What's Your Training?

[OADesign]

i started out as a code head. programing in VB and C+ but as a young urban kid i just couldn't see me self sitting in a cubicle farm typing code all day and working with a bunch of egg head squares. ( no offense i just don't like to work with people like my self...)

so i took a web design class (which was very bad) at the local community college. that's when i found photo shop. found i was good at that. Did a few few years touching up pics and maintaining an adult site (ugh that's a whole other life i wish not to return to). I took a bunch of odd jobs in between. Costco, cingular tech support, real estate loan officer. Then a friend of the family needed a production guy that could be trained and on to the sign bus i went. i took home that huge flexi manual read it from cover to cover. Now several flexi and roland training courses later i have found this biz to be awesomely rewarding. i also have the pleasure of working close to a "letterhead" so i think my sign training will be well rounded out here in the next few years.

(if only i could finance my own store, lol)

 

[Bigdawg]

I was taught paste-up and layout at 17 by a company that was sick of the art students they hired not being able to do the work (wasn't artsy enough for most of them). Didn't know a thing. Excellent mentors throughout the way and classes where needed. Picked up photoshop and illustrator quickly and just ran with it. I think everyone has their "thing" they naturally do well and prepress/graphic design was always mine with an emphasis on the technical end.

 

[Rick]

All of the above.....

From being mentored, Art Center drop-out, worked at one man shops to large design firms and everything inbetween from being a grunt to a senior designer.

 

[Westcoast Sign Guy]

Getting a Mac+ with 1meg of ram at age 12

 

[ChiknNutz]

Self taught, or group taught by many on here and elsewhere. I have a degree in Mechanical Engineering and have worked in Aerospace most of my adult life so far. Most all of that time was spent in front of a tube designing this and that. Designing aircraft parts and signs is a lot different, but I'm getting better at it all the time...I hope. I've been fartin' 'round with computers since they first became available to common folk, so the technical side is pretty easy for me. It's the artisitic side that I struggle the most with.

 

[Techman]

marketing and, add layout design, and marketing, and more marketing research, marketing consultant, public speaker on marketing. Chem E major at University New Orleans, Machine design and manufaturing, geeses to much to talk about..

 

[Arlo Kalon 2.0]

"Traditional" way... apprenticed at 3 shops to "old timers" sign painters who were my heros. Had 10 yrs under the belt before I saw first Signmaker4, and realized early on big changes wre coming. Bought 3rd Signmaker sold in Dallas/Ft. Worth area and experienced lots of frustration educating customers to vinyl! Self taught all vinyl methods and proposed franchise shops before there were any to two affluent businessmen - weren't interested!

 

[Billct2]

"Intial Training" Butera School of Art - Sign Divison
One year fulltime student in lettering/brush control/layout etc.

 

[oreen]

10 years of Autocad - College. Self taught Photoshop and Illustrator.

 

[Gene@mpls]

I did 2 years of electronics training in 1965-6 and a year of programing (fortran, bitran etc) after that. Worked in the Aerospace electrical industry until we landed on the moon. Restored / repaired / constructed Corvettes and street rods for 30 years. Bought equipment 8 years ago and recv'ed
2 hours intruction in FlexiPro and my daughter and I taught ourselves the
business from there. I did not even know a signmaker until a few years ago
when they started coming in to have things done. Now we are signmakers.
I LOVE THIS BUSINESS! What a great country this is- you are free to sink
or swim, or waterski if you can. Gene

 

[EndlessOptions]

Worked on computers in the air force in the early 70's then started striping cars when I got out in 1976. Bought an Atari 800 XL when they first came out and can't count how many computers I have had since then. When I started striping cars everything was custom designed, now everything is designed on computers and easy to install. I used to hand cut lettering and graphics out of vinyl, I can't draw but I do well with vinyl, a computer, a cutter, and a printer.

 

[doug rontz]

Self taught, late 70's early 80's economical bad times I lost a good paying job due to the energy crisis my plant shut down, always had alot of intrest in drawing & art, read a few books actually recommended by my high school commercial art teacher, a lot of trial & error practice & word of mouth advertizing went into it fulltime 1987.

 

[Bobby H]

Hmm. My training. Let's see.

I started hand painting signs when I was in junior high back in the mid 1980's. By that time I was already making illustrations for local newspapers.

I attended School of Visual Arts in New York City from 1987 to 1991, finishing with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, major in Illustration. I also did some work with a sign company in Staten Island making some hand painted signs.

During my time in New York I got to play with a decent number of computer systems and work with the first versions of CorelDRAW, Illustrator, Freehand, etc. A friend of mine worked at WNYW channel 5, and that allowed me to get some hands on experience with a Quantel Paintbox. The million dollar machine was amazing for what it could do -in 1988. The past few versions of Photoshop blow that system away.

After college, I worked at a TV station in Georgia learning all sorts of new stuff -not exactly related to illustration. But the economy was in the toilet, especially for creative types, at the time.

I wound up falling back into the sign game in 1993 after spending some time working in Dallas with a couple different marketing companies. The sign company where I work made me a better offer, in a much lower of cost of living environment, and the job was stable. Been at the same place to this point. Not sure I'll spend the rest of my career there (other pursuits like HD motion graphics may call), but I'm making the most of things while I'm there.

 

[Pro Image]

2 years High school Drafting and Design, 4 years of Industral drafting and design in College. I got my first system in 95 and have been going since signs for 11 years and screenprinting for 7 and will keep going and going and going.........The thing that helped me out that Casmate and later Inspire is a lot like Autocad in the layout of things. Im self taught in Corel, Photoshop and a little Illistrator. Just after I opened my door a Man that hand letter in town still going at the young age of 82 saw me putting up parking lot signs at his church, well to make a long story short he "showed me the WAY" it was B.C. (befor computers)He was a real joy of a person to be around, Mr. Delp pass away 3 years after we first met, He came to my shop and "loafed" everyday he was abel to up to his passing. His style is some what of my own now and I owe it all to him.............................

 

[OldPaint]

born 1945....give ya a start point. 1st grade teacher told my parents they had an artist ...who was way ahead of the others in class. so i drew most of young years and got into
building model cars and really loved paintin them. all thru grade school was the best in art never got less then A or better. same with high school. was 10-12 yrs old and was introduced to SIGN PAINTING from 2 fantastic artists. one wasa local guy who could draw anything!!! my parents owned a bar so i had a lot of people comin in there. then one day this old "shakey jake" showed up, he was livin and workin out his 49 BUICK 4 dr. had it all lettered up and drank himself to death. but in the short time he was around me he taught me all he could give a 10-12 yr old kid. only real sign instruction i had. while in high school i discovered SHOP...wood/metal and my 2nd love DRAFTING!!! 8th 9th grade it was a course you had to take, 10-12 it was elective, so i took it. between the shop, art & drafting classes i held at all A's ...made my grades high enough to graduate. got out high school worked construction and then went to a 2 yr DRAFTING school. then NAM started and we had the DRAFT... so rather then bein a grunt/ground pounder i joined the air force. they discovered my art abilities once i got to permanent duty station, and it was my ticket to special treatment. i did all the charts/graphs/stenciling and lettering. even drew up flip charts for officers to give presentations. so it kept me out the crap work and i got more time off then most.
1969 i was workin asa draftsman in maine building metal buildings. did that and a few signs and race cars for 4 yrs.
1975 checked into drug rehab, had cops lookin for me in 3 counties. would up in a rehab place that was not like any other. after my insanity was put to rest and gettin my life back i discovered POTTERY!!!! never messed with it before. one of the things that i too to and could do without much thought. within 9 months at the rehab, i was off to PENN STATE COLLEGE as an art major and the assistant to the art prof. also was employeed by the college to teach pottery in CON-ED classes in the community. when the art prof wasnt in class i taught. learned a lot there. still my love of the brush and signs would come out in most of the art i produced and sold.
1985 gettin older, tired of workin for people who are dumber then me......tryed a few sign shops for employment but they all wanted me....but didnt want to PAY ME. 1986 i got fired from a job and i said thats it....iam gona do SIGNS!!!! so i been at this since 1986 full time. 86-93 with brush ONLY!!!! 93 i discovered computers, they pissed me off.....and i dug into em 100%. i bought my 1st one(built from local computer place)from their on ive built every one ive had....and many more for other people. iam the guy most call when their computer wont work. did signs in sarasota fl from 86 till 98 and moved to pensacola in 98 and just built me a 24x30 shop on the property.....and them people that where dummer then me are still workin where they was IN 86!!!!!! wonderin how i did without there JOB!!!!

 

[kgirl]

signtrainer.com videos

 

[skyhigh]

Did you ever hear that expression, "Jack of all trades, Master of none" ?

Back in the 80's I started my own ad agency. I worked hand in hand with the print shop that I subcontracted out to. For a few years I learned graphic design on the computer and also learned the actual printing process. I did that for a few years before I ventured out and bought my own print shop. I had 4 presses, a hugh camera, plate maker, paper cutter... ect....along with 4 employees.(this is all a sideline to having a regular job). I quickly learned that trying to do it all was too much, so I decided to keep designing and selling advertising and go back to subcontracting the printing end. I sold some of the equipment to one of my employees (who is still in business to this day).
Many years later, a good friend of mine started doing vinyl graphics ( a computer and a 24" roland table top). After 4 years or so, he approached me about buying his equipment (it turned into a job for him). He thought it was right in line with what I had done in the past. He showed me a few things, and I was hooked from there. That was about 3+ years ago.

Time to back the boat up......
Shortly after college (political science major) I attended night school at the local vo-tech for electrical construction, which has come in real handy also.

Jack of all trades.... trying to master signmaking.

 

[Craig Sjoquist]

taught by mike lehane .. in st paul voc tec great teacher... after painting signs for my 1st year thats when I found a school ...that I needed badly lol .. relized it would take 10 years to learn well , but knew this was my lifes pleasure .. still at it 30 yrs later,.. but make better money doing non skill jobs ... computers have distroyed the pricing here in orlando also design skills it's sad ... have fun and enjoy

 

[SignMan Sez]

Took art classes in high school on Long Island in N.Y., and had to design a record jacket. My choice was Lou Christie's "Lightning Strikes". Two of my art teachers recognized my gift and said "if you like it, pursue it". Thanks to Deward Eades and Joe Layden's encouragement, I asked around and my cousin introduced me to Jim and Lou Mantione. Right out of high school I got a job at Niemeyer Sign Co. working in the spray booth and being a "gopher". I learned by observation the craftmanship of Mike Cordaro and the creativity of my foreman, Jay Malsky. I practiced at home after work, and after five months, I was laid off from my job (for "political" reasons...seems the foreman's son-in-law needed a job!). That was 37 years ago, and I have been self-employed ever since. I credit Robert "Bobby" Hansen as the one who inspired my first attempts at hand pinstriping.
I made a name for myself on the Island, doing signs, race cars, pinstriping and custom graphics. I moved to Illinois in the early '80's and by '86 had painted most of the businesses' signs and vehicles in the small town of Morris. We moved to Sierra Vista, Arizona in '86, and in Aug. of that year the first auto rebates came out, and I was approached by a local dealership to do "those california-style window graphics" on a storefront. Having "visited" CA in '72 for six months, I was exposed to the window art of Terry Wells, so I was familiar with window "splashes", but never had the opportunity to do them. Within six months of painting splashes I knew I had found my "niche" and they soon became 50% of my business. We moved to Missouri in '90 and it has been my mainstay ever since, covering several states.
I don't own a plotter, but have 4 friends in the biz that wholesale to me what little vinyl work I need cut. My good friend, "J.B." and I have teamed up to paint sub-contracted gym floor graphics. At 55 yrs. old, I still enjoy hand-lettering, but appreciate the computer as a design tool, especially for scaled layouts and presentations. I know I'm considered a "dinosaur" by today's standards, but.... "I'd rather paint signs than work for a living any day of the week!"

 

[signz]

Hi All,
2 year course, (not including the 2 summer sessions for silk screening, hey had to work some time!)at Los Angeles Trade Tech college.
Then out in to the real world!

Bob