Testing, testing, 123.
This is the set-up for Saturday's (free) virtual BLAG Meet, less the hard-wired ethernet cable to ensure a good connection for video playback.
Learn more about the event, and register, here: https://bl.ag/meet
#SignPainting #Signwriting #Lettering #FreeEvents #OnlineEvents
Well, this is tantalising...
"In 2018, two art school students, Alessandro Latela and Gianluca Ciancaglini, published the first formal study of Mr. De Stefano and the numeraio tradition ... A third designer, Emilio La Mura, created a standardized, computer-made font named Pasquale in homage to the numeraio — a gesture that was 'misunderstood', Mr. Latela said. Mr. De Stefano's family contested the book and the font, fearing that they would be mistaken for his own work, and the projects were pulled from distribution."
Taken from the (paywalled) article here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/arts/design/naples-italy-painter.html
Here’s my latest ‘worldwide events roundup’ email, packed with workshops, exhibitions, and gatherings taking place online and across the globe in the months ahead.
New at bl.ag online, ‘William Gilpin: Signwriter of Ulverston’, with a reproduction of Tony Lewery’s 2016 article describing one man’s contribution to the character of a Cumbrian town.
https://bl.ag/william-gilpin-signwriter-of-ulverston/
With thanks to Tony Lewery and Forum editor John Neilson for their kind permission to share this wonderful piece with BLAG readers. Forum 31 with the original is available in the Letter Exchange shop:
https://letterexchange.org/shop/forum-journal/forum-31
#SignPainting #Signwriting #Ulverston #Cumbria #SignPainters #Signwriters
I've put the story of the cover from the book in the alt text of the first photo.
The big 'lost in translation' moment was concerning the first pencil sketch where I wanted to convey that the hand should be holding a paintbrush, not a pencil.
My poor Khmer didn't get this across correctly and Sai Sokheang replied saying that this was just a pencil sketch and that the final piece would be painted.
This pencil-paint impasse continued until we somehow broke through it, resulting in the later colour sketch that did indeed have a paintbrush in the hand.
I was then expecting a third sketch in response to my feedback, but one day I happened to look in to find him working on the final piece.
We're finally rediscovering (and hanging) various pictures that we brought to Spain in 2019 but which have been in boxes ever since then.
This one still needs a new home, but it was lovely to see it had survived the various moves. It's the original artwork for my first book, painted in 2012 by Kratie's local sign painter.
The story of getting it made is told in the book, including the various 'lost in translation' moments that happened along the way.
The page at https://ghostsigns.co.uk/kratie has more about the book and a number of free digital downloads.
Thank you to Curtis @jectives for featuring next week's (free and online) BLAG Meet (https://bl.ag/meet) event in this roundup?
https://www.youtube.com/live/WnRrPHLgCC0?t=410&si=D2jT0eDj8x8VRZ1p
There's a roughly 50/50 split between live and pre-recorded sessions, with a live chat room running throughout for all guests.
Join us from 14:00 London time on Saturday, 25 April.
Rob Cooper posted this to Facebook and I've never seen the collection in this way, despite being involved in getting each individual one printed.
I think we'll get a few more under our belt and then do some kind of standalone publication/special insert.
PS. The link he has in the post is https://bl.ag/join where you can get the latest issue (https://bl.ag/08). For back issues, visit https://bl.ag/backissues, noting that extremely limited stock remains of issues 03 (turquoise) and 05 (yellow).
I'm looking forward to hearing Ged Palmer's lecture for Letter Exchange next week.
The event is being held in London, but also livestreamed for those, like me, that are unable to attend in-person:
#SignPainting #Signwriting #Lettering #OnlineEvents #LetterExchange
“Our signs were referential to the sign painting tradition and I gained so much respect with regard to that discipline. As we needed more signs as the campaign wore on, I needed to expand my vocabulary and incorporate new styles. I really fell in love with this publication — Better Letters Magazine — which gave me a deep appreciation for how international this discipline is and how varied the styles are.”
— Aneesh Bhoopathy at AIGA NY
#SignPainting #Zohran #Mamdani #AIGA #NewYork #GraphicDesign
Sam at BLAG
