How to be a signwriter
How to Become a Sign Writer: A Step-by-Step Guide
Introduction
Sign painting is a timeless craft that combines creativity with technical skill. Whether you're drawn to the nostalgia of hand-painted signs or the desire to create bespoke signage for businesses, becoming a sign painter requires dedication, practice, and a keen eye for detail. This guide outlines the essential steps to help you embark on this fulfilling career path.
Step 1: Get Educated and Find an Apprenticeship
Starting your journey as a sign painter involves both formal and informal education. Here are key steps to build your foundational knowledge:
Find an Apprenticeship: Working under an experienced sign painter is invaluable. Seek out local sign painters and inquire about apprenticeship opportunities. Learning directly from a professional will provide hands-on experience, build your confidence and offer insights that can't be learnt from books alone.
Take a Course: Look for courses in sign painting, either online or at local art schools. Courses often cover essential techniques, materials, and styles, giving you a structured learning path.
Read Signwriting Books: Invest in reputable signwriting books that cover the history, techniques, and styles of sign painting. These resources can provide detailed instructions and inspiration. Books are incredibly helpful but I would still strongly advise learning from a Signwriter directly.
Step 2: Develop Your Artistic Skills
Artistic ability is the foundation of sign painting and can help enormously. Focus on developing skills in typography, layout design, and colour theory. Practice painting and drawing letters and designs freehand to build muscle memory and control. If you plan to make it a profession I would advise brushing up on graphic design basics, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. These come in handy when working with clients in helping them visualise their needs and also for creating on the job templates when needed.
Step 3: Learn the Basics of Typography
Typography is a crucial element of sign painting. Understanding different typefaces, spacing, and alignment is essential. Study traditional lettering styles such as Roman, Gothic, and Script. Practice replicating these styles by hand to gain a feel for their nuances. Reading about the history of fonts is fundamental.
Step 4: Gather the Necessary Tools and Materials
Investing in quality tools and materials is essential. Basic supplies include:
Brushes: Sign painting brushes are typically made of natural hair and come in various shapes and sizes.
Paints: Signwriting enamels are used due to their durability and non-yellowing formulations in most jobs. House paints are also used where appropriate such as interior matt look jobs.
Palette and cups: For mixing your paint
Reducers: There are many on the market but a basic white spirit for thinning your paint is essential.
Mahl Sticks: Used to steady your hand while painting.
Pounce Wheels and Patterns or Transfer paper: For transferring designs to surfaces. Which you chose depends on your style but its good to know various ways and techniques to cover you for all jobs.
Extendable Ladder: This is not essential at first but as you progress to being a professional this will be needed for on site jobs. It can seem daunting at first but learn to paint first, then get your ladder legs. Having a calm attitude and receiving on -site experience with a signwriter is invaluable for learning this.
Step 5: Practice, Practice, Practice
Like any craft, practice is key to becoming proficient. Never stop learning, reading, researching. There are many branches of signwriting to keep you occupied forever. The more you learn the better you get and the more you will be sought out by clients. Ask friends if they have any small jobs to start you off and get you used to the job. This is a great way for starting to build up your portfolio of work.
Step 6: Keep Photos and Videos of your Work
A strong portfolio showcases your skills and versatility. Include a variety of projects, such as storefront signs, murals, chalkboards and vehicle lettering. High-quality photographs of your work are essential. Leverage social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to display your portfolio. These platforms are excellent for reaching a wider audience, connecting with potential clients, and gaining feedback from fellow artists.
Step 7: Network and Gain Experience
There are opportunities to network in the sign painting industry. Meetings are often held around the world where Signwriters gather to have a group painting session and a chin wag. This can give you an introduction to many different styles and improve your abilities enormously.
Step 8: Believe in Yourself
It's natural to experience self-doubt when pursuing a new craft, especially one as intricate as sign painting. Remember, every expert was once a beginner. With dedication and perseverance, anyone can become a skilled sign painter. Believe in your ability to learn and grow. Celebrate small victories and view mistakes as opportunities to improve. Confidence will build as you see your skills develop over time. Over the years I have seen many truly great artists end up not following their dreams, not because of their skills but because they didn’t believe they could do it. Don’t let that be you!
Step 9: Market Your Services
Once you feel confident in your skills, start marketing your services. Create business cards, a professional website, and social media profiles. Reach out to local businesses, offering your services for storefronts, event signage, and promotional materials. Word-of-mouth referrals and positive reviews can help build your reputation.
Step 10: Charging Appropriately
Artists that do not train under an apprenticeship often miss this one crucial lesson; how to charge enough for the job. Signwriting pays a lot if you only consider the amount of time actually painting and there are many reasons for this.
- Course can be hundreds and sometimes thousands of pounds per day, buying course books, building up a vast collection of art materials such as £80 brushes, books of gold leaf and telescopic ladders can all lead to an insane amount of money being spent each year so that you are ready to be able to deal with every style of job.
- It is a highly skilled job and you deserve to be paid well for all your blood, sweat and tears learning the craft.
- Meeting with clients, arranging jobs, building websites and the million other jobs that need doing to run your business efficiently are extremely time consuming and usually unpaid. Your time designing custom artwork and painting for your clients, needs to offset this unpaid time!
Apart from confidence issues this is probably the only other reason I see Signwriters fail. If you don’t charge enough you will not be paid what you deserve and your business will fail. Simple as! Training, research and reaching out to other signwriters for advice on this is key.
Conclusion
Becoming a sign painter is a rewarding journey that combines creativity with craftsmanship. By developing your artistic skills, learning traditional techniques, and gaining practical experience, you can create beautiful, bespoke signs that stand the test of time. Embrace the process, stay dedicated, and believe in your potential. With the right mindset and effort, anyone can master the art of sign painting and enjoy a fulfilling career in this timeless craft.