Art & Inspiration Sign painters vs pinstripers in a cage match to the death....

My Sign Mentor, Ron Franklin, wouldn't let you just be a sign painter...you had to pinstripe around every sign you did to give it that extra touch...after a while you just picked up on doing little designs in the corners or at the center bottom of signs....You did not use scotch tape to make the tops and bottoms of letters square either....he said when you learn how to paint then you can use the tape for speed purposes only.......I've had a saying for years.....there are Sign Painters and there are Pinstripers and there are people that do sign painting and pinstripes....There is a HUGE DIFFERENCE......There's 2 of us left around here that still have brushes and use them..........been doing it since 1971 full time......I'll be 60 Dec. 14th.........Still love to do it to this day........Still do specialty stripes for Body Shops and others on a full time basis out of my Ol' '29 Model A Pickup.

 

There sure does'nt seem to many of us left that not only do striping and lettering , but will also do complete paintwork as well . On these cars ,I did all the lettering and striping as well as the layout and paint . I'm currently doing the "Soapy Sales" dragster from thr late '60's .

 

ive been into art since i was about 4 or 5 years old. always into drawing etc. i just started getting into lettering and did a whole line of vintage style advertisements for my senior year graphic design class. to me, lettering and things of that nature seem a little easier to grasp than striping. i think most artists could lay out a good looking lettering or sign job if they put there mind to it. to me striping is just another ballgame. ive tried numerous times and just cant get the hang of it. one of my other buddys is a pretty talented striper. however he doesnt really do any other art, drawing, painting etc. i think it takes a certain type of person to stripe, almost like a certain personality of some sorts and a level of calm control a lot of people dont have. guys that can stripe and letter certainly have a gift

 

bitchin stuff.....i like to refer to it as a one stop shop... from pen to paint and everything in between real race cars are sprayed and hand lettered. no wrappin here...

 

Wrapping is for dead fish.

 

Little spam here for my buddy Jeff. If anyone is reading this and wants to learn how to do it and accelerate their learning curve check this out.

http://thekingofpaint.com/Learn_to_Pinstripe.php

 

Willie Fisher aka Daddy-0 can do both, no sweat!

 

i still say it phil, you are the man!

 

Aw shit... I just stumbled on to this thread as I was walking out of work! I'll chime in tomorrow.

1. Hand sign painting IS NOT dead, nor will it ever be. I'll explain why tomorrow. (My old man stays booked 2-3 months out YEAR AROUND doing it)

2. There are 20 Pinstripers to every 1 lettering guy.


talk to ya'll tomorrow.

J Shaw

 

My friend Edweird's work, my old car.....

 

Root, you know Rick Knight is still doing both in OKC. Here is Sid's truck he did recently.

 

Jeff just hosted Milwaukee's "Pinstripe Legends" workshop a couple of weeks ago at his shop. Huge turnout and a fantastic time. The "Rev" is an extremely talented sign painter and striper. Anyone attending his classes will not be disappointed.

 

I think there is a lot of truth in that.

When I left school I wanted to do a sign writing apprenticeship, but none were available and I ended up doing Graphic Design, but always wanted to be a sign writer. I worked for a sign company at one point, but it was all vinyl. The paint store hadn't been opened for years... my boss let me use some of it to paint my first place! Painting window frames in Keeps lettering enamels!!

Many moons later I took up pinstriping as a way to get away from the computer and am trying to develop a quick script style of my own to use at shows etc... but I don't profess to be a sign painter by any stretch of the imagination... I'm a pinstriper who tries to letter when required.

A good sign painter is hard to beat.

 

I talked to Sid about Rick. I don't think I would get the buddy deal that Sid got.

 

Being able to both well is a rare gift. Most of us can't even imagine doing one well. Some years ago I needed a tool box for some special stuff & I picked this one up on Epay for a ridiculously small amount (considering that the striping is pretty darn nice). When I win the auction, the guys says he'll do some lettering on it if I want, for no extra charge! So, of the top of my hat, I told him to do "Zen Wrenches," which was the title of a story that a friend wrote. Needless to say, I was very impressed by his ability to do both. When you see the thing up close, there is no wavering & the lines are of uniform thickness on the striping. The straight lines look like he taped them off, but I know he didn't. The lettering is the same...so apparently free flowing. The only problem is, I have no idea who he is.

 

I dont know how far Slackerville, Ok is from Wichita, Ks but good Ol' fashioned sign painting and pinstriping is still alive here! Check out Nadine Ward at the Signworks or Chad Ward Artistry, both in Wichita. Maybe we can help you out

 

On the "hand lettering" is dead topic.. If you are really involved in the business of Hand lettering and Pinstriping, you will know that it's not only alive and well but thriving in it's own weird way.

Back in the early 90's when Vynil first started appearing at the trade shows and in public everyone shouted the "death toll" for hand lettering.. My dad has been in the Hand lettering business FULL TIME since the early 80's. I can remember very well my old man being worried about it, and disliking the idea that his craft would deminish and he would have to convert fully to computer assisted lettering.
By 1996 the writing seemed to be "on the wall" and pops bought a Friction feed Vinyl cutter. I was in college then, and snagged a part time job at a NEXT DAY SIGNS vinyl sign shop. I did this to learn how to run the programs and machines, then come home on weekends and teach dad. (plus, I got paid while I was learning).
Race cars were the first thing to convert, and honestly.. in a way, we were okay with this.. at first. The days of guys calling Sat. morning in a panic cause they tore the car up Friday night, and needed it lettered RIGHT NOW for Sat night were going to be over. Racers could have replacement lettering sitting on the shelves in the shop ready to go.. Problem with this was Racers are always broke, and wouldn't pay for an "extra set of numbers" just to sit on the shelf.. so the calls continued.
Trucking companies that operate entire FLEETS of trucks were next.. It just made since. These companies could buy 30 sets of "Door lettering" and there shop guys could put it on.. This was sketchy too though, cause putting Vinyl on isn't the same as that "Pecker head sticker" you put on your Chevelle. So, the phone kept ringing..
Then the WORST thing that has ever happened to the Hand lettering craft happened... Every Jo-bob with ANY computer skills became a "Sign lettering guy" over night. This new crop of HACKS had no clue about Layout, readability, flow, good color use, etc. Terrible lettering started FLOODING the industry on trucks, race cars, vans, realistate.. you name it. ...and worse the prices dropped because these idiot start up guys had NO CLUE of what was involved to properly letter something, and have it last more than a summer. So, there work became Un-readable and fell apart in one year and my dads phone would ring to "come fix this mess"
While all this was going on, a very interesting "Side effect" occured that none of us predicted.. REAL HAND LETTERING became "Honorable and respected" WAY more, and the rates at which a professional could charge for the "real deal" doubled. Truckers are guilty of this the most.. A private owner/driver goes out and gives $150,000 for a shinny new Kenworth that LAST thing he wants is some danged ol' STICKERS on the doors. He wants REAL DEAL BEAUTIFUL HAND LETTERING. My dad, a former truck driver caters to these guys well, and the phone NEVER stops ringing..

Now, 20 years later Dan Shaw (pops) is booked 2-3 months out year around. He never travels farther than 1 hour from home and operates out the back of his Pick-up 90% of the time. There is NO "open to the public" sign shop, and no employees. He still owns and operates a full Vynil shop in the basement at home, but Only about 15-20% of SHAW SIGNS work is done by Vinyl. The kicker is, Pops is a MACHINE when it comes to hand lettering. By the time we type out a design, adjust it, and finalize it in the computer... load and cut EACH color... Weed and tape Each color, load up, go to the job, clean the truck, apply the vynil, and finish.. We can HAND LETTER it just as fast. So, there is no gain to Vinyl for us.

Dad can show up at a truck shop, LETTER and PINSTRIPE 3-4 Semi's and be home and DONE by 4:00. Like I said, he's a machine!

-----To that though, you have to understand how we operate. We don't save and soak brushes for years like they are cherished possesions. We use them up, and throw them on the ground like a smoked cigarette. That brush is NO different than a 9/16 wrench.. use it hard, and replace it when it's broke. Paint, tape, and supplies are the same way.. I see a lot of guys get WAY to caught up in the "essence" of the craft. While this is good, and respectful.. It's not a profitable way to operate.


Sorry for the long rant,, but my overall point is this. If your willing to get out of bed early, pound the pavement, SHOW UP ON TIME, and produce quality work.. You can easily thrive doing HAND LETTERING in any part of the country. As some of you know, I have done lettering and pinstripping for some of the biggest names in the industry, ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.. 90% of the time I DO NOT travel.. Car owners bring cars to Cincinnati to get work and I always hear the SAME THING: "There just isn't any guy around home that do Hand Lettering"... and I think, There probably is, these guys just aren't hooked up together...


As for Lettering Vs. Pinstriping... There is No Comparison.

EVERY LETTERING GUY CAN PINSTRIPE GOOD...
VERY FEW PINSTRIPERS CAN LETTER AT ALL...


J Shaw

 

And some of the most amazing work Ive seen has come from Josh and Dan Shaw.
Simply amazing work.

 

Dan was a big inspiration to a guy starting out....both in big trucks and dirt cars. I too ventured in to dark side, mainly for the as mentioned trucks and dirt cars. Same deal....machine in the basement...lol

 

Unlike most (pinstriping and lettering profesionals) Dad is one of the few that is REALLY easy to aproch, and talk to.. He's super nice and ya just can't help but like him. I can't even count the amount of guys he's inspired just cause he actually TALKED to them, and answered there question.

 

Thanks for the re-cap of how everything came to where it is today. I'm still fascinated watching stripes and letters flow from a brush, and happy it's being done that way.

 

Thanks Josh....

 

1930's?

Get a 3" wide brush, and some house paint...

DONE!

Sam

 

Thanks for the insight Josh. That was an interesting read.

 

Yep, he's a great role model for sure. Always a hand shake and a smile, and treats EVERYONE with respect. Never heard him use profanity either...rare breed.

 

you put lines around the fascia


you gild in a outlined letter

is the answer to the question - you need a sign but don't really need pinstriping?

 

just finished this.

 

and this.

 

but i can also do this.

 

That was the deal....he actually talked to me at my level, not above me. Now cook....that was a different type of conversation. He was a rock star....in his eyes