Issue 05 of BLAG Magazine: Adventures in sign painting craft, community, and culture. Visit bl.ag/05 for more from inside the magazine, and see all back issues here.
Specifications
- 172 x 250 mm (6.8 x 9.8 in)
- 80 internal pages + 4 cover pages, staple bound
- Limited edition sticker sheet insert with Dapper Signs tributes
- No advertising
- Printed on 100% FSC certified recycled using eco-friendly inks; 115gsm uncoated for the interior pages, and 250gsm anti-scuff matt lamination uncoated for the cover.
Contents
Ye Olde Sign Shoppe
An ode to Henry Coley Smith’s twenty years as a Midlands signwriter.
Ghost Sign Corner
Nayab Ahmed’s psychogeographic map of London ghost signs.
Shop Talk
A mega commuter sign painter working for Disneyland and his own shop.
Heritage, Hand-Painted
Restoring ghost signs, and painting new murals to last.
All Aboard Secret Santa’s Sleigh
Christmas sign swaps around the world.
Adventures in Central America
Sign spotting and slinging paint in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panamá.
Dapper’s Delight
Words and signs to honour the brilliant life of James Cooper.
Inside Letterform Archive
The analog process of lettering legend Michael Doret.
From Hobbyist to Handcrafter of the Year
Winning the top craftsperson prize, while holding down a day job.
Marginal Gains
Embracing negative space for a positive piece.
Art with a Purpose and a Past: The Durham Bannermakers
Hand-painted banners with messages of social justice.
Alphabet
A medium weight condensed block for tight spaces.
Glass Half Full: Success with Smalting
A sparkly smalted sign restoration by Hired Hand Signs.
Lettering Location
Preserving the lettering of Viennese shop signs.
Riding the Sign Painting Rollercoaster
Sthlm Signs’ sign painting adventures at the Gröna Lund theme park.
The Decorated Oxcarts of Sarchí
A traditional Costa Rican craft recognised by UNESCO.
Interowriting
How names define our identities—and our societies.
The Secrets of Fileteado Porteño
Learn how to paint the horses of Fileteado.
Book Club
Fairground alphabets, icy caps, morgues, and murals.
Doing it the Right Way
Managing client, and your own, expectations.
Sundries
Wise words, gilding samples, a vintage sign kit, and more.
Meet the Letterheads
Letterheads recaps from Australia and New Zealand.
bl.ag online
Highlights from the online articles.
Thanks
Contributors, patrons, and sponsors.
