Question Question on a different note

[JWitkowski]

How many of you (or your staff) were signwriters in the days before vinyl? Also, if you did do brush lettering for sign work, do any of you still do any lettering using paint and a brush now?

 

[Gino]

Very little. No one wants to wait for the paint to dry.

 

[unclebun]

I started just as painting died off. So although I did some pictorials my first year and numbered some docks with a brush, most of my work has been vinyl. We still coated MDO out, so on occasion I've done some painted boards, and I can still brush an outline or border on a sign.

 

[TammieH]

Same here, I have hand lettered a couple special projects, that is about it. One was for a Japanese historic movie filmed partially here. I have no idea of the title and I believe it was only shown in Japan, also and old pick up truck now lawn art.

 

[lyndawayne]

Still hand letter a bit. We have a gentleman renovating an area in a town near here. He wants signs all hand lettered if possible. Keeps me in the mode.

 

[bob]

I/ve been doing hand lettering since I was about 12 years old until both my eyes and my hands stopped working very well. I worked at this both professionally and as a sideline until my various body parts rebelled. I retired from my real job in 2002 and took up vinyl at that time.

Every now and then I break out brushes and paint and both frustrate myself and confirm just why I got into vinyl. The only skill from my hand lettering days that has stuck with me is the ability to pull a line, but with an xacto knife instead of a brush. It certainly speeds up cutting out masked images when you don't have to use a straight edge.

 

[iPrintStuff]

one of the guys from a shop we took over is an old school sign painter. Seems to still be stuck in the 80’s though because he does NOT like change. Still uses software licensed in 98 and we just leave him to it. He’ll retire soon and we get to put all his stuff in a museum.