In a number of my articles, I have described our sign business as a most typical commercial sign shop. This is because we have always done a broad variety of sign work, including vinyl graphics, vehicle lettering, screen printing, custom signs and so forth. But, who can define what a “typical commercial sign shop” is today?

In reality, we’ve had to narrow our focus quite a bit to make our business run better and more profitably, and some of the things we frequently used to do, we don’t do nearly as much anymore. One of those types of work is hand painting or hand lettering (i.e. wall jobs, custom graphics, basic pictorials, etc.).

The Over-the-Hill Gang—experienced signman Tom Garrison and I tackle a simple wall lettering job. Are there any young people to replace us on hand-painted sign work when we’re really over-the-hill?

The main reason we do less of this type of work is that I am the only one here trained and experienced in the traditional techniques of hand layout and hand- painted lettering and artwork. And unfortunately, I’m always the busiest person in our shop, which means adding things to my schedule can almost be hopeless.

The other day I had a call from the supervisor of Texas Eastman Chemical Company, wanting me to hand letter or customize a welding helmet for one of their vendors or associates as a gift. No vinyl lettering or digital printing, just nice, professional hand lettering with a shadow. And they were in a hurry.

That evening I went back to the shop, broke out my old brush kit and did the lettering with 1 Shot enamels in white and pink (it was for a woman, they had explained). As I did this little project, I got to thinking what if I had been out of town or for some reason could not do this little job on short notice; who would they call?

And in a market of more than 100,000 people, I could not think of one person to call. Tom Garrison, who is semi-retired, still does wall jobs and basic hand painting, and knows how to do it. But, this small script I had to paint would have thrown him because now his hands are not as steady as when he was younger, and this was somewhat tedious with a cast shadow touching the small strokes of a script letter smaller than two inches tall.

As far as I knew, there was no one else available. A few months ago, I might have called Richard with New Wave Signs to do something the old way. He didn’t have a computer and plotter, but he stayed busy all the time hand lettering walls, large signs and so forth, until a brief battle with cancer took his life.

The rest of the old guys I used to know have also died off, literally. And no young people have taken their places. Oh, I know the demand for hand lettering and hand-painted signs isn’t near what it used to be, but no one has taken any of their places. And some of the demand is not going away. It’s just not.

Why? Because wall jobs are not going away; because some surfaces and many large projects are just not well-suited for vinyl graphics; because classic or older signs can only be re-done in paint and by hand lettering. And some customers still want it done the old way.

In our market, I turn down work regularly that I cannot find time to paint, and now I have virtually no one to send the work. Almost none of it is particularly difficult or challenging, it just has to be done by a professional. And where are they?

The shame of it all is that there are people working for very low hourly wages at places like McDonald’s and Wal-Mart who have the talent and ability to do the work but will never even know it. There is opportunity out there, and good money to be made, but right now in many markets, including ours, there is almost no one to do those jobs.

How many businesses could one open, with the potential to make from $50,000 to $100,000 per year, that could be started with a single tool box loaded with a few simple items (brushes, pounce wheel, Stabilos, chalk line, paint, etc), and a ladder or some scaffolding, and with that small an investment go out and make real money?

For a young person wanting to learn the art of hand lettering and sign painting, it’s best to get some basic pointers from an experienced professional. Today, there is little jealousy among lettering artists, and most are willing to share and advise. After some basic techniques are understood, it is mostly practice, practice, practice.

Jesse Molina, who gave me my first sign lettering job, said a good way for a novice to practice is by painting on the newspaper classified section, letting the grid of advertisements provide straight vertical and horizontal lines as guides, but he was patient enough to let me do on-the-job training.

Having the right brushes are important, but a basic set of quills (#6, #8, #10 and #12), flats (3/8", ½", ¾" and 1") and fitches (varying sizes angled and straight cut bristles) can go a long way. If one’s local sign supplier no longer keeps a variety of brushes, the Web sites of Mack Brushes (mackbrush.com), Solo Horton Brushes (solobrush.com), Quill Hair & Ferrule (qhfonline.com) and even Dick Blick Art Supply (dickblick.com) can be very good resources, though the latter does not carry the variety they once did. But I receive their catalogue and order various items from time to time.

I realize this article isn’t and cannot be detailed and specific enough to send some novice straight off to a well-paying career in traditional hand-painted sign work. In small markets, there may not be enough of that work to keep someone busy 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year. But, in other markets, there is plenty of work, and even a part-time or side job in this field could fund one heck of an IRA account; that’s for sure.

I have to believe there are talented individuals out there who could really improve their lives and livelihoods by taking up the tools of the traditional sign painting trade. They could do something they enjoy and that needs to be done, while producing a substantial income. Hand lettering isn’t dead, and really should never be. But us old guys won’t last forever, so let’s hope we can encourage some younger folks to seek the opportunities around them.

Painted signs, especially large ones like this, aren’t going away. But, as time goes on, signmakers who know how to paint them sure seem to be.

What am I looking at? A small printout of the layout with a grid overlay shows me where to place each letter. Scale drawings can be easily drawn by hand that work the same way.

This type of wall job of just simple lettering can pay pretty well these days, and making $400 to $500 or more is easily attainable. Jobs like this can go waiting for someone who can still paint letters by hand.

What other type of profitable business can someone start with a small kit of necessary items and a ladder or two?

Restaurants and other retail businesses are still in the market for work that can only be hand lettered, and many of the jobs are this easy.

This large all-metal sign has painted-on graphics, not vinyl, so it can be more economically maintained in the future. Taking off vinyl graphics this size means taking off faces and starting over. (Pictured in the photo are Walter Hudgins, front, and the late Mike Rector.)

For logos and more complicated art, large patterns are often needed and can be drawn on a plotter in sections.

Perforating patterns can be done with a simple pounce wheel tool or an electric pen called an “Electro-Pounce.”

Bulletin paints and lettering enamels are still standard media for hand painting, as are fitch brushes and even quality house painter’s brushes for wall jobs.

Don’t think hand painting still has a market? Jobs like this are still only practical and long lasting done the traditional way. And they are fun to do (if you have a manlift to work with!).

Some jobs may be completely hand drawn and painted, except for a logo or particular piece of art. A Hansee pounce box is used to dust charcoal powder through the pattern.

From welding helmets to replica Civil War parade drums, we have customers who are struggling to find someone who can do the work.

Sign painting brushes can be bought through catalogues like this one from Dick Blick, or even better, online from places like Mack Brushes (mackbrush.com), Solo Horton Brushes (solobrush.com) and Quill Hair & Ferrule (qhfonline.com).

Yep, we do wall jobs like this from time to time also, which can be easier on complex logos. But it is a mess to have to remove vinyl wall graphics, and repair the damage to a sheetrock wall. In quite a few situations, paint still has its advantages.