How I got started
I have nearly 30 years in the sign painting business. I have a man named Walter Baize to thank and I will always be grateful to him. In my early 20's I purchased a 1955 Chevy truck from him. At the time I did not know he was a sign painter until I walked into his garage.
I was fascinated with the way he used a
brush to do freehand lettering. We struck up a friendship and he
invited me back over to watch him paint signs as he showed me how to
hold the brush, how to make certain letters an numbers, what kind of
paint and what kind of brushes to use. From there, I started lettering
oval and figure 8 race cars for free, just for the practice. Eventually I
started charging more and more, then moved on to actual sign painting.
Sign painting with a brush and paint unfortunately is a dying art with
not many old sign painters left. Maybe the Rat Rod era will produce a
few more.