ACHTUNG MATEYS!

Soooooo, after a long and overdue re-think, I've finally abandoned the company name Sign Flu. As I do with most of my own jokes, I found it very funny, but the whole Swine Flu thing was only in the news for a little while back in 2009, and the longer it hasn't been in the news, the less likely people have been able to make any kind of connection.  Plus, just having the word 'Flu' in your company name it pretty gross. Probably should've realised that a long while back.  I knew it was time to change when somebody enquired about effective flu treatments. So now I'm just Dapper Signs, plain and simple.  Doing the same stuff, hand building and painting signs and making businesses look prettier, one sign at a time.

You can find me at www.dappersigns.co.uk, which is where I'll post all future work up at.  

Hope to see you there! Actually, that will be quite tricky in the interweb world, but you know what I mean.

Glandyfi Castle...

Here's the pounce pattern - a pencil drawing, with the edges perforated with a star - or pounce - wheel.  The pounce pattern is then put in place on to the prepared sign board...

...and then chalk is rubbed over, leaving a faint outline that can be wiped off after the paint is dried.

Glandyfi Castle roughs...

I was asked to make two small signs for a client's beautiful guest house/impenetrable castle in west Wales for either side of the gate entrance.  After discussing what it was she wanted, I sketched out a few roughs to try and whittle down exactly what it was she wanted me to make.  

After a couple of days, she decided on the rough below, and after deciding on a colour scheme, I got started....

Tit at home...

Recently made this for a mate - he gave it to his old man for his birthday, who in turn gave him a pic of the new tenant less than a week after he put it up.

Pavement sign for Patisserie Leila, Stokes Croft

The Lido Kitchen

New Tapas bar/lido/boozer/seaside recreational spot down in Portishead, right on the water (a really lovely spot) on a freakishly beautiful sunny day, meant that my Irish complexion not only went VERY red, but my eyes nearly went VERY blind from the glare of the white wall and the fact that I forgot my sunnies. 

www.thelidokitchen.co.uk

Max C London

Pavement sign for a fashion shop in, er, Bristol

www.maxclondon.co.uk

Gallimaufry...completed

Myself and talented graphic designer Ged Palmer finished this 45' mother in the sun last Monday. I'll get some pics that aren't taken on my total shit camera phone soon, I promise.

Flo-Jo Boutique

                                                 

 www.flo-joboutique.co.uk

Scrumptiously Sweet

Did this sign aaaages ago, but they've only just round to having the space to put a bracket up above the front for it. I went in to say howdy and the smell inside was welcoming and - literally - seriously sweet.

The Gallimaufry..

...Yeah I dunno either, but me and talented typeface designer chappy Ged Palmer went to paint his design up on this bar/restaurant place today - all 45' of the bastard - and will be going back to finish it up on Monday. Really looking forward to it

Flo-Jo Boutique...

...haberdashery on Gloucester road, Bristol...complete with knicker making workshops!

www.flo-joboutique.co.uk

Exciting part of the new workshop...more complete pictures soon...

The Looking Glass, High Street, Bristol

...Just up from St.Nicks Market, around the corner from Castle Park - opening March 10th!

Apologies again for the crappy phone pics - I'll get some good 'uns when I get five minutes. You can't really see from them, but I've given the letters highlighted edges on the upper and left sides, and shading on the lower and right sides, to give them a bevelled edge effect.

Macaroons AGAIN...

Treasure Stokes Croft...

This is a sign I did aaaaages ago, but they've only recently relocated to this new shop around the corner - the sign's a little bit dwarfed by the size of the fascia, but it still looks okay.

DEATH METAL PIZZA

Hoek's Death Metal Pizza - I had to take this box back with me when we stopped by their in Austin, Texas, the year before last - the pizza is great, and it's the only place I've ever been able to truly enjoy Death Metal. In the background is one of my first experiments with gold leaf.

Progress picture...

 So it turns out jigsawing a company logo isn't so easy with one arm trussed up in  - albeit attractive - fluoro pink plaster. `I've never broken a sodding bone in my life before, until within about 24 hours of my flight to Austria for a skiing trip with my wife and her folks (I married well), I slipped arse over tit over a bollard whilst walking the mutt. I flew out there anyway, but just did the whole apres bit without the activity bit for a week.

Blackboards outside Patisserie Leila

Upping sticks and getting outta here...

 I'm finally getting out of my old shop in Hamilton House, Bristol, and moving all the way up the road to Bath Buildings (about a three-minute walk). I've enjoyed my time there with the hippies, but I need a bit more space and better access. We are also currently going under something of a re-branding, with new workshop, new website and new company name which should all be ready soon for an aesthetically pleasing transition!

I'll be sharing with my cousin Dylan Humphries, a guitar luthier - check out his spiky axes here.

Apologies to your eyes for the trouser-less schmuck (Dylan) in the new space.

The Biblos Baggins adventure continues...

OMG WTF LOT ETC...

Did this in collaboration with turbo couture baron Christian Taylor of Uno One Print. Did I mention that it's GLOW IN THE DARK? 

Get 'em here.

The fantastic new Traditional Sign Maker Magazine has an interview with fellow Pre-Vinylite brother of the brush Josh Luke of Best Dressed Signs, Boston. You can read it here.
Below is a piece of his from earlier last year...

Roller Derby lid I painted for my sis Flo

Huffington Post article...

Click here to read a great article in The Huffington Post all about The Vinyl Apocalypse and it's affect on the signs around us and the appearance of our high streets by Deborah Dooley, featuring yours truly.