OFFICIAL LOCATION OF INTERNATIONAL LETTERHEADS 2015

[oatis]

Everybody:

We promised additional news of the 40th Annual International Letterheads meet, and here it is!

The meeting will be held at the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati. The estimated date be September 2015: this will be nailed down and announced very shortly. The logistics of the earlier Las Vegas site proved a bit daunting, and Tod Swormstedt suggested the Museum might be a very appropriate setting: we I heartily agree. We huddled up at last week's ISA show to start working out the particulars. There are "particulars" APLENTY, but the bare bones so far is that there is a very sizeable space adjoining the museum display ( as big as the Museum itself) where we can hold the event. As most of you know, the Museum is now in it's new home, which was masterfully built and curated by Tod and opened last year, following an extraordinary event during which themed character signage was created and implemented by a team of many of the top artists in the field. So this event will be significant in all ways: we'll get the chance to have a full-on meet, with educational seminars, plenty of project creation, sharing, fellowship---and all in a setting dedicated to honoring, encouraging, respecting and furthering interest in the traditions and techniques of our craft. A perfect location for an auspicious anniversary. Look for more news soon.

Yours,

Mark and Rose Oatis

[Mike Jackson]

Hi Mark,
It is hard to imagine another place more appropriate to have the meeting than in Cincinnati at the Museum. I am sure you will be able to get many of the original Letterheads on board. Having the support of Signs of the Times and the American Sign Museum with Todd Swormstedt is huge. I told Todd I'd be interested in being on the advisory committee. We can use this site to help promote the event whenever needed.

Please keep us posted on any news or dates.

Mike Jackson

[Lee Littlewood]

It's on my calendar (in pencil).

Is there a volunteer list started???

[Mike Jackson]

As far as I know the last National (International?) Letterheads Meeting was in Boise, if you don't count a few Wall Dogs meets in between?

Lots of things have changed in this industry since then.

This might be a good place for any and all of the "newbies" to request things they'd like to see demonstrated, or classes they'd like to attend.

At most meetings, there are usually quite a few tables and easels with people doing hand lettered and pinstriped panels, so that's pretty much a given.

Others?

Gold Leaf
Hand Carving
Chisel Sharpening
Glue Chip
Acid Etching
Smalts
Masking Techniques
Airbrush Techniques
Pictorial Painting

General Business
Sales Techniques
Theory of Color
Tips for Social Media

Panel Swap: or Just Bring a Panel and trade with your Friends?

Feel free to add to the list!

[Doug Bernhardt]

Well....This will be pretty great! It has been a lot of years and this is waaayyyy up on my list. My first Letterheads meet was hosted my the Oatis clan in Denver and having the museum as a backdrop is all the more substantial.

[BruceJackson]

It would be a pretty exciting event at this place, especially being an international and anniversary "big one", coupled with the type of enthusiasm and generosity of spirit that you Americans do so well.

[Lee Littlewood]

WISH LIST continued:

Hand lettering: casual to script
Hand lettering: shocards

Gilding: solution gilding/silvering

Victorian layouts & techniques

Sign restoring techniques

Book area/archives/copy machines

25 hour days

[Dan Seese]

Just saw this!

So, Mark, reason prevails!
I was looking forward to the Vegas meet but as I think about it, I'm not sure you would have survived.

The Sign Museum sounds like a perfect venue providing the opportunity to attend a momentous meet and to experience the museum. Many thanks to Tod & others who are stepping up to make this possible.

Lee, looking at your WISH LIST which included "Victorian layouts & techniques" made my think - "Why not Art Deco layout & techniques? Or War-era layout? Or post-war? Or pre-Victorian? Or '60's? Or pre-American?" I guess that's a whole different direction (maybe more cerebral than hands-on) but a 40-year celebration of this non-organization combined with the American Sign Museum seems like an appropriate opportunity to step back and and take a snapshot of the history of sign making. That context could be a nice way of grounding our current mercurial industry into something more than the latest nano-techno-trend.

Which is really what being "keepers of the craft" is all about.

[Dale Johnson]

Hi All,
Funny thing somebody mentioned having a Letterheads meet at the Sign Museum in Cincinnati. I was there this summer and found it to be really a wonderful setting. I had a long talk with a gentlemen about the long (about 15 feet) gold leaf sign from the past that advertised a law office. Very informative.

I do pin striping and sign painting and am not one of the best in town, so I bought a plotter. Of course I do not know how to use it so I went to a "Airbrush Getaway" in Orlando. Bear with me, this reply is going someplace. I took a course named "Plotter Mastery" and I learned a lot about the plotter and using it to make masks for airbrushing pictures. Of course I am not a master but I am far better now than before I took the course. I am very pleased with "Getaway"

While at this "Getaway" I suggested to the owner, Cliff Steiglitz, that having the "Airbrush Getaway" at the Sign Museum just might be a wonderful idea that would be beneficial to all. Cliff said that he knew Tod Swormstedt and thought is might just could happen. It is much farther for me to drive, but I would do it. I live in Ormond Beach (near Daytona Beach) and Orlando is just an hour away.

If you want to check out Cliff's magazine: www.airbrushaction.com there is many excellent articles about painting in his magazine and future airbrush getaways..

Take care, Dale Johnson

[Steve Marlatt]

Count me in.
Let me know how I can help.
-Steve

[BruceJackson]

Seeing this post come back on top reminds me that I could use this event to show my collection of photos of Australian signs. It's primarily focused on gold leaf glass work, but it's a database I've been compiling for a long time and covers an extensive range and a history of gold leaf window signs covering over 150 years.

I know Letterheads don't normally have formal lectures like many conferences for other industries, but if there is a going to be program of seminars, I'll put my hand up for delivering this topic.

[erik winkler]

I love seminars.
I could talk about the French, Dutch and German glass signs.

[Dan Seese]

Sign me up for your seminar, Bruce!
(a priori)

[Lee Littlewood]

"... collection of photos of Australian signs. It's primarily focused on gold leaf glass work, but it's a database I've been compiling for a long time and covers an extensive range and a history of gold leaf window signs covering over 150 years. "

WooHoo Yeah! I've not been to Australia, but the New Zealand signs I've seen are very interesting.
It's a new world; the first Letterhead Meet (tm) with footnotes.

as a PS: how about the technique of filling tombstone lettering with lead? Common in NZ, some in UK, seems to be unknown in the US, don't know about Australia.

[erik winkler]

Lee have you seen this one?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4jJ9MIZenk