Thank you for taking an interest in the great trade of sign painting.
“My primary artistic goal is to show the world how a great American craft was passed down through generations, usually from master to apprentice. Sign painters once created signs like these on a daily basis in every town and city across America before there were ad agencies, graphic designers, and computers. I hope this beautiful craft and skill never dies out.”
-Mark Casey
I am Mark Casey, a traditional sign painter since 1974. I am now retired and working out of my house nestled in the forest outside the wonderful city of Port Huron, Michigan.
Please peruse my work. If you have questions or comments, please contact me.
Some of my works are reproductions of actual vintage signs, usually with changes that I consider “improvements”. Some of my signs are original designs done in a style that mimics a vintage style.
36” x 48” oil paint on wood
This Goebel’s sign is painted in oil based enamels. The border is gilded with Dutch gold. I applied a tinted glaze over the surface to yellow it like it has hung in a smoky small town pub since Prohibition ended in 1933.
48” diameter wood panel
How old is that sign?
Sometimes my signs are more effective when I distress them, suggesting that they were painted by a sign painter decades ago.
For me, old beer labels are a favorite source of vintage graphic design. The lettering was usually designed by hand, and that made it unique. Reproducing one of these by hand on a large scale is a treat for me.
48”x72” hand painted on wood
Cadillac Brewing Company, which bore the family crest of Detroit founder Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, brewed beer on the city's east side. This is a replica of the great beer label design dating to around 1934.
Oil paint and gold leaf on wood 48”x72”
Wall ornament.
Wood signs are as old school as it gets. Painted fresh, then distressed, these signs give serious atmosphere to any room, garage or gathering place.
My Background
I apprenticed under master sign painter Ernest Giordano in the 1970’s. I have painted signs on storefronts, trucks, boats, glass, masonry walls, wood and metal. I’ve made gold leaf signs, paper & cloth banners, and showcards. With my sign painter wife Wendy, our entire working lives were spent making signs in our garage behind the house.
I also collect old books on sign painting (great reference material).
Started Casey Art & Design in 1974
1974 - 1981
Started Casey Sign Co. in 1981
1981 - 2016
Started Detroit School of Lettering in 2017
2017- presaent
Started Old Sign Painter.com in 2021
2021 – Present
This sign’s letters are glue chipped, a 150 year old process involving rabbit skin glue that bites into the glass and shrinks. It rips out small shards of glass like popcorn, leaving behind a pattern that when gilded, looks very classy. The edges are “nipped”.
14”x26” reverse on glass. 23kt gold leaf and 12kt white gold with a gilded nipped edge border.
I painted the Zildjian logo in 5 different gilded metals to show the different effects. The last panel shows the beauty of a “directional burnish”. It is flat.
The Zildjian company was founded in 1603. They still make their cymbals today.
This sign is 10”x 48”. I lettered it with acrylics on wood.
Interesting fact: Bicycling was crazy popular in the late 1800’s. They say this bicycling era set women free to explore the world on their own, and exploded the old notions of how a proper lady should dress in public.
This sign is 16”x 76”. The fine crackled background gives it a nice vintage look I think.
Interesting fact: Heritage seeds are original seeds that have been cultivated for over 100 years.
In the 20th century, 75% of food crop varieties have disappeared. Many of today’s seeds are GMO’s (genetically modified) that are created, patented, and owned by a corporation. It is illegal for a farmer to save today’s seeds or plant them the following year.
FAQs
Do you teach classes?
I used to host weekend workshops in my old shop with Detroit School of Lettering, but that nice shop space is gone now. I’m not ruling out doing workshops in the future, or demonstrations or presentations, but at this point in my life, just painting signs for fun is all I want.
Do you take on custom orders or commissions?
I worked for clients for over 45 years. For now, I’ve stopped doing that. Presently, I paint signs that I just enjoy doing. It is my way of exploring styles and techniques that clients rarely wanted to pay for, but I always wanted to try. Thanks to the Letterhead sign painting movement and Rick Glawson, some of these clever and fascinating old techniques have been rescued from historical obscurity.
Why do you use a mahl stick?
I learned to use it as an apprentice. I like how it keeps my lettering hand clear off the surface of the sign to swing freely with no friction. Many good sign painters prefer not to use a mahl stick. Their lettering method is usually either “hand-over-hand” or “pinky down”.
How do you transfer your layout?
I almost always make a “pounce pattern”. I first draw a layout on paper, then make a series of tiny holes in the paper by tracing my lines with an Electro Pounce machine which burns holes through the paper with intermittent electric sparks. Charcoal dust is dabbed through the holes and the layout is thusly transferred onto the sign. Michaelangelo used pounce patterns for the Sistine Chapel using a hand held wheel with pins around the perimeter.
How long did it take you to learn the trade?
I’m still learning. Sign painting is a lifelong learning curve where you never seem to notice that you’re better than you were last month, yet you never achieve perfection. It can be humbling. Like most hand-eye skills, it just takes practice. I like to compare it to learning to play a musical instrument. You can get as good as you want to, but many beginners often underestimate the amount of time it takes to learn all the tricks well.
Can I be your apprentice?
Things have changed. It’s not like the old days. The closest thing to an apprenticeship with me is where you would “shadow” me on a work day and watch me draw out a new sign pattern, coat out the background, transfer the pounce pattern, and letter the sign over the course of a couple days. You could take pics, video, and ask questions about my sign painting techniques. There there would be a charge for this.
MORE FAQs
What kind of paint do you use?
I’ve always used Ronan brand oil based enamels or OneShot oil enamels because that’s what we used during my apprenticeship 50 years ago. They both work great for me and are still available, but their chemistry has changed a bit (for the worse) to accommodate EPA rules. Sometimes I letter with water based Aquacote (by Ronan) depending on the final look I am going for. These paints are sold by several outlets on the internet.
What kind of brushes do you use?
With oil based enamels I always use a natural hair brush. The ones I use are made from natural animal fur. Synthetic hair brushes are my preference when using water based paints like Aquacote. I buy my brushes from Mack Brush Company (not a sponsor), family owned since 1891 in Michigan.
Is gold leaf real gold?
Yes. I use 23kt gold on my signs (24kt is “pure” gold). It looks beautiful as it reflects light, but is unaffected by water or UV rays. By “engine-turning” or “spinning” a fresh gild, brilliant patterns can be created. History has shown entire roofs of buildings and churches gilded with the same gold leaf I use on my signs. It is virtually impervious to the weather. King Tut’s gold leafed trinkets were still shiny after a few thousand years!
Where can I learn sign painting?
The last school I knew of was L.A. Trade Tech in California, taught by Doc Guthry, but that is now gone. Books, internet sites, and videos can provide most pertinent information to get started, and can also be the source of great inspiration. Keep in mind that every sign painter has his/her own ways of doing things. Chances are, the more experience an author has, the more helpful their descriptions will be.
How do you price your signs?
All my life I charged by material cost and hourly labor. No longer. I price my signs now as art; and the value that particular sign is worth to me. Heck, Andy Worhol painted a Cambell’s Soup label sign and sold it for a quarter million dollars! And I letter better than him.
What is gilding?
Gilding is adhering very thin leaves of metal (gold, silver, copper, aluminum, etc.) to a surface that has been painted with “size” (a varnish-like adhesive) yielding a bright metallic surface. Lightly scratching that surface will reflect the light in different directions or patterns. On clear glass, the gold is applied and lettered in reverse. The gold is adhered to the glass with a “size” made of melted gelatin capsules. “Burnished gold” as it’s called, looks like a golden mirror.
