Lockdown Letterheads

Lockdown Letterheads was an online Letterheads meet held worldwide via Zoom across 6–7 June 2020 with 1,085 attendees from 54 countries participating.

Work created for the event can be browsed below, with most of these pieces auctioned and sold between participants.

Thank you to everyone that attended, and to the volunteers and organisations that made this ambitious experiment possible. Read on for recordings from the weekend, panels from around the world, and a little bit of what happened afterwards.

Lockdown Letterheads Sessions

Panel Jamming with Alphabetics Anonymous

Across the whole event we checked in periodically with the Alphabetics Anonymous team as they worked on their Puttin’ Paint Where It Ain’t panels.

Here are the original pencil sketches to download, print, and practise.

Home Studio Tour & Sketch Demo

Noel B. Weber took us around his home studio before delivering a short sketching demonstration.

If you don’t have a copy already, then Noel’s incredible retrospective, A Sign Painter’s Sketch Book, is back in print and available in the BLAG Shop.

Visit the Shop

Vintage Viennese Sign Books

Josef Samuel and Tom Koch took a look at some vintage books from Vienna’s Sign Painter Museum.

Blending Demonstration

Liane Barker shared the steps she uses to create a blended effect for lettering.

There’s more from Liane in ‘60 Years On the Brush: The Barker Signs Story’ and her appearance here on the Pre-Vinylettes podcast.

The Barker Signs Story

Drawn Terminals in Calligraphy

Carl Rohrs analysed the work of Alfred Linz and how his drawn terminals can be applied to sign painting.

Here are the downloads that Carl mentions towards the end of the video.

Signs at the Neon Museum Las Vegas

The Neon Museum Las Vegas introduced three of its most iconic signs.

For even more from the Neon Museum Las Vegas, check out Craig Winslow’s ‘Brilliant’ installation.

Brilliant at the Neon Museum

When Better Letters Met Barbara Enright

This short biopic of Australian showcard and ticket writer Barbara Enright premiered at Lockdown Letterheads.

Better Letters Quiz

The quiz questions were delivered live (video below), but this printable PDF is also available if you want to host a quiz with friends.

Post Event

There were a few things that happened/came through after the event itself. These were probably shared somewhere on social media, but are now documented here for posterity.

Stamina Awards

Using the Zoom data analytics, we could see who logged on at the start and stayed for the full 24 hours. These people received a little goodie bag, which included a letterpress printed ‘Stamina Award’ by Nicole Arnett Phillips.

T-Shirts

Kristian Gundersen printed souvenir t-shirts for presenters with the Lockdown Letterheads artwork by Mike Meyer. Those on the hosting team (see below) got the special yellow fabric edition.

Sketch Notes

Heather Martinez and Ben Tinker paid extra special attention to some of the sessions to flex their sketch notes muscles.

Press

This article about the event was written by organiser Sam Roberts for Issue 40 of Forum, journal of the Letter Exchange.

Credits

Hosting & Facilitation Team

Anna Frederick; Sophia Kendall-Chahine; Alice Mazzilli; Marie Pischel; Eduardo Roisman; Beccy Roberts; Sam Roberts; Juan Manuel Sanchez; Christine Sejean; Dale Walker; Craig Winslow.

Session Leaders

Alphabetics Anonymous; A.S. Handover; Paul Antonio; Liane Barker; Francesca Biasetton; The Blackboard Artist; Bold Statements; Calligraphy Masters; Jason Carne; Stephen Coles; El Deletrista; Barbara Enright; European Lettering Institute; Gustavo Ferrari; Ghostsigns; Jolien Goemaere; Megan Maksimovich Goodenough; Greater Opacity; Filipe Grimaldi; Carla Hackett; Helen Ingham; Irregular Signs; Italian Calligraphy Association; Joluvian; Victor Kams; Adam Romuald Kłodecki; Tom Koch; Letter Exchange; Letterform Archive; Lettering Library; Alice Mazzilli; Peter McKearnan; Mike Meyer; The Neon Museum Las Vegas; New Bohemia Signs; Mark Oatis; People’s History Museum; Adrian Perez; Nicole Arnett Phillips; Marie Pischel; Chiara Riva; Sam Roberts; Carl Rohrs; Andrea Russo; Alfredo Sannoner; Schildermalermuseum; Signs by Meng; Jake Tyler; Type Tasting; Nicoló Visioli; Mia Warner; Noel B. Weber; Hana Sunny Whaler; Craig Winslow; Bryan Yonki.

Attendees

Over 1,000 guests logged on from these 54 countries.

Thank you to everyone that made it happen!

Panels

Scores of pieces were painted and gilded for the event, with many participants making these available for sale via an Instagram auction. I’ve shared all those I have below, but if yours is missing then please let me know.

In addition to delivering ‘the oath’ for everyone logged on, original Letterhead Mark Oatis also painted a panel for me (Sam Roberts) as the host. He shared the background and sources of inspiration for this in a bl.ag online post.

Check Out the Project

Letterheads Legacy

2020 marked 45 years since the first Letterheads meets in Denver Colorado. To understand some of the historical context, Mark Oatis’ 1985 article from Signs of the Times provides a timeless account of what the Letterheads is all about.

BLAG 07

2025 then marked the 50th anniversary of the movement. A special issue of BLAG (Better Letters Magazine) was published to mark the occasion.

BLAG 07 marked 50 years of the Letterheads with a custom masthead and a commemorative poster wrap by Noel B. Weber.

The special issue is available here in the BLAG shop and digitally for members via the back issues page.

Buy BLAG 07

More Letterheads

Letterheads Meets on Better Letters Magazine

Reviews, photo galleries, and films of Letterheads meets.

BLAG (Better Letters Magazine)Better Letters

Event Listings

Event Listings

Sign painting and lettering event listings from BLAG (Better Letters Magazine).

BLAG (Better Letters Magazine)Better Letters