Bob: Thanks for your interest. That "harlequin" pattern in the lower panel was done in a formal Damar varnish pattern by Rose Oatis (The Queen of Damar)---she laid the diamonds out in Stabilo on the front of the glass, "lettered on" alternating sections in the Damar, then scribed...

Atkinson himself addressed the issue in presenting a formula for an Imitation Gold leaf effect which could to be used to great advantage when called upon to do "Cheap Exhibition Work". I presume this referred to reverse window lettering in exhibition halls and other locations, where the le...

A reverse glass project produced in 1999 for Paris Las Vegas Casino and Resort.

Mark Oatis

Are there any updates on the progress of your meeting? Do you have a website dedicated to meeting news? I hope to attend, and I want to find out more.

Thanks,

Mark Oatis

Dave: This is a fantastic documentary! The quality of the video is excellent, together with very skillful editing ( I suspect this was gleaned from many hours of raw footage) and beautiful narration. Kudos to a truly artistic producer: and it never hurts to have world-class subject matter! Everybody...

Dave: This is a fantastic documentary! The quality of the video is excellent, together with very skillful editing ( I suspect this was gleaned from many hours of raw footage) and beautiful narration. Kudos to a truly artistic producer: and it never hurts to have world-class subject matter! Everybody...

Last night's season premier of "Boardwalk Empire", HBO's gritty new Atlantic City gangster series, was rife with gratutious sex and violence ( I studiously averted my eyes), but my interest was definitely piqued by the parade of fantastic signs. Pretty great period work. LHS fonts were muc...

Antony: That's a GREAT looking transom! It looks like you got nice, bright matte gild. Do some engine turning on the next one; it'll dance! I assume you used the same black enamel to capture the back of the gold lettering that you used for the outline and shade. That goes a long way to protecting th...

Larry: I looked closely at the example, and recognize that the shade was applied in a slightly different manner than you have deduced. The white and red were actually applied as transparent varnish glazes, first, and allowed to dry. The green was applied last. The artist probably had dark green, med...

Ron: This is a great style. Those fat-topped ascenders and fat-bottomed descenders ought to lend a lot of bounce to a line of copy. And it's a treat to see this fresh out of the oven, with stabilo lines and all. You say you may not develop the caps: OK...but you've GOT to show us the numerals, at le...

A TRIUMPH!

I was remiss (OK, in lots of trouble) for neglecting to suggest the inclusion of Rose Oatis--AKA The Queen of Damars ,for her outrageous contributions to the Invention and Splendid Execution of fancy gilt centers, during the last 15 years of the last century. Omission corrected. Photos to follow.

Roderick: On my last post I mention "BOB" That's Bob M-i-t-c-h-e-l-l, one of the original 7 Letterheads, and Author of the first "Modern Era" book on glue chipping, "Glue Chipped Glass Signs."

Did you add Dan Seese? Tom Seibert? Dave McDonald? David Butler?

Your list must include Raymond Leblanc, Original author of Gold Leaf Techinques, as well as Art Sarti and Kent Smith. And E.C. Matthews and Alf Becker, of course. Al Grand was an influence upon a great many sign artists. Don't forget Doug Bernhart and Tony Segale and Bill Hueg. Bob Mitchell was one ...

Bob: I have done a lot of screen backup of burnish gold. A few suggestions: A. Make certain you have as much area around your copy image as possible. This is in anticipation of "B". B. You want SOME off-contact, but not a lot. If you have too much "snap" of the screen off the gla...

At a Mike Stevens WorkshopI attended in 1988, another attendee asked Mike (himself notoriously critical of substandard design work) what he would do when confronted with an argumentative client such as one the attendee had recently encountered. This client had demanded that the signpainter letter hi...

I did a surface gold job in New Orleans in September of 1983. The assignment was to gild 10 ft. tall letters, incised into the curved face of a new green granite bulding at 1615 Poydras. The Roman numerals were located 325 ft.off the ground. I had a brand new girlfriend, and I invited her to travel ...

All: I suspect this may have been previously discussed here, but persons with a keen interest in photographs of historic signs, cityscapes and people will take utmost pleasure in a perusal of the treasures to be seen while visiting shorpy.com. A remarkable number of these images are derived from ori...

Mr. Smith; In this rare and transcendent presentation, at each twist and upon every exquisite turn, the eye finds greatest delight, and the heart, satisfaction. All elements combine in a marriage of utmost harmony and just proportion: Florid curves are relieved with rich, open fields in a compositio...

Thanks to everbody for the reponse--and helpful hints.

I will send out photos!

mark oatis

Adhering a printed image to glass: Help. I have never paid attention to various letters and hints I have seen regarding the affixing of a printed picture to the reverse side of glass: I gernerally have preferred to attempt it by handpainting, screening or by changing the design to avoid the pictoria...

Luke: Welcome, friend, to the fraternity. A similar book to the one you hold "launched" the Letterheads. I was given the book by the family of Henry Asmus, alongtime Denver Signpainter, upon his death in 1969--when I was as old as you are now. My enthusuiasm for the text cemented my resolv...

All: I have begun to get over the shock of leaving Colorado and relocating to the planet Mercury (it was One Hundred Six today in lovely Las Vegas) and have resumed work on a number of seriously overdue projects. In taking stock of my Cool Materials inventory I am finding myself virtually out of bla...

Hey, Raymond! I will peruse the archives. I know I have a good shot of the first glass gilding meeting, held at Rick Flores' Rustic Sign Studio in Denver ca. winter of 1975, when the club was about one month old. There are any number of significant, (and only mildly embarrassing) pictures in that en...

Dave: Well, this is a revolting development indeed! Mere sprites doing in moments what has confounded me for decades. And in their pajamas, yet! The concept is absolutely elegant--and the high-finish components and deluxe packaging are really a bonus. Can't wait to give it a try. Congratulations! Mark

Steven: Call up Keith Knecht in Todelo, and he'll put you in touch with Joe Barry. He's living in Schenectady, New York.

Mark Oatis

I love the signs in "Road to Perdition" with Tom Hanks as the mob enforcer trying to raise a family. The plot is great but the signs are even better. Only one nagging worry; I suspect many of the rooftop billboards were the dreaded digital stickers. It only makes sense that the same blight...

I love the signs in "Road to Perdition" with Tom Hanks as the mob enforcer trying to raise a family. The plot is great but the signs are even better. Only one nagging worry; I suspect many of the rooftop billboards were the dreaded digital stickers. It only makes sense that the same blight...

Doug: I'll jump in to say that it is a bit too bad that the glass is double-paned. Gold jobs set up a blurry effect on thermal pane, due to the reflectivity of the gold bouncing off the outside surface. The greatest thermal pane jobs are those where the clients will let you do the work on the back o...

Danny: A great contibution, And a terrific reminder: When we examine steetscape photos like these (especially pertinent to those of us interested in studying--and emulating--period design) we notice plank after window after awning after wall covered well-executed legibly-spaced PLAIN LETTERING! The ...