asakiyume: (shaft of light)
asakiyume ([personal profile] asakiyume) wrote2022-08-19 07:37 pm

painting signs

When we lived in Japan (nigh on 30 years ago--yikes!), the signs at various trains stations, advertising businesses in the towns, were often hand-painted. A dentist's office, an ob-gyn, a grocery store, a florist, etc. Sometimes we'd see someone painting a new one.

I hear from my kids in Japan that now, as here in America, they're mainly printed.

But in Leticia they are still hand-painted. We rented bikes one day and passed this guy, just short of the airport, painting a new sign (I asked him if it was okay to take a picture; he said yes).

painting an advertisement in Léticia

I've been painting signs myself, recently--first for a neighborhood picnic and this time for a movie night. Normally I like to use markers or cut-out letters on bright poster board, but I didn't have any bright poster board, and neither did the nearby supermarket, so I made do with paint on kraft paper. It would be better if the paint were black instead of white, but white was what I had:



It's not a very exciting presentation--it could be done better!--but I love the concentration and control involved in painting the letters. I'd love to know more about the guy painting the sign for the colchones (mattresses) shop. Do people hire someone professional to do this work, or does each company get one of their employees to do it? The signs are pretty good... I'm thinking it must be professional work. But how do you get to be one of the people doing the painting?

There were all kinds of paintings around--in buildings, on buildings, but I'll save those for another time and will close with a photo of a magnificent stormcloud over the Amazon, because--well!

The Amazon and its weather
sartorias: (Default)

[personal profile] sartorias 2022-08-20 02:31 am (UTC)(link)
That man's lettering is so crisp!

What an impressive storm--wow!
pameladean: (Default)

[personal profile] pameladean 2022-08-20 04:25 am (UTC)(link)
It's amazing to see him there working on something so uniform and neat.

That river! The cloud is impressive too, but the river, goodness.

P.
cmcmck: (Default)

[personal profile] cmcmck 2022-08-20 09:27 am (UTC)(link)
One of our local pubs, the Dun Cow, got a major external redecorate recently and I was delighted to see an old guy doing traditional signwriting of the pub name by hand! :o)

The signboard is still down in this pic as a local artist was doing a repaint of that too.



And here is the new sign!

Edited 2022-08-20 09:30 (UTC)
gale_storm: (Default)

[personal profile] gale_storm 2022-08-20 11:05 am (UTC)(link)
Oh! They’re for mattresses!! /laugh!!/ Add a word like ‘and’ or ‘then’ between ‘Romance’ and ‘Relax,’ to make the purpose obvious! (Hee!!)

And how was it going to see an ob-gyn in Japan?! I’m guessing that it was, umm, *different* there.
wayfaringwordhack: (Default)

[personal profile] wayfaringwordhack 2022-08-20 11:06 am (UTC)(link)
Sign painting is definitely an art. Having done some hand-lettering, I know how hard it is to achieve regularity and artistic variety, placement, etc.!

When I saw the river, I thought about touching it, being in it, saying that for just a moment, I was there and was part of it. :P I hope you got to do that. :D
amaebi: black fox (Default)

[personal profile] amaebi 2022-08-20 12:39 pm (UTC)(link)
This world is a treasury of unconsidered commercial industries.

I always think of London Victorian dolls' eye makers and of the former economic dominance of the Match King, in this context.
Edited 2022-08-20 12:41 (UTC)
amaebi: black fox (Default)

[personal profile] amaebi 2022-08-20 12:40 pm (UTC)(link)
*salutes the cow*
osprey_archer: (Default)

[personal profile] osprey_archer 2022-08-20 12:53 pm (UTC)(link)
The signmaker's lettering is so neat and regular! Wow!

At my old Starbucks, there was a big panel on the walls which was reprinted with new hand-lettering every few months, and the shift supervisor's tattoo artist boyfriend used to come in to do it.
cmcmck: (Default)

[personal profile] cmcmck 2022-08-20 12:57 pm (UTC)(link)
:o)
queenoftheskies: queenoftheskies (Default)

[personal profile] queenoftheskies 2022-08-21 03:19 am (UTC)(link)
You do an impressive job of lettering on your sign.

That stormcloud is awesome.
amaebi: black fox (Default)

[personal profile] amaebi 2022-08-22 12:07 am (UTC)(link)
Gorgeous!
amaebi: black fox (Default)

[personal profile] amaebi 2022-08-22 12:08 am (UTC)(link)
So so so true.
amaebi: black fox (Default)

[personal profile] amaebi 2022-08-22 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, nice juxtaposition!