FilmsNow Streaming: Married to Comics by John KinhartComic artists Justin Green and Carol Tyler profiled in this feature-length documentary.Better LettersNov 21, 2024 2 min readCarol Tyler's relationship with Justin Green forms part of her autobiographical comic books.Something I neglected to mention in my 'Signs of the Summer' post was the screening of Married to Comics that I attended/organised at the Rio Cinema in Dalston, London. The good news for those that have been unable to catch it on the big screen is that it's now streaming.Stream Married to ComicsThe film is a feature-length documentary about the life and work of two pioneers in the genre of autobiographic comics: Justin Green (RIP) and Carol Tyler. (You may recall Justin from his Sign Game strips and/or the Sign Painters film.) As the title suggests, they were married to each other, with their relationship and individual perspectives on it creating much of the film's intrigue. on Vimeo.Contributors to the film include luminaries such as Robert Crumb and Art Spiegelman, who discuss the profound influence that Green and Tyler's comics had on them. And, for sign painting folk, there's a lovely segment with Green discussing his Sign Game series for Signs of the Times magazine, which he describes as some of his favourite work.I recommend setting aside a couple of hours this weekend to take a trip into Green and Tyler's minds, and to learn about the remarkable lives and work that emerged from them.Married to Comics is available via different streaming services. If you are outside the USA then you may need to install a VPN to access it. (Independent productions like this always benefit from ratings and reviewsyes, for the algorithm!so be sure to leave one if you do watch it.) Thank you to John Kinhart and Carol Tyler for all of the work that has gone into the film, and for now making it available online after its time at the festivals.More FilmsMore People

PlacesSignwriting-on-Sea: The Rich Craft Heritage of Hastings, East SussexCharlie Nelson on Hasting's signwriting history, and how the town continues to embrace the craft.Better LettersNov 14, 2024 6 min readThe Jolly Fisherman, lettered by Rob Finn, one of Hastings' active signwriters.In some parts of the world, painted signs have persisted as go-to for high street businesses. When it's widely employed in this way, sign painting lends a particular character to a location, and in the case of Hastings, East Sussex, this comes laced with history. Charlie Nelson has been peeling away the layers to learn more about the town's sign painters, past and present.Signwriting-on-Sea: The Rich Craft Heritage of HastingsBy Charlie NelsonRobert Tressell, as author of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, is arguably the UKs most famous sign painter. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he lived and worked in Hastings, East Sussex, where, 120 years later, the seaside towns embrace of all things hand-painted persists. This rich heritage is due to local sign painters that refused to put down their brushes in the face of technological change, and who continue to produce quality work for a tight-knit community that values it.Robert Tressell and his 1905 mural for St. Andrew's Church, restored in 1982.Hastings Sign Painting PastIn addition to his own work, Tressell was also employed for a time by the Adams & Jarrett firm. Like many companies from that era, they were a one-stop-shop for much more than just sign painting, as their one-time premises and a large gable-end mural sign testify.This gable end mural sign was painted by Robert Tressell for Adams & Jarrett.Adams & Jarrett's capabilities extended well beyond sign painting.While those Adams & Jarrett pieces can no longer be seen, there is plenty of vintage work to feast your eyes on in Hastings. The majority of this survives as ghost signs in the Old Town, and many are noteworthy for their quality of execution and relatively good condition.Ghost signs in Hastings Old Town at the site of the old Swan Hotel, and for the A.W. Foster piano and organ merchants.The Curious Case of T. NoakesOne of the towns better-known ghost signs is for T. Noakes. Just like Adams & Jarrett, Noakes offered plumbing and glazing services in addition to his sign painting and gilding work.The ghost of T. Noakes on Croft Road, Hastings. Photo: Mark Novotny / History of Advertising Trust Ghostsigns Archive.The sign likely dates from the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, so I was surprised to spot a T. Noakes signature on a sign painted in 2009. I began to wonder if there was perhaps a Noakes dynasty of Hastings sign painters...This sign on George Street, Hastings, was painted in 2009, and is a replica of a c.1830s trade card for the S. Roberts boot and shoe makers that once traded from the address.Enter Rob FinnMaking enquiries around town, one name kept cropping up with people I spoke to: Rob Finn. While his work is ever-present in Hastings these days, you wont find Finn anywhere online. Where you will find him is up a ladder in the Old Town, which is easily done in a small place like Hastings. It didnt take me long to track him down, and eventually we met so that he could share his knowledge of all things Noakes.It turns out that T. Noakes on the Croft Road ghost sign and T. Noakes that painted the S. Roberts sign are different people, and unrelated. Noakes is a fairly common name in East Sussex, and it's just a coincidence that these two share an initial and a trade. While Rob doesnt know a lot about the older Noakes, he was very close to his more contemporary namesake.Passing It OnTerry Noakes (19452014) was a sign painter from the old school, with painting and decorating also among his skillsets. He got started in the trade with the firm A.H. Dearing, specialists in lettering commercial vehicles, and worked in and around Hastings for his entire career.Terry Noakes painting a lorry in Clarendon-style letters with a layout that just consists of two horizontal lines and a few white chinagraph marks. The brush, selected to match the weight of the thin strokes, is doing all the work as it coats in one hit with some lead-heavy white.For many years, Terry shared a workspace with the graphic designer and sign painter Peter Thompsett. While they were technically competitors, Peter was more into graphic and pictorial work, while Terry was very much an old school letterman. Terry regularly worked late, churning through a hectic workload, and it was these evening shifts that provided Rob with the opportunity to learn the craft of sign painting.Fresh out of school in the 1980s, Rob had a day job at Wadley Keith Signs in nearby Eastbournecutting vinyl, silkscreening, and producing all types of fabricated signsbut he spent as much time as he could at Terrys shop, observing and helping out where he could. He watched and learned how to paint letter shapes, eventually reaching a point where he could go it alone and carry on the lineage of accomplished Hastings sign painters.These business cards from Rob Finns collection convey the character of those that he worked with and, in turn, those that they worked with. The Signwriters card with the cartoon character advertised the shared studio of Terry Noakes and Peter Thompsett.On the Shoulders of GiantsRob is aware of the legacy that he continues, and is utterly fascinated by it. He has spent many hours in Hastings Library looking through old trade directories and learning as much as he can about those that came before him. He has also compiled photo albums of work by many different local sign painters, which inform his own output through the study of letters, layouts and colours. This, and his years of dedication to the craft, have given him a confidence and a tightness of line achieved with just a yardstick, stabilo, and fine sable brush.In spite of all this, Rob remains humble, and somewhat baffled that there would be a contemporary audience for this kind of story. For him, its just his work, and tough work at that, with all the stresses and strains of being up and down a ladder, and dodging the rain and cold. His modesty masks Rob's own lasting entry into the sign painting history of this seaside town, which is now inspiring the next generation of local painters, myself and Jay Holland (@greateropacity) included.Written by Charlie Nelson / @fundi_signsSigns by Rob FinnMore HistoryMore Places

HistoryA Fascinating Collection of Hungarian Sign Painting Photos, 19061976Women feature prominently in these archival images of signs and sign painters at work in Hungary.Better LettersNov 7, 2024 5 min readOutlining with a mahl stick as a straight edge in Hungary, 1976. Photo: Fortepan / FFOT.Tom Koch is currently working on a museum project for the Austrian city of Eisenstadt, which will include a permanent sign painting exhibit. To give context to some of the objects, he asked if I had any archival photos of sign painters at work. In addition to various 'Ye Olde Sign Shoppe' posts, I shared some other pictures from my collection, including this one from Hungary in 1965.Photo: Fortepan / UVATERV (97080).I can't recall where I got the photo, but Tom quickly tracked down its original source in the brilliant Fortepan photographic archive. Searching within this, he then unearthed even more archival sign and sign painting photos from Hungary. The pictures span a period of 70 yearsfrom 1906 to 1976and show work in progress on a variety of different sign types.One thing that immediately struck me was how prominently women sign painters feature among the photos, and I wondered why. It turns out that the majority of them were taken during Hungary's Communist era, which Wikipedia describes as a time when women had "greater access to secondary and university education, especially in technical fields" and were "included in the workforce in a more equal way". These images bear that out, and buck the trend of most archival sign painting photos that I've seen to date.The following are presented in reverse chronological order for your enjoyment, and thank you Tom for sharing this wonderful collection.1970sThis series of six photos were all taken in the same sign shop in 1976, but there are no details of its name or location.Photos: Fortepan / FFOT.Here are some closer crops.Photos: Fortepan / FFOT (207023).Photos: Fortepan / FFOT (207022).Photos: Fortepan / FFOT (207020).Livery work in progress at the IKARUS bus factory in Budapest, 1976.Photo: Fortepan / UVATERV (99391).Bareback brushwork, 1976.Photo: Fortepan / FFOT (207025).Publicity for a jazz festival in Cegld, 1970.Photo: Fortepan / Pterffy Istvn (142627).A closer look at some of those letters.Photo: Fortepan / Pterffy Istvn (142627).1960sAdding a shade to some transom lettering in Gyr, 1966.Photo: Fortepan / Kriss Gza (191969).Photo: Fortepan / Kriss Gza (191969).Heraldry practise at an art college in Pcs, 1963.Photo: Fortepan / Hunyady Jzsef (107131).Mural signs in Budapest, 1961.Photo: Fortepan / Mra Andrs (114992).Father and son? 1960.Photo: Fortepan / Rcz Vekerdi Gyuln (250188).1950sTank insignia from Budapest in 1956, the year of the Hungarian Revolution.Photo: Fortepan / Kurutz Mrton (12337).Kcs village in 1953. Kacsa (no accent on the first a) means 'duck', and the village joker at work is the Hungarian painter and graphic designer Szalai Zoltn.Photo: Fortepan / Szalai Zoltn (204500).1943That's a huge mahl stick!Fortepan / Wein Sarolta (19703).1938An airbrush is also being used to paint this film poster for Black Diamonds.Photo: Fortepan / Fortepan (26394).Teamwork makes the dream work: adding a long text to the agricultural scenes on this mural.Photo: Fortepan / Ormos Imre Alaptvny (173220).1906This is the oldest image in the collection, with a mixture of pictorial and lettering work in progress.Photo: Fortepan / Zichy kria, Zala (263436).Photo: Fortepan / Zichy kria, Zala (263436).Bonus PhotosThere are also some nice photos from outside of Hungary in the collection.Ludwigsfelde, Germany, 1966This sign painter is adding monthly performance data to this board outside the IFA truck factory: unser ziel (our goal) and planerfllung (plan fulfillment).Photo: Fortepan / Bojr Sndor (179542).Photo: Fortepan / Bojr Sndor (179542).Prague, Czech Republic, 1960Aging neon and a painted billboard; what's not to like!Photo: Fortepan / UWM Libraries (259136).Photo: Fortepan / UWM Libraries (259133).Fortepan is a copyright-free and community-based photo archive with over 100,000 photographs available for anyone to browse and download in high-resolution, free of charge. It currently contains 36 photos tagged with 'sign painter'.More Ye Olde Sign ShoppeMore History

HistoryA Facinating Collection of Hungarian Sign Painting Photos, 19061976Women feature prominently in these archival images of signs and sign painters at work in Hungary.Better LettersNov 7, 2024 5 min readOutlining with a mahl stick as a straight edge in Hungary, 1976. Photo: Fortepan / FFOT.Tom Koch is currently working on a museum project for the Austrian city of Eisenstadt, which will include a permanent sign painting exhibit. To give context to some of the objects, he asked if I had any archival photos of sign painters at work. In addition to various 'Ye Olde Sign Shoppe' posts, I shared some other pictures from my collection, including this one from Hungary in 1965.Photo: Fortepan / UVATERV (97080).I can't recall where I got the photo, but Tom quickly tracked down its original source in the brilliant Fortepan photographic archive. Searching within this, he then unearthed even more archival sign and sign painting photos from Hungary. The pictures span a period of 70 yearsfrom 1906 to 1976and show work in progress on a variety of different sign types.One thing that immediately struck me was how prominently women sign painters feature among the photos, and I wondered why. It turns out that the majority of them were taken during Hungary's Communist era, which Wikipedia describes as a time when women had "greater access to secondary and university education, especially in technical fields" and were "included in the workforce in a more equal way". These images bear that out, and buck the trend of most archival sign painting photos that I've seen to date.The following are presented in reverse chronological order for your enjoyment, and thank you Tom for sharing this wonderful collection.1970sThis series of six photos were all taken in the same sign shop in 1976, but there are no details of its name or location.Photos: Fortepan / FFOT.Here are some closer crops.Photos: Fortepan / FFOT (207023).Photos: Fortepan / FFOT (207022).Photos: Fortepan / FFOT (207020).Livery work in progress at the IKARUS bus factory in Budapest, 1976.Photo: Fortepan / UVATERV (99391).Bareback brushwork, 1976.Photo: Fortepan / FFOT (207025).Publicity for a jazz festival in Cegld, 1970.Photo: Fortepan / Pterffy Istvn (142627).A closer look at some of those letters.Photo: Fortepan / Pterffy Istvn (142627).1960sAdding a shade to some transom lettering in Gyr, 1966.Photo: Fortepan / Kriss Gza (191969).Photo: Fortepan / Kriss Gza (191969).Heraldry practise at an art college in Pcs, 1963.Photo: Fortepan / Hunyady Jzsef (107131).Mural signs in Budapest, 1961.Photo: Fortepan / Mra Andrs (114992).Father and son? 1960.Photo: Fortepan / Rcz Vekerdi Gyuln (250188).1950sTank insignia from Budapest in 1956, the year of the Hungarian Revolution.Photo: Fortepan / Kurutz Mrton (12337).Kcs village in 1953. Kacsa (no accent on the first a) means 'duck', and the village joker at work is the Hungarian painter and graphic designer Szalai Zoltn.Photo: Fortepan / Szalai Zoltn (204500).1943That's a huge mahl stick!Fortepan / Wein Sarolta (19703).1938An airbrush is also being used to paint this film poster for Black Diamonds.Photo: Fortepan / Fortepan (26394).Teamwork makes the dream work: adding a long text to the agricultural scenes on this mural.Photo: Fortepan / Ormos Imre Alaptvny (173220).1906This is the oldest image in the collection, with a mixture of pictorial and lettering work in progress.Photo: Fortepan / Zichy kria, Zala (263436).Photo: Fortepan / Zichy kria, Zala (263436).Bonus PhotosThere are also some nice photos from outside of Hungary in the collection.Ludwigsfelde, Germany, 1966This sign painter is adding monthly performance data to this board outside the IFA truck factory: unser ziel (our goal) and planerfllung (plan fulfillment).Photo: Fortepan / Bojr Sndor (179542).Photo: Fortepan / Bojr Sndor (179542).Prague, Czech Republic, 1960Aging neon and a painted billboard; what's not to like!Photo: Fortepan / UWM Libraries (259136).Photo: Fortepan / UWM Libraries (259133).Fortepan is a copyright-free and community-based photo archive with over 100,000 photographs available for anyone to browse and download in high-resolution, free of charge. It currently contains 36 photos tagged with 'sign painter'.More Ye Olde Sign ShoppeMore History

HistoryWhat is Sign Painting? Or Even Signwriting?Getting under the skin of the fundamental term used to describe the trade and how it's interpreted.Better LettersOct 24, 2024 9 min readAn earlier colour scheme painted by Mike Meyer for , which later settled on blue letters with a red shade.Mike Meyer once told me the story of some small talk he had at a border control point. The conversation went something like this:Officer: So, what do you do for a living?Mike: I'm a sign painter.Officer: What's that then?Mike: \_()_/Despite the very literal and descriptive nature of the term, it seems that not everyone can deduce what would seem obvious: that a sign painter paints signs. Perhaps this stems from the common misconception of sign painting as 'a dying art'; most sign painters have heard something along the lines of 'you don't see much of that about any more' while painting.But is there more to the name of the trade, and its practitioners? The simple answer is 'no', but I thought it would nonetheless be interesting to look at its emergence, and current usage.The Second Oldest ProfessionI can't remember who quipped that sign painting is the second oldest profession, but there is a connection to the first at the ruins in Pompeii. Painted in 79AD, or earlier, this advertisement for a brothel is not the only example of commercial signage painted on walls there.Hand-painted advertising for a brothel in Pompeii. Photo by Will Collin, originally featured on the Ghostsigns blog.It is largely accepted, thanks to the work of Edward Catich, that Roman inscriptions were first painted onto stone using a flat brush. This brushwork also extended to pieces that were never going to be carved: painted lettering remains at Pompeii and Herculaneum in the form of commercial and political communications. So the craft does have some history behind it, but maybe 'second oldest profession' is pushing things just a little.Painters Turned Sign PaintersFast forward to the eighteenth century, and sign painting was once again alive and well in Britain. Pictorial painters were found painting signs, using this to provide, or supplement, their incomes. The building trades, notably painter-decorators, plumbers and glaziers, also applied themselves to the craft.This article is for subscribers only.Sign up for a free membership to unlock sign painting resources and the latest news.Subscribe nowAlready have an account? Sign in

LearningA Basic Guide to Gilding Tools, Materials, and TerminologyBreaking down the jargon around gold and metal leaf, gilding tools, and lots more golden nuggets.Better LettersSep 19, 2024 15 min readRemoving excess gold after painting the lettering on the back of a gilded glass panel.Following her introduction to the techniques and processes used in architectural gilding, I invited Leah Beth Fishman to pen the following guide to gilding tools, materials, and terminology.This extended feature breaks down various important concepts that will help you when setting up to work with different types of metal leaf, and includes:What is Gilding?Types of GildingTools & TerminologyTypes of LeafFormats of LeafSuppliersIf you are interested in learning how to gild, including for sign work, check out the online and in-person opportunities at bl.ag/learn, the Gold Leaf Techniques book, and the resources available from the Society of Gilders.What is Gilding?A deceptively broad or narrow term depending on how you look at itmany people think it encompasses everything from electroplating to kiln-red enamels, and even just gold paint. Some think it only refers to the use of actual gold leaf. Some people ask me, so, you just, like, paint on the gold?In truth, it is simply the process of applying gold or any other type of metal leaf to any surface. Variants of gilding originated over 8,000 years ago and can be seen in artifacts from Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia before coming into widespread use in Europe and beyond.Gold beating in ancient Egypt.Different materials have been used over the centuries to apply goldegg whites, Japanese lacquer, various forms of alcohol, even salivabut the methods, tools, and basic principles remain much the same.Types of GildingThere are so many different ways of applying gold, and so many different techniques, but they boil down to two basic types of gilding: mordant/surface gilding, and water gilding.With surface gilding, a type of glue (called 'size') is applied to a surface, and then the leaf is applied once the size is 'tacky', ie no longer wet and sticky, but not dry. With water gilding, water, sometimes mixed with a type of glue, is owed over the surface and the leaf is applied onto the wet surface.These types of gilding produce two distinct looks: the surface gilding creating a matte nish, the water creating a glossier look.Tools & TerminologyThis article is for paid subscribers on the Browser, Blagger, Patron/Studio and Sponsor/Group tiers only Subscribe nowAlready have an account? Sign in

PeopleChain Letter: Guido de BoerVisual artist and educator Guido de Boer finds meaning in a phrase painted on a Copenhagen wall.Better LettersSep 26, 2024 2 min readOne Man's Trash, Another Man's Treasure. Photo: Julia Tulke.'Chain Letter' invites a sign painter or lettering artist to share a piece of lettering that has influenced or inspired them, before passing the baton to someone else, in a never-ending chain.In the last one, Marie Pressmar nominated Guido de Boer, a visual artist and educator in Utrecht in the Netherlands who works freehand with brush and ink to create large, monumental installations.What have you selected?Published in the 1860s, Hector Urquhart's Popular Tales of the West Highlands contains the line, "one man's rubbish may be another's treasure". The phrase has gained currency in the years since, and this interpretation was produced in Nrrebro, Copenhagen, Denmark in around 2010.It seems likely that it was painted by SPYO from Birds Crew, but the work and its message is more important than who produced it.It's not known who painted these letters high up on this Copenhagen wall. Photo: Julia Tulke.How did it inspire you?I love it when a sentence like this appears in your life, and strikes you so hard when you least expect it. I think the work is a great reminder that we are always, and everywhere, surrounded by so much beauty, and so many surprises; we only need to see it with our eyes, and to keep our minds open to receive it.It was such a lovely moment when I got to stand in front of this piece for the first time; it had been a personal favourite from the first moment I saw it online.And I'm not the only one that has been inspired by it. The title and opening shot of this short film by Mattia de Vito is taken directly from the piece, and it features in the painting, 'One Mans Trash', by Danish artist Pil Anna Tesdorpf.Who would you like to see next in the Chain Letter?I'd like to pass the chain to Miranda Ensink in Amsterdam in the Netherlands.Guido de Boer / @guidodeboerMore Chain LettersMore People

If, like me, you missed out on A Day at the Races, the Letterheads meet hosted by Peter and Sue Anthony in June, this short video from the Horton Arts Centre is a tiny sampling of what went down.Letterheads 2024 on YouTube.This extended playlist then has more from some of the folks that travelled from all over the world to attend this major gathering in Epsom, Surrey.Letterheads 2024 playlist on YouTube.There will be more from A Day at the Races in the 'Meet the Letterheads' section of BLAG 06, and you can catch up with other events from around the world here at bl.ag online.More Event ReviewsEvent Previews & Reviews on Better Letters MagazinePreviews and reviews of of sign painting and lettering events.BLAG Magazine: Adventures in Sign Painting Craft, Community & CultureBetter LettersFuture Meet ListingsBLAG EventsSign painting, sign and lettering events organised by BLAG (Better Letters Magazine).BLAG Magazine: Adventures in Sign Painting Craft, Community & CultureBetter LettersMore LetterheadsLetterheads Meet Reviews on BLAG (Better Letters Magazine)Reviews, photo galleries, and films of Letterheads meets. IOAFS.BLAG Magazine: Adventures in Sign Painting Craft, Community & CultureBetter Letters

EventsA Sign Painting Exhibition Par ExcellenceReview of an incredible exhibitionGeorge Biles: King of Signwritersheld in Bridport, Dorset.Better LettersOct 10, 2024 11 min readSummer 2024 will live long in the memory after my visit to an extraordinary exhibition: George Biles: King of Signwriters. It was mounted in Bridport, Dorset, across three venuesThe British Legion Hall, Bridport Arts Centre, and the Bridport Museumwith material drawn from numerous sources.In addition to signs from Palmers Brewery, there were theatrical backdrops from the local dramatic society, and a sampling of the vast collection of drawings, photographs, press clippings, and signs saved by Ken Allen following Biles' death in 1987. (Read the previous biographical post about Biles' life and work.)The British Legion Hall was one of three three venues that hosted George Biles: King of Signwriters.The show, curated by Jemma Thompson, was remarkable on myriad counts, but what stood out above all was the mastery on display across the full spectrum of sign painting and lettering disciplines. Biles' Signs Service Studio turned out illuminated manuscripts, mural signs, heraldry, scenic backdrops, and gilded transoms, in addition to its bread and butter of commercial signs of all kinds. Pictorial work was a speciality, and his swing signs for pubs were noteworthy for using both sides to tell a story, rather than the easy option of repeating the same illustration on each one.Promotional piece for Signs Service Studio, the business run by George Biles in his native Bridport, Dorset.The following is just a taster of what I saw in a few hours, where I could have easily spent 23 days taking it all in. I've also included material from a couple of extra-curricular visits that we made to Palmers Brewery and the Lord Nelson pub.Having seen the show, I can honestly say that this is a truly unique collection, and worthy of greater exposure. Hats off to Jemma and everyone involved in pulling together this incredible display of the sign painter's craft; I hope it won't be a one-off.And thank you to to Jemma for taking me and my wonderful companions for the day under your wing. We were totally spoiled!Team Biles for a day (from left): Ken Allen, Sarah Hyndman at Type Tasting, Jemma Thompson, me, Andy from AJ Signs, and Joe Coleman. Photo: David Parnell.Signs, Signs, SignsLet's kick off with the basics: some signs.This sign was painted by George Biles' first apprentice, Jimmy Hallett, in 1947. It was for The Smith Arms, which became the smallest pub in England when Charles II granted a licence to his blacksmith so that he could keep refreshed while his horse was being shod.The use of white lettering in a blue band underneath a pictorial was a characteristic feature of Biles' work for Palmers Brewery.The signs on show from Palmers Brewery have been kept for years in one of their storage lofts. Jemma introduced us to Luke Machin at the brewery who took us on a tour, and showed us this treasure trove.More of the Palmers Brewery signs that there just wasn't room for in the exhibition. Fortunately, the entire collection has been professionally photographed within the scope of the National Lottery Heritage Fund grant that made the exhibition possible.This short film is a charming look at Biles' work for Palmers, and it was playing on a loop for visitors to The British Legion Hall.TV segment profiling George Biles and his work for Palmers Brewery on YouTube.The DrawingsBiles was loath to throw anything away and, as a result, the material saved from his studio includes hundreds of drawings.Rolls and rolls of drawings displayed in The British Legion Hall.Drawing for Palmers Brewery.Drawings with pictorials, lettering, and their use in combination.Lettering for Biles' hometown of Bridport, Dorset.Before & AfterIn many cases the drawings were matched to finished signs. These included full layouts, but also smaller studies for specific pictorial elements.Groves NurseriesLarge 1987 sign board for Groves Nurseries.The writer of this brilliant copy remains anonymous: "Mary, Mary, is not so contrary, for see how her garden grows. With plants and seeds and garden needs, all supplied by Groves."This drawing appears to be either for another sign board for the same customer, or how the one above once looked before some of the changes that included opening on Sundays, and the new-format phone number.The finished sign includes the studio signature, and is dated June 1987. Biles died in December that year.Bridport Royal Charter PageantThis drawing by George Biles was the beginning of the process that led to the finished poster that appeared around Bridport in 1953.Boot InnThe study produced ahead of the final swing sign for the Boot Inn.Welcome to BridportThis sign dates to 1981, and was one of a series that marked the entrances to Bridport for around 30 years. The maiden's nickname is 'Spirit of Bridport' and Biles took this element of the sign from a painting by Francis Henry Newbery in Bridport Town Hall.Drawing for the same sign at slightly different proportions.Tools of the TradeA mockup of Biles studio with an easel and various of his original tools and materials. And brushes, mahl stick, and palette.Theatrical BackdropsBiles produced many of these pieces for the local theatrical group, typically without charge."He would use water-based emulsion paints for the cloths. Buckets and buckets of it." Keith CastMountain scene."He'd throw one end over a dexion display unit and then hoist the other end up until it was lever, then he'd just paint. Saw it all in his head. Occasionally stopping and rolling the completed part and then just carrying on. Proper artist, artisan." David Jeanes, lighting and scenery for Bridport Panto.One of Biles' theatrical backdrops on display in The British Legion Hall.This woodland scene was painted in May 1958 by James (Jimmy) Hallett who was Biles' first apprentice and worked at the studio for 46 years.Calligraphy & IlluminationThe breadth of the studio's output is reflected in the contrast between the backdrops above and these examples of calligraphy and illumination.Honouring Harry Philip Castree on the 50th anniversary of his membership of St Mary's Lodge in Bridport. These pieces were carefully planned out in pencil before taking out the ink.Plans for calligraphic pieces.I's left undotted and T's left uncrossed to efficiently turn out this plan for a text-heavy piece.Freedom of the borough granted to Edward John Rees in 1964.Zooming InAnd even in the bigger pieces, there is astonishing detail.Pictorial details from signs.Pictorial details from theatrical backdrops.Photo AlbumAnother layer was added to everything by the numerous photos and press clippings on display.Biles' apprenticeship indenture, and a photo of him on his first day with Frederick Barrett & Sons in 1914.Archival photos of the studio, and an elderly Biles still on the brush at height.Having seen work in the flesh, one can only imagine how these would have looked in colour.Lettering and pictorial work in combination on this wide-format sign for B.G. Wyatt Ltd.Fariground art and lettering for Townsends.Large wall sign for the William Whittle florist, and Biles on the brush for Rendell & Son butchers.Bridport BonusHaving Jemma as our guide for the day meant that we got to see some of Biles' surviving work in the wild around Bridport.A well-preserved gilded transom window with decorative acanthus leaf corners.This ghost sign for Rax Dairy is a shadow of its former self. The second photo was taken by Keith Roberts in 2008.Still giving orders after all these years, and attempts to cover them.And a couple of pieces by Jemma herself. (See more work from Jemma in my post about Summer 2024 at large.)Jemma Thompson's directional signage for Fruits of the Earth and the George Biles exhibition.One for the RoadWe finished the day in the pub, so let's do the same here, with this large-scale painting for the Coach & Horses.The exhibition was brought together by Jemma Thompson with support from Palmers Brewery, Bridport Town Council, and a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.More BilesMore Summer 2024More Events & Exhibition

Dr Amy Goodwin is a trustee of Dingles Fairground Museum, and in BLAG 04 she co-authored the regular 'Lettering Location' column with fellow trustee Aaron Stephens.'Dingles Fairground Museum' by Aaron Stephens and Amy Goodwin was the 'Lettering Location' in BLAG 04.As a small postscript to BLAG Meet: Inside Issue 04, Amy treated us to a more expansive look a the museum's collections, sharing the stories of individual items, the people that painted them, and, towards the end, a handful of original Fred Fowle sketches.Here is the recording of her talk and, below this, links to further reading and resources. (I've also added the recording to the 16 others from contributors to BLAG 04.)BLAG Chat: The Fairground Painters with Amy Goodwin.Additional ResourcesAmy's PhD Portal.Fred Fowle: work and documentary film.Pete Tei: Documentary film.Amy Goodwin: Documentary film.Books: All the Fonts of the Fair and Signwriting Tips, Tricks, and Techniques by sign painter and fairground artist Joby Carter.The National Fairground and Circus Archive.Film: When Better Letters Met Stan Wilkinson, retired sign painter and fairground artist.Fairground Art: Heritage Craft Association listing.Joby Carter's Fairground Art courses.Photos from the Letterheads at Dingles.Thank you once again to Amy Goodwin for giving such an informative and visually rich talk. Visit her website, and also the rides themselves at Dingles Fairground Museum.More Event RecordingsBLAG Chat - BLAG Magazine: Adventures in Sign Painting Craft, Community & CultureRecordings of BLAG Chats published at bl.ag online.BLAG Magazine: Adventures in Sign Painting Craft, Community & CultureBetter LettersMore from BLAG 04Whats Inside Issue 04 of BLAG (Better Letters Magazine)?Between the covers of the adventures in sign painting in Issue 04 of BLAG (Better Letters Magazine).BLAG Magazine: Adventures in Sign Painting Craft, Community & CultureBetter Letters