People: Sign painters and lettering artists, past and present

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People

Interviews, films and profiles from the worldwide community of sign painters, past and present.

Picture book illustration showing a sign painter painting the sun which is making everything else hot.

The American Folklore Legend of Slappy Hooper, Sign Painter

The telling and retelling of 'Slappy Hooper, World’s Biggest, Fastest, and Bestest Sign Painter'.

Elderly man standing in front of a shopfront which is emblazoned with a huge fascia sign that reads "SIGNS".

Meet Earl Phillips: Cleveland's Greatest Living Sign Painter

Biopic of Earl Phillips, proprietor of Cleveland's U-Need-A-Sign Co. at 131st Street since 1960.

Hand-painted portrait of the Godfather holding a massively oversized cat smoking a cigar.

Bonus Material from BLAG 04

Bonus content from the adventures in sign painting in Issue 04 of BLAG (Better Letters Magazine).

View from behind a woman's head as she paints black thick and thin lettering onto a white background.

Getting Into It: Sign Painters' Stories Around the World

Six sign painters tell the stories of their paths into the trade, and offer their advice to others.

Exhibition space with brightly decorated vehicles on low plinths.

Phool Patti Brings Pakistan's Decorative Artform to the World

Meet Phool Patti's Ali Salman Anchan, harnessing Pakistan's decorative art for social enterprise.

Detail of a hand-painted sign which has various graffiti tags in marker pen written over it.

Chain Letter: Serge Nidegger, Lowrider Sign Co.

Lowrider Sign Co.'s Serge Nidegger and a Parisian palimpsest that has inspired him for two decades.

Close-up of a hand picking up a tiny tin of paint made to scale for a larger diorama.

Watch the Free Recordings from BLAG Meet: Inside Issue 03

Signs, sign painting, and more in these free event recordings from BLAG Meet: Inside Issue 03.

Man looking through a window with photo taken from the outside. Above is part of a gilded letter K.

Getting Into It: New Bohemia's Modern Twist

Short film about Japanese sign painter Shinya Nakahara and his journey to join New Bohemia Signs.

Illustration of street scene with lettering for the book's name.

The Memories of Arthur Gill, Gold Beater turned Signwriter

Audio from sign painter Arthur Gill's memoirs, I remember! Reminiscences of a Cobbler's Son.

Man crouching in front of a white wall, painting black lettering onto a mural sign.

Sign Painters of Pernambuco — Ten Years Later

Fátima Finizola reflects on her work profiling the sign painters in Pernambuco, Brazil.

Elderly man standing in front of an enormous fading painted sign advertising Sam Caldwell & Co., Painters & Decorators..

Meet Chuck Keiger, Sam Caldwell's Cincinnati Walldog

Story of sign painter and walldog Chuck Keiger, painter of Cincinnati's Sam Caldwell ghost sign.

Man with a brush in his hand, resting it on a mahl stick, and painting cream lettering onto a red panel.

Dapper Signs: Sign Painter, Human, Legend

James Cooper, aka Dapper Signs, 1981–2023. RIP.

Close-up of a hand applying paint to a wall with letters outlined in masking tape.

The Magic of Mr Masking, Costa Rica's King of Tape

The typographic vernacular of Gerardo Picado's masked and painted letters in San José, Costa Rica.

What a Ride: The Wonderful World of Sign Painter Vehicles

What a Ride: The Wonderful World of Sign Painter Vehicles

40+ hand-painted, lettered, gilded, and illustrated sign painter vehicles from around the world.

Vintage car with hand-painted lettering on its livery.

Chain Letter: Ornamental Conifer

Ornamental Conifer shares the inspiration he's taken from the 1950s 'Fabulous' Hudson Hornet.

That Saturday Afternoon Jaunt with John Frazier, Original Letterhead

That Saturday Afternoon Jaunt with John Frazier, Original Letterhead

The designs and drawings of John Frazier, Letterhead, designer, letterer, sign painter, and artist.

Scenic painting work in a studio environment.

Behind the Scenic Painting of Pinocchio's Animation Oscar

Polly Robbins, a scenic artist on Pinocchio, shares what goes into an Oscar-winning animation.

Man holding paint brushes between his fingers.

Missing in Action: Cyril Foster, the Trinidad Sign Painter

Lost, presumed dead, the search for Trinidad sign painter Cyril Foster comes good at the temple.