The Hand Lettering Forum

Hi Erik, The points you're making are important to the discussion, i.e. - the fact that we are all strongly influenced by the world around us, sometimes imperceptibly and other times very consciously. None of us are "creative" in the absolute sense, rather all of our creations are derivative. So whe...

Hi Mike, Um . . . can we just change the subject now? :( :lol: Actually, this discussion continues to clarify my thinking and adjust my practices. I read the legal link and have saved it in my bookmarks. I’ve just kind of been exploring the Pinterest thing, at the recommendation of a couple of “soci...

Jack, You bring up some good points which help me in thinking through how I will choose to navigate this new "social medium". Also, let me clarify: When you pin a photo in Pinterest the original source stays with that pin. For instance, when a person clicks on the photo of Erik's glass piece in Pint...

A couple of recent interactions on the forum got me thinking. First , Jack Hollands said he had used some images from my blog for a presentation he was giving and I told him I was honored and the images are there for people to use. Secondly , I mentioned that I "pinned" a photo from this forum onto ...

The new photos are much better. I also prefer the red background showing through the glass. It is congruent with the style & color of the lettering and with the “rocket” theme. Overall, these colors work much better than the gold tint in your original photo. I had assumed you used a mask or somethin...

Very nice, Erik! You may have addressed it in the other post you're referring to but how did you apply the canvas to the glass? Is it a painting on canvas that you did yourself or from someone else? Or maybe a digital print on canvas? I pinned the photo to one of my boards on Pinterest. http://pinte...

Hi Jack, This looks like a fun project, cleanly executed. Can you tell us a little more about the piece, what you're trying to accomplish, etc? The photo is kind of dark, but it looks to me like it's something produced on glass - front or back I can't tell. Have you used gold leaf on the project or ...

Welcome to the forum, Jack. And a special welcome to the trade. Nice design. A lot of tattoo artists seem to have a good sense of lettering, as is evident in her design. Any idea if it was a font he adapted or if it was rendered by hand? I hope you'll be able to share pictures of the window when it'...

Hi Ron,
VERY NICE work! Boy it's nice to see the hand lettering and I love the clean window gilding. Thanks for sharing the photos.
(And thanks, Mike, for adding them to the top for Ron.)

Doug, As you know, the nature of the project you're working on is going to drive the color scheme you choose. Not knowing what you're working on I'll shoot in the dark by sharing a couple of artists whose use of color always brings inspiration. David Lance Goines has a wonderful muted color palette ...

Passed this on to one of my sons in New York who comes to Colorado several times a year to hit the slopes with his kids. His reply to me: "Total ski porn".

A pleasant (though vicarious) distraction as we enter the season.

Speaking of distraction, I'd better get to work.

Rick, I read your most recent blog article. It's a true pleasure to see someone doing this stuff so well. The time schedules sound like a real headache, but I guess that's the nature of the business, isn't it? Keep it up. Your work involving historic research, duplicating old techniques, accurately ...

Hey Roderick - The email I've included is about all I know but I could pretty much guarantee he wouldn't pay for expenses. If he would pay for expenses - an all expense paid trip to Italy would do me just fine! No, I think it's just a small job that would not take much time. Since he can't find some...

Well, this is a longshot but here goes: Rather than tacking this entry on to the earlier thread about the gold leaf window signs in Florence ( http://www.handletteringforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3043 ), I thought I'd make an appeal here on behalf of the owner of the Papini Leather Goods stor...

Mike, You make some excellent points here. The whole discussion of hand lettering versus digital signage can be tainted by a myopic vision on both sides. One view exalts the superiority of hand-lettering - returning to the old school ways to doing signs. The opposite view promotes using any and ever...

Really great post. I especially like to hear what others are doing successfully (and not so successfully). Bruce, your description of the failed gild is interesing and helpful. There is always that "window" between drowning the gold and having it not stick. That's where a good slow size is preferabl...

I started this thread last year. As Doug suggested in one of the posts above, I've added a few of the pictures to the "Masterpiece" section at the top of the forum and may be adding some more. I took this same story of the window gilding in Italy and made it a blog post on my website which you can s...

Here are some pictures from one of my favorite stores in Florence, Italy. Located on the Arno river beside the Ponte Vecchio, Papini Leather Goods had a great logo, finely gilded windows and a gilded leather ceiling. The business was started in 1896 and the window gilding was done in 1929. Here it i...

Dave, Is that slumped glass? There are some views where it looks as though the glass is curved - or is that because a wide angle lens is being used in your photos? Will these panels be used as a mirror behind a bar? Looking forward to seeing the completed project in place. Now get back to work, my f...

Absolutely astonishing, Dave!
You just keep pushing the envelope and demonstrating that the craft is alive, vibrant and bursting with energy.
Thank you for giving us a peek into your latest project.

Sounds like the typical committee scenario. A couple of other constructive criticisms I wanted to mention earlier but needed to sign off: I don't particularly care for the red phone number under the church name. I'm not a big fan of having phone numbers on signs (unless it's a vehicle) but sometimes...

Cheryl, It's always intimidating to take on your first sign but it looks like you've attacked it with gusto. There are a few ways that I think this is an improvement over the old sign. 1. You have a strong area at the top with reversed lettering using the dimensional letters from the hardware store....

Very nice, Jerry! Pinstriping is something I've never done that much so when I do attempt it I have to keep it really simple. It takes a lot of practice to make those designs fluid and natural. Glad you were able to pick up a striping brush again and throw some gold on that Gold Wing. I'm sure your ...

William Blake: Well, I ain't askin' again. Bill, Right you are about Leandro's work and I felt kind of like a hypocrite to criticize it. I mean I actually like the lettering he did and - do I have something better to show? And just as Dylan's cards (drawn by him, Donovan, Allen Ginsberg & I think so...

Thanks for this video clip, Bill. It's always great to see the inexhaustible kinds of expression that can come through typography - especially hand lettered words. The artist, Leandro Senna, definitely had fun with this project and is clearly talented. It's refreshing to see no sterile computer font...

Thanks, Danny. I love the creative signs they're producing and the music that goes with the video. The niche they've found is likely another fallout from the scarcity of unique, well made, hand lettered, hand crafted ANYTHING. He refers to what they do as "fictional nostalgia". Looks like they do a ...

Thanks, Dave, for bringing this great little video clip to our attention a couple of weeks ago. Knowing the value of hand painted signs is nothing new in our circles (this is the Hand Lettering Forum, after all) but it's always gratifying to see someone on the outside recognize and bring it to the a...

Yeah, Pat. It's a beautiful sign and looks like it's in great condition but I too wonder what the original size was and what was cut off the bottom. I'm sure that affects the value of the sign but if I had the cash and lived in the Chicago area I'd be tempted to snatch it up. I love that volcano pic...

Duh! (forehead smack!)
I remember seeing it now but never focused on it.
Too much to take in there in Dunfries.
Wonder what else I missed.

Really nice, Mr. Blake.
This was surely in progress when I was there a few weeks ago, but you must have had it tucked away somewhere.
Would like to have seen it in person, but these photos are a real treat.
Thanks for posting them.