had just finished the last door at the student union; the front entrance. I figured I'd do the most important one, last when I was warmed up. I had lettered “Huntington Hall” on the inside of the door in reverse with a nice little simple scroll design below. I cleaned the brush and laid it in the tray in my metal kit box on the porch. As I turned around to pull the tape off, I heard students clumping down the stairs. I stepped back outside, rolling the tape up and wiping my hands with a clean rag. The building was a ex- 'big old house' with a deep porch and wide wooden steps behind me, dropping to the sidewalk. The front door held a big old heavy one-piece faceted glass. Very classy. Three college girls scrambled down the inside stairway in their white deck shoes and the first, a brunette, pushed the door open for her friends. You guessed it; her palm went square in my wet lettering. I don’t think she even noticed the white paint smearing under her hand as she shoved the door open and swung through, to give room for the other two. “Excuse me…” I started to say, but the Brunette swished to get past me, focused on her friends and I did the only thing I could think of quickly, I grabbed her hand (to keep her from getting paint on herself… really!)” She, of course, was startled and pulled away from me and I, of course, held her wrist tighter and raised it over her head. She was getting mad now, not listening as I tried to explain about the paint on her hand. She jerked to wrench it away but she was just a little thing and I held it higher to keep her from smearing it anywhere. My holding her wrist higher, swung her closer to me and she slapped me across the face. I think she was as surprised by that as I was. Panic in Pasadena! Sign maniac strikes! Her friends had rushed back and were shouting at me to let her go and hitting me on the shoulders. They were all yelling so much that no one could have understood what I was really trying to do. “HE-E-E-Y!” I yelled and they all stopped. “I’m doing this for a reason. Look! At! Your! Hand!” the brunette was still in mid wind-up for another slap which slowed as her eyes traveled up her arm to her hand. And then back to the smeared door. The white paint was pretty clear, “-untin-“ was stenciled backwards across her palm. “Oh-h-h…” She dropped the swing and relaxed her body. I let go the same time as she did and we moved apart. “If you come out to the truck, I can clean that off for you.” I gestured at the shop pick-up parked at the curb. And she blossomed in a smile…
After I had helped her clean her hand off, I got out the white paint again and refilled the cup I had dumped. I took the rag and went back inside with a razor blade from my kit; I scraped and wiped the offending smudges off the glass. It wasn’t really too bad. Five letters, that’s all. I got the tape roll and re-taped the top and bottom of the word and positioned the pattern outside. As I knelt to get the brush and paint cup ready, her voice came from behind me, she was sitting on the stairs watching. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see that at all.” “No biggie.” I offered. She had an incredibly sexy voice when she wasn't yelling. Low and throaty, she probably didn't even know it. “Did I mess you up, big time?” “Naugh, it’s just a couple of letters.” I began to stroke the first u out. “Wow, you make that look so easy.” I smiled back at her and kept going (Mr. Swave.) “Will it take you long to finish?” I paletted the brush on the side of the cup and smiled. She wasn’t bad looking at all. She had a cute nose. Killer eyes. I hadn’t looked closely before but I was watching her reflection in the glass as I worked.
“So you always wanted to be a sign painter?” She had talked me into a coke at the cafeteria and I wasn’t really a hard sell by this point. “Not always…I always wanted to be an artist…yeah.” “So why sign painting?” “Why sign painting? I guess, because you get to do art and get paid for it.” “Don’t painters, you know, like those who sell their work along the streets in Paris…they get to do art everyday.” “Yes and no, Marti. They get to do art, yes, but they don’t always get paid for it. not every day. The starving artist thing, you know. They're starving for their own art- their own freedom. I may not be painting beautiful pictures, but I get a check every week.” She wasn't a dull brown brunette. Her hair had redish pockets that glowed as the light caught it. It looked so soft and flowing. “But Vinny, if you painted pictures you might get paid lots more.” I had to smile. “When I got paid, yes. What kind of a life do you think you get with that kind of erratic dough? Could you buy a house with that kind of irregularity? I expect to have my own shop someday and maybe a wife and kids. Got to think ahead for that kind of a dream, Marti.” My grandpa used to say, "slow and steady wins the course." She had beautiful ears too. Not large but rounded and pink and shell-like. Nestled in that glowing hair. She said, my grandpa always said, "What's for supper?" We talked and talked and the more we talked…the more I thought she was really pretty special. Those green eyes. Maybe she had some Irish in her background. Not really emerald, but they had their own color, warmth and sparkle just the same. Both of them.
Hope this is not too long. Jer/Artworx
-------------------- Gerald Barlow Artworx Turlock, CA
95380 artworx@bigvalley.net Posts: 198 | From: Turlock, CA 95380, USA | Registered: Dec 2002
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![[Rolling On The Floor]](graemlins/rolf.gif)
Same here only paint and some carving. But lotsa brushes.
![[I Don t Know]](graemlins/dunno.gif)
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