Before we get to the juicy BLAG 04 bonus content, a couple of public service announcements:

  1. I recently got a very small quantity of A Sign Painter's Sketchbook by Noel B. Weber, and have added this to the new stock page in the BLAG Shop. You can get the 10% member discount by joining today.
  2. I've now added my Ghostsigns newsletter to those available here at BLAG. I only send them a few times each year, and you can opt in to receive them here. Members can also opt in to member-only emails, another reason to join BLAG.
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Just as I did for the last two issues, here is a deep dive into material that we couldn't squeeze into the pages of BLAG 04.

As well as the pretty pictures, you'll also find useful links, further reading, and some PDF downloads.

Serving suggestion: Enjoy BLAG 04 with friends over a beer. Yours truly and Insert Daniels (@insertdaniels) photographed by Edgar Gonzales (@e.go.shots).

I've set it up to follow the page order of the magazine itself, so you can flick through that as you scroll through this.

It's a long post, so not everything will appear in this email. View it on the website to get it all.

Enjoy!

Ye Olde Sign Shoppe

In his piece about the Beekmann firm in Amsterdam, Mathieu Lommen mentioned the Amsterdam script, a painted variant of copperplate italics. This pounce pattern shows the style in use, and was drawn by Beekmann Jr for his own front door on Amsterdam’s Prinsengracht canal.

Hand-lettered paper with the name and address of the sign painter that produced it.
The pounce pattern was first drawn in 1951, and modified in 1958. It measures 52 x 27 cm (20 x 11 in), and is now housed at the National School of Painters in Utrecht

NB. The Amsterdam script is distinct from the Krulletter (curly letter) which is documented in Ramiro Espinoza's excellent book.

In addition to the regular Ye Olde Sign Shoppe column in BLAG, there are a host of former firms profiled online.

Ghost Sign Corner

The latest permanent Light Capsule was another landmark for Craig Winslow and Matt Cohen, and lots of preliminary research went into its final execution. Here are some archival images that helped in deciphering the layers on the wall, the rig that they used, and the projection as palimpsest.

The ghost sign by day, photographed by John Giavedoni, and the view in 1911 from a postcard published by Lyall Commercial Photo Co.

Detail from the Lyall Commercial Photo Co. postcard, and an archival photo of the Milady Chocolates layer.

The rig of projectors, and a mock-up of the 'throw' for each one.

Details of the projections when overlaid to recreate the actual palimpsest effect visible on the wall by day.

There's more Light Capsules action in Craig's permanent installation in Astoria, Oregon, which is profiled along with the wider project in this short film.

On the Brush

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