Remembering Rick Glawson
Rick Glawson & The Fine Gold Sign Co. of Wilmington, California. The 10th March 2024 marks 21 years to the day since we lost Rick, one of the most talented, generous, loveliest people you could…
5 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Glue Chipping
My Glue Chipping Journey I will never forget the first time I saw Glue Chipping in a sign. It happened during my visit to Disneyland Anaheim with my now-wife. We passed an ornate Pop Corn…
A Journey Through the History of Glue Chipping Glass
In the world of artisanal glasswork, few techniques capture the imagination and skill quite like glue chipping. With its origins shrouded in history and its allure enduring through the ages, glue-chipping glass stands as a…
Memories of Michelin House: a London marvel
Receiving my MBE at Windsor Castle was a memorable occasion. But I will never forget the moment I set eyes on Michelin House. Inside and out, this beautiful building is a stunning example of London’s…
Les Vraies Richesses: Bringing the Art Nouveau style to a bakery in Quebec.
One of the pieces of work I have often wanted to write about is the Art Nouveau design I produced for Les Vraies Richesses, a bakery in Quebec. This article is all about how I…
Althouse & Geiger: How an American duo left a lasting impression on the Australian signwriting industry
John Althouse and F.A. Geiger were two talented American artisans who made the decision to move to Sydney in the late 19th Century. As this story reveals, their arrival was to have an immediate and…
Gold leaf: the most noble of all metals
Have you ever come across a piece of gilded art that has taken your breath away? Gold, the most noble of metals, has always mesmerised people, and even the process of ‘goldbeating’ to create gold…
Adding a touch of elegance: how to use gold leaf for glass signs
Have you ever wondered how signwriters create that elegant gold leaf lettering you often see on classic reverse-painted glass signs, pubs, restaurants and tattoo shops? From collecting your materials to applying gold leaf to glass,…
What is QEST? How to get funding for courses and workshops
As of writing this post, QEST has provided over £5 million in funding to around 700 craftspeople across 130 traditional disciplines. But what exactly is QEST? Keep reading to learn all about this fantastic organisation,…
How I made the letter T print
Have you ever wondered how a master gilder crafts ornate lettering for signs or printed designs (e.g. tattoo art?) It requires a combination of specialist skills and carefully sourced suppliers, and this post takes you…
Silver Pouring
Making Mirror solution for creating a chemical deposited reflective surface. The cloud effect is from the two chemicals coming together.
Glass Gilding workshop - November 9th 2017
These are the beautiful pieces of glass created by 3 talented students that came on my Glass Gilding workshop November 9th 2017. Fun time and so many techniques were shown to create these panels. The…
Glass Gilding workshop - October 5th - 8th 2017
3 and half day glass gilding workshop with students Henk Scholten and Ferrie Ovink both remarkable gilders and specialist decorators from Holland and Philippe Huguenin and signwriter / designer from Switzerland. All three artists completed…
Gold Leaf Workshop - 30th September 2017
Great one day workshop with these 5 students last week here in Torquay. They all made 3 panels each that had techniques such as Oil Gilding, Water Gilding, Mother of Pearl inlay, Blended shades, and…
Pencil Sketched rendering for Gulledge Gilded Glass sign
This pencil sketch was designed for Jason and Stacey Gulledge from Paris, France.