My mentors, the guys who trained me my craft, were the Johnson Family in Bloomington, Illinois. Hinie Johnson was the "Snapper" in his younger years, and his son Bud took over the business after World War 2 and took it to bill boards and high rise signs.

Hinie wrote articles for Sign Of The Times ...

We spoted this wall at Downtown Disney while getting tickets to Cirque Du Soleil...La NouBa! (which is well worth the $90 per ticket)

Viewing the workmanship in this mural, ....priceless!



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Here are a couple popcorn wagons we spoted in Florida at a theme park in December 2004. Enjoy!


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At the "BIG SIGN SHOP" I apprenticed at, we had a can half full of mineral spirits with a hook attached, or clips, so that the brush could hang vertically in the thinner with out touching the bottom of the can to avoid it getting all bent out of shape.

It was my duty to make sure the bottom always ...

Speaking of ladders and walk planks, that is one thing I don't miss about the old days of wall dog work.

I still use scafold, very sturdy double sided step ladders, and of course scissor lifts, but my days of strecthig a plank between two extension ladders are over. No job is to "die for!" And IMHO ...

I hate the smell of chalk, I hate the taste.

We take BABY POWDER, and add a little blue chalk so it is light "baby blue" (get it?..."baby powder blue")

Thus, you can see your line and it doesn't stink, and you don't stink when a customer comes up.

I use both methods, "hand over" and "stick it" methods.

I wasn't fussy, I grabbed a wooden yard stick, walking cane, tree branch, paint stir stick, whatever, and broke it to the length I needed at the time when I wanted to use it, then tossed it in the dumpster (out on a job).

On a door window ...

And...

One thing you can do, if it is a very large oval, is make 1/4 of the oval. Thus by flipping it and drawing around it, flipping it and drawing, you can effectly make a giant oval and not have a very big pattern.

To make some ovals without a string and pen, the alternative way the old timers ...

Subject: Hand Painted School Mascot on new elementary school gym wall.
Size: Mural is 8 foot high by 13 foot wide, 7 feet off the floor on up the wall
Background paint is acrylic latex sprayed on concrete block wall.

Just for fun, who would use traditional sign paint and the reasoning why you feel ...