Things to do · Arts and crafts
Learn traditional signwriting
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Traditional signwriting is lettering painted by hand with a brush, drawn and spaced without computers or masking tape and steadied on a mahl stick. A one-day course takes you from basic strokes to a block alphabet and a small lettered panel to take home.
Moderate£100 to £500 / $130 to $650MonthsIndoorsWith othersUK and US
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What you learn first
The Weald & Downland Living Museum's one-day introduction, taught by Wayne Osborne of Osborne Signs, starts with tools and their care, paint and brush skills, and basic strokes leading to a block alphabet. In the afternoon you lay out and space a design to make a lettering panel to take home. Groups are limited to eight.
Joby Carter's five-day intensive in Street, Somerset, goes further into layout, shading, lining, scaling and drawing letters by hand, letter spacing, colour contrast, paint consistency and using a mahl stick. Materials and lunches are included, and students keep three starter brushes. Every date listed up to October 2027 was sold out when we checked.
In the US, short workshops at the New York Sign Museum and Northwind Art School cover letter construction, brush handling and hand-drawn layout. For a full qualification, Los Angeles Trade-Technical College's Sign Graphics programme, which marked its hundredth year in 2025, leads to a certificate or associate degree over four semesters, starting with a course in individual lettering.
Ways in compared
| Where | Format | Cost (as last listed) |
|---|---|---|
| Weald & Downland Living Museum | One-day Introduction to Signwriting; tuition and drinks included (November 2026 run, sold out) | £135 |
| Joby Carter, Street, Somerset | Five-day intensive; materials, lunches and three brushes included | £895 |
| Northwind Art School, Port Townsend | Two-day Intro to Sign Painting, beginner to intermediate, 18 and over (2025 run) | $430, including a $55 materials fee |
| New York Sign Museum, Brooklyn | Two-day Introduction to Sign Painting with Letterboy; brushes, paint and workbook provided (2026 run) | $750 |
| Los Angeles Trade-Technical College | Sign Graphics certificate or associate degree, four semesters | College enrolment fees; not given on the programme sheet |
The Weald & Downland and New York Sign Museum courses both suit complete beginners; the New York workshop says it is open to all levels, especially beginners.
How to start
- Book a beginners' day or weekend with a working signwriter, a craft museum or a sign museum; the best-known courses sell out months ahead.
- Practise the basic strokes and a simple block alphabet on paper between lessons.
- Wear old clothes or bring an apron or overalls, as the Weald & Downland course asks.
Where to go
- Weald & Downland Living Museum: Introduction to Signwriting UK
- Joby Carter: Five Day Intensive Signwriting Course (Somerset) UK
- New York Sign Museum: Introduction to Sign Painting workshop US
We opened these links on 13 November 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
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Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Courses and classes have start dates and can fill up, so the plan begins with finding and booking one. Kit comes after the first session, once you know what you need.
Questions people ask
Can you learn signwriting in a day?
You can learn the basics. The Weald & Downland one-day course goes from basic strokes to a block alphabet and a lettered panel, but a full college programme such as LA Trade-Technical College's runs over four semesters.
Do signwriting courses provide brushes and paint?
Many do. Joby Carter's five-day course provides all materials and three brushes to keep, and the New York Sign Museum workshop provides drafting tools, brushes, paint and a workbook.
Where can I learn sign painting in the US?
Workshops run at the New York Sign Museum in Brooklyn and at Northwind Art School in Port Townsend, and Los Angeles Trade-Technical College offers a Sign Graphics certificate and associate degree.
How much does a signwriting course cost in the UK?
As last listed, £135 for a one-day introduction at the Weald & Downland Living Museum and £895 for Joby Carter's five-day intensive.
Where this comes from: Weald & Downland Living Museum, Introduction to Signwriting; Joby Carter, Five Day Intensive Signwriting Course; Joby Carter, Five Day Intensive Signwriting Course dates and price; New York Sign Museum, Introduction to Sign Painting Workshop with Letterboy; Northwind Art School, Intro to Sign Painting; Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, Sign Graphics programme sheet; Los Angeles Community College District, LA Trade Technical College celebrates 100-year anniversary of sign graphics program. Opened 13 November 2026.
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