58 year old Newbie!

Ted Cooper · Post by **Ted Cooper** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 4:12 pm

Hello everyone. Let me first say that I am not a signwriter. Oh,I always wanted to be one,even before I left school back in '65,but,I was offered a 5 year apprenticeship(remember those?) to become a Carpenter and Joiner,though my wanting to learn signwriting has never left me,in fact,over the years,from time to time,I have lettered the odd(some would say very odd!)sign.
Fast forward to the present time. I am now able to devote more time to learning whatever I can in order to become(a lot) better at my lettering. Having said all that,looking at the work that you guys here produce,I may have a little way to go! If I could find some-one,somewhere within reasonable distance of Salisbury,prepared to exchange a little tuition for a few pieces of silver..........in the meantime I'll just keep doing the best that I can.
I know,from my experience with making,and trying to sell, Windsor chairs,that,in this world of computer- generated- vynyl-clad sanitised-sameness,the market for truly hand-made goods is very small. I just want to learn more because I want to learn. Simple really.
Have I left it too late?

Ted

Duncan Wilkie · Post by **Duncan Wilkie** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 6:47 pm

They say it's never too late. I've gone the opposite route from you Ted. I started signwriting in High School in 1970 and I've been in the sign business ever since. Now my interest is swaying toward furniture making. It's handy having a well equipped carpentry shop as part of the sign business. My first piece was 2 shaker style end tables. My wife loves them and now I want to do more. I'm working on a tall case clock right now.

I only dabble in handlettering now, although last week I striped and handlettered a 50' trailer. This is unusual though, as we specialize in Architectural Signage and dimensional logos. This particular customer is one of the few left that insist we paint their trailers, and that's fine with me.

I think the main obstacle to starting late would be eyesight. I find it difficult at 55 to work up close doing fine lettering.
However to state another popular saying, "Where there's a will, there's a way." To start with, I was self taught. I purchased a couple of books and some brushes and paint, and away I went. I can't say it enough, get proper brushes right off the get go. Trying to learn lettering will poor equipment is very discouraging. Letterhead meets are a great opportunity to see hand lettering performed live, and there is no substitute for that. Anyone that attends one of these meets loves to teach and mentor newbies, so don't be shy.

If you enter the keywords. handlettering at the YouTube site, you'll see some cool stuff in video format. As with anything, whether signwriting or furniture making, a real professional can make it look so effortless and simple. Of course we all know at this stage in our lives, that only through a substantial commitment of time in practice can we hope to make any skill look effortless.

I encourage you to pursue your interest in hand lettering. At first your efforts will be a little rough, but with practice and passion, you'll surely advance steadily to a point where you can relax and let your experience carry you on.
There are some terrifically talented people on this site and they all have a couple of things in common. They started out just like you and they all love to share openly and keep our craft alive..

I'm so glad you posted here and look forward to seeing a lot more. If you have any questions at all, please don't be shy, just ask.

Wayne Osborne · Post by **Wayne Osborne** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:40 am

Hi Ted, Never too late.
It sounds like you have the basics under your belt, and a creative soul.
I'm not a million miles from you, and everything I do is hand lettered- no vinyl- no computers.

I remember when I started lettering - back in 1992 ish-I was 16- and was trying to get an apprenticeship- they had all disapered- !
I would of given my high teeth for a start.

Thank God for one good man who taught me everything I know- (but Not everything HE knew haha)- and for Letterheads, and forums like this one.

Ted -Give me a ring or email and maybe pop down-
I'm in West Sussex- 30 miles or so north- from Portsmouth -I do formal one to one classes -but your more than welcome to pop into the shop for a cuppa and a chat- and Bring your brushes!-

Brian the Brush UK · Post by **Brian the Brush UK** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 2:42 pm

Hi Ted,
As the others have said, its never too late to learn. I am a traditional signwriter and gilder based in Yorkshire, which is a bit far to come, but I am more than happy to give you any advice you may need, take up Waynes offer and have a brew and a chat with him. Its certainly a hard discipline to learn the brush control but practice and more practice and then even more practice is the only way to learn, no short cuts !!
I always advise learning on a sheet of glass, then when the pane is full you can simply scrape off the dry paint with a stanley knife blade and use the same piece of glass over and over again. You need to work upright and begin with simple down strokes, later you can draw letters on paper and attach the paper behind the glass and look through the glass and see the outlines of the letters and copy them onto the glass, easy peasy !! ha ha!!
Good luck and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy,
Brian.
www.brianthebrushuk.com

Ted Cooper · Post by **Ted Cooper** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 3:27 pm

Thanks for the words of encouragement,folks. At the moment,I only have 3 proper lettering brushes,a 1/2"Mack greyhound(grey squirrell) ,1/8"Mack 1962(kolinsky)and a OO Mack 189(grey). The 189 is a round,chisel end,which I don't,yet anyhow,seem to be able to get on with. I find both Macks,being flat,chisel ended,easier to control.Is there a specific use for the round,(script)rather than the flat brushes,or does it all come down to just personal preference?Dumb question,I know!
I will be ordering some(plenty!)more brushes shortly,probably 2114s or 2116s from A S Handover.Today I spent about 6 hours,after I'd made the easel,practicing the strokes on glass(thanks Brian). I think my 'O's will need the most work,they look more like the outline of hazelnuts,rather than circles!! I'm using a 1/2" aluminium(aluminum!) tent pole, with a rubber thimble on the end,as a mahlstick. Works a treat.You'd think a carpenter would have a lenght of 1/2" dowel laying about somewhere!
Hopefully,I can spend all this week and next(not a lot of work for carpenters at the moment!)just practicing. Wayne,I will definitly been in touch to arrange a visit,and hopefully,some tuition/guidance,in the near future.

Ted