The Joy of Signwriting!

Creating Hand Painted Signage is an extremely popular, fulfilling and rewarding art-form whether it be done as a hobby, side hustle or full time professional endeavour.

As a lettering loving teenager I was fortunate to be introduced by my art teacher to an extremely talented local signwriter through my high school Work Experience program. I arrived for my first day of work thinking that Sign Shops only produced boring looking "No Parking" signs and the likes thereof hence expecting a boring two weeks of my life, but I couldn't have been more wrong! As I passed through the reception office into the large workshop area my mind was both blown and made up in a matter of seconds as to what career I would be pursuing at the end of the school year. By some twist of fate I was standing in one of the most creative Sign Shops in the country headed by a brilliant sign artist who I still regard as one of the world's best, Winton Francis. The workshop was adorned with beautiful "practice panels" that were actually signwriting masterpieces which covered the 14ft tall walls from top to bottom. One of the craftsmen, Simon was at the rear of the factory airbrushing a mural of an 8ft tall sparkling Harley Davidson headlight alongside some huge chrome effect letters painted on shiny black metal panels. To my left another sign artist, Rob was brush lettering the side of a boat, painting perfect circles and straight sharp lines that I couldn't believe were humanly possible while on my right two huge Kenworth trucks sat nose to tail patiently receiving Winton's beautiful pinstripe and scroll work for which he was famous along with the standard magical door lettering.

From that moment onwards Signwriting and Lettering became my obsession and I was lucky enough to spend the next 4 years working for and learning from Winton and eventually another master craftsman who was a mentor to him named Arthur German. Both men were equally brilliant with different styles. Winton was a master artist renowned for his highly spontaneous and ornate lettering and sign design while Arthur was was a like lettering and layout scientist with a technique and reason for every aspect of his beautiful bold and vivid geometric layouts and perfect letter-forms.

I was very lucky to fall into this small pond of enormous talent and learn from two masters of contrasting styles which led me into my own successful business at a young age, and am now grateful that this new age of technology, along with facilitating a resurgence in and amplifying the popularity of this fulfilling craft, now allows me to share the lessons I've learnt during the last four decades with like-minded Lettering Enthusiasts all over the world.

I hope to see you inside!

-John King