34 Issue 248 - August / September 2023 www.signlink.co.uk ADVENTURES IN SIGN PAINTING WITH SAM ROBERTS then a six-month programme of study in the crafts of sign painting and gilding for sign work. Students work through design and lettering, to the final application of paint and gold leaf. There is also instruction in using computers for sign design. For Danish speakers, there’s the Sign Technician course at College360 in Silkeborg, Denmark. This three- to four-year course oscillates between taught classes and placements within a sign firm, known as an ‘an exchange education’, with final qualification via the traditional journeyman’s test. Courses (Online) One silver lining around the Covid-19 cloud has been the growth of online learning opportunities. These include synchronous courses, where you are with the teacher in real-time, and those that are asynchronous and accessed ‘on-demand’. The benefits of learning online are fairly obvious; they include the ability to study from wherever you are in the world, and a lower price point than an equivalent in-person experience. On the downside, you’re largely on your own when it comes to actually practising, and it isn’t as easy to get the quality of feedback that a teacher by your side can offer. Additionally, on-demand courses rely on your own determination and discipline to work through the lessons. Leading asynchronous courses include those from John King’s LetterArt Academy, Mastering the Art of Signwriting for Beginners with Liane Barker, and the Signpainters Academy from Paul Myerscough. Liane Barker also provides one-to-one online tuition and mentoring in a range of skills, while Joby Carter offers a series of three evening classes on his Absolute Beginners course which is delivered live. There are also online courses teaching more specialist skills and techniques: Gustavo Ferrari’s Learn Fileteado Porteño course covers the techniques associated with this vernacular artform from Buenos Websites: www.bl.ag and www.ghostsigns.co.uk Social Media: @betterletters (instagram) @ghostsigns (twitter) @mrghostsigns (instagram) Aires; David A. Smith recently launched his first online course, An Introduction to Glass Gilding; and Barbara Enright and Carla Hackett have their Learn Brush Lettering course available online. Letterheads I’ll be discussing the Letterheads in more detail in a future column, but for now I’ll just say that these are informal gatherings of those in, and interested in, the craft of sign painting. They vary in size, take place regularly around the world, and you can find a host of reviews of past events at bl.ag/tag/letterheads. Are You Ready? The journey of a thousand signs starts with a single stroke, and there's now nothing stopping you beginning your adventure in sign painting. Sign up for a workshop or course, and look out for other sign painting events and exhibitions where you can connect with others and build your network. There are now very few technical courses teaching sign painting, but those that do allow you to learn in a formal setting over an extended period of time ▲Mike Meyer demonstrating on his workshop. Image: Simon Schoch
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