# Cyclopedia of Painting/Sign Painting

SIGN PAINTING.
Before giving some specimens of letters especially adapted for sign writing, it should be impressed on the sign-painter that all eccentricity in the forms of the letters is for the purpose quite out of place on inscriptions over a store or on a wall, and in the situations where his work is called into requisition, however much the purposes of posters and placards are supposed to be assisted there; in the latter case the object is to catch the eye of the passer-by, in spite of the numerous other announcements by which each may be surrounded. The question in that ease, becomes how to make one more striking than the other, and in this some of the placards succeed admirably. It is in fact impossible to speak too highly of the progress made in this respect by wood-letter cutters, some of whose works may truly be taken as models by the sign-painter. The test of beauty is fitness, and as the inscription of the name and trade of a storekeeper is not likely to be eclipsed by another inscription close to it, that the very architectural members serve as a separation, or, as it were, a framing, and that therefore no expedient is necessary to protect the words from being confused by the proximity or brilliancy of another inscription, but that simplicity, boldness and clearness are the great conditions to be fulfilled by the sign-painter.
The characters shown in Fig. 65 have been called Sans-serif, Celtic and Grotesque, and are well adapted for situations when, owing to distance or other circumstances, fine lines and minute details would be out of place, or would diminish the boldness of the inscription. In Fig. 65 the character is given in its heaviest form, such as would be ​used high up on a wall, and where there is plenty of space at the disposal of the painter. This character does not admit of shadows or thickness, as it is in itself so solid that any addition to its form renders it clumsy.
For situations nearer the eye, Fig. 66 is given, in which the letters are thinner and the general form more open. The
Fig. 65.
form is thus rendered altogether more elegant and may be either used plain, or with thickness and shading. The letters require great care in outlining, so that all the lines may be kept of the same thickness, and that the same character may be preserved throughout.
The character shown in the last example is well adapted for situations where the inscription is only of moderate
Fig. 66.
length, compared with the space at the disposal of the painter. Fig. 67, however, shows how the letters given in Fig. 66 may be narrowed, or, as it is termed, elongated, so as to get a long inscription into a moderate space, and the sans-serif letter is better adapted than any other for this purpose, being, as it were, self-contained, that is, having ​no serifs or projecting ends to take up space. The above is not by any means the narrowest letter of the kind, but will serve as an indication of the style.
Fig. 68 shows the character given in Fig. 67 in a lighter
Fig. 67.
form, and is perhaps one of the most elegant letters of the kind. It may be used plain, or with the addition of thickness and shading.
In Fig. 69 is given the Roman character, the most elegant of all those in use, and requiring the greatest care in
Fig. 68.
outlining. It is not well fitted for distant situations, for as such a large proportion of the lines are fine, the whole of the letter does not strike the eye equally, nor is it, when the fine lines are properly rendered, well adapted for shading or for raising by means of thickness; it will, of course, ​be supposed that the whole letter would be made of the same thickness of wood, then the representation of this would, in the ease of the fine lines, be broader than the lines themselves, which would seem, as it were, the edges
Fig. 69.
of the wood of which the letter is composed, instead of the surface.
As this character is often used for notices and other similar inscriptions, in Fig. 70 is given a specimen of the lower
Fig. 70.
case. Experienced sign-painters adopt two-thirds of the height of the capitals as the height of the small letters, and this is an admirable proportion. Any one who will take the trouble to look, will observe that wherever the
Fig. 71.
capitals tower above the other letters in an undue proportion, the general forms and workmanship will indicate that the inscription is the handiwork of a second-rate artist. In types, the above character is called Canon, and in Fig. 71 ​examples are given of the character called Aldine, a very refined letter of a narrower character than the other; these are both adapted for situations where a rather long inscription has to be got in, but, although the last looks well in print, it is not adapted for letter painting, in which characters narrower than those in Fig. 69 should not be used.
Fig. 72.
Fig. 72 is an example of a letter now very much used, under the name of Runic, but it would be difficult to defend the appellation, considering that it differs in every particular from the truly Runic characters, but in the multiplicity of letters it had become necessary to give some designation to this style, and on the principle that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, the title by which this character is known has been bestowed upon it.
Runic letters possess much of the lightness and elegance
Fig. 73.
of the Roman, whilst at the same time, owing to the greater equalization of the thickness of the lines, they are bolder, and may be used with both thickness and shading, whilst the thickening of the fine lines is gradually lost in a pointed termination of the serifs.
​Following up the system of thickening the fine lines of the Roman characters, a letter called the Clarendon, Fig. 73, has been introduced. It is an exceedingly handsome and dignified letter, and is, as far as general proportions are concerned, similar in every respect to the Roman. It is outlined by ruling two horizontal lines at bottom and two at top, to regulate the thickness of the serifs or feet, and these may be made to project more or less, according to the space at disposal, the example presenting the maximum in this respect.
In this, as in the Roman character, the vertical are merged into the horizontal lines by curves at the angles, and the sign-painter should beware of exaggeration in this
Fig. 74.
particular. The perpendicularity of the one line, and the horizontality of the other, must not in any way be interfered with; in the sketch they should, in fact, meet and form a right angle, which should just be rounded off. Even in this particular, the work of a first-rate sign-painter is evident, for in inferior work the curve is often begun from the very beginning of the serif of the letter to hide the failure in the horizontality of the line. The painter may in this, as in other departments of work, be assured that it is in the refinement of points such as these where the skilled artisan, possibly only another name for the artist, is distinguished from the common handicraftsman.
Fig. 74 is another specimen of Clarendon in a condensed form, and narrower than this, the letter should never be ​used, as the beauty of the character is lost when the space forbids the proper extension of the feet of the letters.
We would suggest to the letter painter the use of the Clarendon character in notice-boards, Fig. 75, where it is bolder than the Roman, and is perhaps more rapidly executed, as the thin lines do not require so much care as do the fine lines in the Roman.
Next in solidity to the Clarendon is the Egyptian, or,
Fig. 75.
as it is by some painters and printers called, the Antique. It is scarcely worth while asking which is the more correct name, as neither of them is in the slightest degree justifiable. The names seem to have arisen from the letters appearing as if made up of blocks, having thus some similitude to the massive Egyptian buildings.
The letter is a most useful one, the boldest there is, and is especially adapted for being rendered with thickness and shading. It differs from Clarendon in being heavier, and ​in its angles being accurately rendered, without being rounded off as in the Clarendon. When Egyptian letters are painted on a very large scale all the lines may be made of the same thickness; the letters then have a very striking effect. When of a medium or small size, the down strokes should be rather thicker than the others.
Fig. 76.
Fig. 77 is an example of condensed Egyptian, and narrower than this the letter should not be used, for if the space be so limited that such a narrow letter is required a sans-serif may be used, and as that character has no projecting feet it will allow of a wider letter being employed.
The characteristic features of what may be called the three great orders of plain letters have been given, and all
Fig. 77.
who would excel in letter painting should study and practice these until they become quite proficient in them, since all the ornamental letters should be based upon them, the general forms being the same, the difference consisting only in the lines being curved or in the addition of ornamentation.
​Fig. 78 is called Classic. It is a very useful character, elegant in its simplicity. The letters should be sketched and spaced as for Clarendon, the difference consisting merely in the serifs turning round into scrolls. The effect of this letter, when painted in black on glass with a diapered gold background, is very good. The addition of thickness and shading to this character, owing to the amount of
Fig. 78.
drawing required, is a work of some difficulty and time, whilst the appearance is not thereby improved.
The character shown in Fig. 79 goes by the name of Tuscan, but it is, as it were, an ornamental rendering of the Egyptian, within the outline of which it may very well be sketched. The letter is given as usually drawn.
This letter may be shaded, or rendered with thickness.
Fig. 79.
Fig. 80 shows another letter called open Tuscan. An inscription in this character in a light color on a dark ground with a darker line on the right and under side, and the pattern on the letter in a bright color, comes out, to use a technical phrase, very well. The main beauty of the letter, however, consists in the correctness of its form, and its rather angular character, and if these points are not observed, the painter may depend that all his colors, ​however brilliant, and all his gilding, however well done, will be thrown away or will serve to show only the more plainly the defects in the form.
Which to admire the most, the beauty of the letter shown in Fig. 81, or the plain sense of its designer, who, discarding the terms Classic, Runic, Tuscan, or other names
Fig. 80.
absolutely inappropriate to the character, bas called it simply Ornamented, a name which it really deserves, being one of the handsomest characters in use. the coloring must be left to the taste of the painter, but it must be pointed out, that the space between the surrounding line and the letter itself is not to be filled in, in which case it would form a heavy broad border, but it is intended to be a single outline only, thus lightening the effect of the letter, and increasing at the same time its distinctness.
Fig. 81.
Fig. 82 is an example of Rustic character, well adapted for the name or inscription of a horticulturist or somewhat similar trade. In order to elevate the art, the sign-painter should be prepared to submit sketches of the inscription as a whole, and of individual letters drawn full size, and a ​well-selected set of patterns in a book will afford the customer an opportunity of examining the different characters before giving his order, and the sign-painter may be assured that this plan will be by far the most satisfactory one that could be adopted in the interests of all parties concerned.
A word is given in Fig. 83 in the Elizabethan character
Fig. 82.
which is perhaps the best adapted for business purposes. Church text is not well fitted for general inscriptions, as it is, of course, more or less associated with sacred things, and as it has varied from time to time a great amount of study is necessary in order to render it correctly.
In contrasting the Old English character with the German text. Fig. 84, it will be observed that, whilst the former is essentially angular and severe, the latter is rounded
Fig. 83.
and free. Thus, flourishes seem almost necessary to German text, whilst they are utterly out of place in Old English or Church text. They should always have some apparent connection with the letters themselves, and should not be used just to fill up a vacant space. A word or sentence is often too crowded at one part of the surface on which it is painted, leaving a blank space at the other, ​and this is usually filled up with a meaningless flourish. By the method already pointed out for spacing the letters, this ugly expedient is rendered unnecessary.
The Old English and German text do not look well when rendered with thickness. They are so essentially writing characters that fine lines are indispensable to them, and the beauty of these and the contrast of them with the thick
Fig. 84.
lines are diminished when both are viewed from the side, and are seen to be equal in solidity, both characters, however, look well when outlined with a darker color than that in which they are painted, but in that case, more than ever, the absolute correctness of form must be insisted upon.
Italics, as in Fig. 85, are not by any means the easiest
Fig. 85.
characters with which the sign-painter has to deal, the main difficulty being the uniformity of slope. In the letter M, the right-hand down stroke, which in the Roman character would be upright, must take the slant of the general mass of letters.
The A and V afford subjects for some study and trial. They may either be drawn so that their down strokes slant ​like the other letters, or they may be outlined in a parallelogram, their point being in the middle of one of the sides. The X is necessarily drawn according to the latter method. Fig. 86 shows the small letters, or lower ease, of the Italic character. It is as it were a substitute for plain writing, but no flourishes of any kind are admissible.
The words written in Italic small, must not be spread, in fact, the character looks much better when packed, or placed close together, the down strokes not being too thick. It is very important that a uniform slant should be preserved throughout, and this slant should not be quite as
Fig. 86.
oblique as that of writing characters, a set square of a different degree to the one already alluded to should therefore be provided for this purpose. Of the Script or writing character, the most elegant of all, one specimen only is given. Fig. 87, knowing that this character has been more studied than any other, since it is the hand taught in schools. Yet, writing with a pen is very different from drawing the letters which are to be painted, the first is done in an off-hand manner, the latter should be drawn deliberately and carefully. The writing done with a pen is as a rule temporary in character, and the exact form of each ​letter and the spacing of the words are matters of but small consequence, unless the work be a piece of ornamental caligraphy or illumination. But, as already stated, the work of the sign-painter is to have a permanent object, and must therefore be carefully outlined and spaced. The painter should take as models the engraved head-lines of some of the copy-books now used in the schools, then proceed to draw the letters on a much larger scale, outlining them in pencil, and subsequently in color, and finally practicing them on an upright board.
As already stated, a fair but not exaggerated slant, and much taste, are required in the arrangement of the capitals and their heights, and of the heights and lengths of the
Fig. 87.
long letters. If the capitals are too small, a degree of meanness is given to the writing, and the effect of the tails of the letters being too short is extremely unpleasant. Various teachers of writing and engraving have different rules as to the lengths of the letters which are to project above and below the lines, and these rules, which will be apparent from the examples above referred to, must be taken as standards, to be adapted to the circumstances of the case, for the height of the surface on which the work is to be executed being limited, and a certain inscription being required, the heights of the letters must in some cases be modified, the letters should then be kept rather thinner than otherwise, or they will look clumsy, the thickness in ​fact of the script character should always be kept within, rather than up to, the maximum, as the work never looks well when the down strokes are too thick.
As a rule, the capitals should be at least double the height of the line of the other letters, and the long letters such as l, d, etc., should be nearly up to the same level, whilst the tails or loops of letters such as g or p should extend the same distance below the line, the letter t being just half the height of the general letters above the line. Thus if the body of a line of writing on an architrave were to be 6 inches, the capitals and long letters should be 12 inches high, whilst the latter should descend 6 inches below the line, and the letter t should be 9 inches high. It adds, however, to the dignity of the writing to give the capitals still greater height, but the long letters should never exceed the proportions laid down, whilst they may, if required, be rather shortened.
Great care is necessary in forming the turns in writing characters, so that the junctions of the up and down strokes may be gracefully accomplished, the down strokes must be drawn to their exact slant until near the turning, they must not be kept, as it were, bending in their whole length, nor on the other hand must the bend take place too suddenly.
It is not advisable either to give the appearance of thickness, or to shade writing characters, for the lightness and elegance of the work is much diminished by either process.
A very elegant style of writing, called the Italian, is well adapted for inscriptions where the business is one of a refined character.
It is in fact to such inscriptions that the script character seems specially adapted, the heavier or more solid characters being better suited to trades with which they harmonize.
This idea cannot of course be carried out to its full extent, as the sign-painter is greatly in the hands of his employer, but it seems clear that there should be a certain ​consonance between the trade and the inscription, for instance, an inscription in church text must evidently be better adapted to the shop of a bookseller, a clerical robe-maker, or a Bible warehouse, than over a shoemaker's, a butcher's, or a toy store, while the character of the writing should as far as possible accord with the style of architecture of the store front or building on which it is executed.