Sign Painting

These days when we are setting type for signs, logos, etc. it's easy to take for granted the advantages we have with modern technology. My Grandpa was an artist in a small Kansas town that didn't have a "sign shop" or a place you could just call up when you needed something painted for your business. Instead they would call my Grandpa, and he would come up with the overall composition. Over the years he collected and cut out interesting type from magazines that he ended up using in signs around town.

Although he had some schooling to become an art teacher he relied on books to teach him about sign painting. One of these books that I came across is called Ralph Gregory's Sign Painting Techniques, published in 1973. Although the methods and styles have changed since then I think it's interesting that a lot of the basic design principles in the book are things we still follow today. Below are a few images from the book.

The first example talks about the importance of not overwhelming your viewer with information.



The next few show examples show how text can be arrranged depending on the importance of each word, and also ways to condense elements if you are running low on space.





I love how the following example says that "freak" type of lettering is popular with young people.



The book also talks about drawing, and how you should try to simplify art. Sometimes this means using a silhouette of an image. Other times in the case of a caricature you should highlight the odd features of the person you are drawing.




Here is my Grandpa working on one of his many signs.

Jazz and Alleyways

A few shots from this past weekend's photo adventure with Orion... Crossroads, a place called the Asylum, and the Jazz District... never know what you'll find.

Grant and Brandy Engagement Photos

Last weekend I had the privilege of shooting some engagement photos of my brother and his fiancee. They wanted to go with a fall look, and I think we picked one of the last great weekends with the leaves still on the trees. We started out on the KU campus and then made our way to Mass St. I particularly enjoyed getting the Campanile shot as it represents both their upcoming graduation and wedding.

Mad Men Illustration

I've been watching a lot of Mad Men lately so I decided to do a quick illustration of my favorite character, Don Draper.

More Chi-town

The O.C. - Orange City, Iowa that is...

Last week I was in the exciting little town of Orange City, Iowa for work. Mainly I was there to do some more training to set up designs for screenprinting and embroidery. In my down time, however, I managed to get around town and shoot some of the interesting character of the buildings. The town has a Dutch immigrant background and they are very proud of their heritage. Looking at a few of these shots you may think you're in the Netherlands, but I assure you the cornfields are within arm's reach.