BLAG Magazine: Adventures in Sign Painting Craft, Community & Culture
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Magazine with 'BLAG' masthead and a picture beneath of two people painting a mural sign in front of a rollercoaster.
BLAG

What's Inside Issue 05 of BLAG (Better Letters Magazine)?

Between the covers of the adventures in sign painting from Issue 05 of BLAG (Better Letters Magazine)

  • Better Letters
Better Letters Jul 11, 2024 • 8 min read
Sepia photo of a topless man resting his arm on the back of a truck that has hand-painted lettering on the door.
People

A Mystery Sign Painter from 1950s Cuba

Photos of a Cuban sign painter and his work appear on eBay and make their way to Letterform Archive.

  • Better Letters
Better Letters Jul 4, 2024 • 6 min read
Close cropped photo of a hand resting on a mahl stick painting a bouquet of roses on a rectangular panel.
Learning

Roses Are Red: A Narrowboat Tradition with Ginny Barlow

Video demonstration of painting roses in the narrowboat style, including comments on their history.

  • Better Letters
Better Letters Jun 27, 2024 • 3 min read
Black and white photo of an elderly man with a painter's palette standing in front of a 'Welcome to Bridport' sign.
People

Ye Olde Sign Shoppe: George Biles, King of Signwriters

The diverse and prolific output of sign painter George Biles and his Bridport Signs Service Studios.

  • Better Letters
Better Letters Jun 20, 2024 • 7 min read
Illustration showing a sign painter being ground up by the cogs and mechanics of a machine labelled as instagram features.
Learning

Marketing Without Social Media: Advice for Your Creative Business

The problems with marketing creative businesses on social media, and alternatives to set you free.

  • Better Letters
Better Letters Jun 13, 2024 • 11 min read
Man in a hat in front of a wall and a hand-painted sign with destroyed buildings behind.
History

After the Blitz: The Hand-Painted Signs of London Lost

London Illustrated News feature with painted signs for buildings and businesses lost in the blitz.

  • Better Letters
Better Letters Jun 6, 2024 • 5 min read
Black and white photo of New York street with signs and graffiti on buildings behind a parking lot and men moving a cart.
People

Chain Letter: Marie Pressmar

Lettering artist Marie Pressmar is inspired by graffiti, signs, and more in a photo of New York.

  • Better Letters
Better Letters May 30, 2024 • 2 min read
Bright pink sign kit with a cartoon sign painter, a list of services, and contact details for Keith Knecht, Toledo, Ohio.
Books

Snapper: Keith Knecht

Keith Knecht shares some of his tales of a travelling sign painter in John J. Hodgins' Snapper book.

  • Better Letters
Better Letters May 23, 2024 • 6 min read
View from the side of a woman leaning on a rest (mahl) stick and painting some lettering in yellow on a blue panel.
Events

'Martre' Brings the French Connection to the Letterheads

Sign painters from across France gather, and compete, in Brittany at the inaugural Martre event.

  • Better Letters
Better Letters May 16, 2024 • 5 min read
4 x 4 array of photos showing various aspects of sign painting, lettering, illustration, and graphic design.
Events

Watch the Recordings from BLAG Meet: Inside Issue 04

Over ten hours of talks, interviews, studio visits, and demonstrations from contributors to BLAG 04.

  • Better Letters
Better Letters May 9, 2024 • 5 min read
View of a hand holding a brush painting a red shadow on golden block letters on a window.
Films

Meet Claude Dolbec: Montreal's Elusive Sign Painter

Short documentary feature about Montreal's most prolific, but elusive sign painters: Claude Dolbec.

  • Better Letters
Better Letters May 2, 2024 • 3 min read
India's Sign-Wallas: On the Brush on the Subcontinent
People

India's Sign-Wallas: On the Brush on the Subcontinent

Meena Kadri takes us to India to appreciate the flamboyant work of the country's 'sign-wallas'.

  • Better Letters
Better Letters Apr 25, 2024 • 9 min read
Hand-painted grocery store-style showcard on top of a poster that shows various different types of letter shades.
BLAG

Why Everything Is(n't) Free at BLAG

BLAG is a reader-funded publication, which keeps most of the online content and events free for all.

  • Better Letters
Better Letters Apr 18, 2024 • 5 min read
Lower two-thirds of bifurcated letters 'RO' with scrolls in their centres and gilded and outlined in black.
Projects

Bringing a Gilded Victorian Transom Window Back to Life

Andy at AJ Signs in Dorset gives a new lease of life to a beautiful piece of Victorian glasswork.

  • Better Letters
Better Letters Apr 11, 2024 • 4 min read
Man and woman facing the camera, holding a framed sign that reads "Barker Signs, Est. 1964".
People

60 Years On the Brush: The Barker Signs Story

Maurie Barker founded Barker Signs in 1964, with his daughter Liane now keeping things hand-painted.

  • Better Letters
Better Letters Apr 4, 2024 • 10 min read
Wall sign with tall sans serif letters painted dark blue with a yellow block shade.
People

Ye Olde Sign Shoppe: Gran Canaria’s Tomás Prieto Gálvez

Adventures in life, family, and sign painting with Tomás Prieto Gálvez in the Canary Islands.

  • Better Letters
Better Letters Mar 28, 2024 • 6 min read
Horizontal purple banner in three parts with lettering, scrollwork, and decorative tassles.
Events

Meet the Letterheads: Keeping the Craft Alive

The Letterheads movement continues to go from strength to strength as it nears its 50th anniversary.

  • Better Letters
Better Letters Mar 21, 2024 • 6 min read
Repetitive pattern of vertical, horizontal, and diagonal strokes of black paint on white.
Learning

Intro to Foundational Sign Painting Strokes: The Gothic Alphabet

Building the Gothic (Block) alphabet with tips on brush technique, materials, and practise strokes.

Jenna Homen Mar 14, 2024 • 8 min read
BLAG Magazine: Adventures in Sign Painting Craft, Community & Culture © 2025
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