Back when signs were signs

Back when I first got the Internet, one of my favorite things to do (and a way to waste time)  was to search the net for pictures of old signs. Well fast forward 10 years and now I have so many; I'm not sure what to do with them. What I like about a lot of these pictures is that they get the message across, plain and simple You can tell that the people doing the signs had a clear understanding of what they were trying to say, and how to get it across. I'll try to post pictures from my collection  from time to time, so everyone can enjoy them. No point in having them if they're just going to sit in some folder on my computer and be forgotten. 

Update on the Faded Paint Documentary.

Thought I would do a quick update on my documentary project called Faded Paint...The Vanishing Sign Painter. Just a couple more interviews and I can start putting it all together. Here's a few small clips . Gerald had a wonderful story about his career,  it could have been a short documentary on it's own. This is really starting to turn into an interesting project. I'll keep you posted.

 Some examples of hand lettering that I've collected with my research for the documentary. I have quite a collection to draw from, between photos supplied by the people I've interviewed , and ones that I collected over the years. Sign painting wasn't always about fancy sign work, it was a way to communicate a message. There wasn't anything glamorous about having to paint 10 " No Dumping " or " No Parking" signs.

Just wrapped up another Ghost Sign project.

Just thought I would do a quick post on a job I just wrapped up. It was for a old fashion Barber Shop. They wanted a sign that looked aged, painted on a brick wall they had installed.. The design was provided by their designer, and I had the task of re-creating it. It's always a challenge to do a sign with so much outlining on brick, but what the heck, that what good patience is for. The sign measured 5' x 10' and was painted in water-based paints. I've also added some pictures of  other jobs, one I did a while ago, and some others of an old movie sign.  Recently, I was on a ghost sign site, and came across a picture that had part of a sign from a movie I worked on years ago. The sign was only suppose to be temporary, but the town asked to leave it. I was surprised to see it was still there. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

 This is part of the picture I came across on one of the Ghost Sign sites. The sign was suppose be background while they filmed inside a Diner.

Here's a picture of myself and my good friend Stu Friesen, lettering the sign. I can tell how old the photo is because my hair is still all one color.