Sign Painting in Poland – The Traditional Craft of Sign Painting

The Soul of Traditional Craftsmanship

It is precisely human craftsmanship that makes traditionally created advertising messages so unique. Hand-painted signs enhance the prestige of a place and carry a soul – something that cannot be replicated by machines.

Sign Painting Possibilities

Traditional painting techniques offer a wide range of applications:

• Shop signs and advertisements – classic hand-painted lettering for businesses
• Shop window displays - personalized inscriptions on windows
• Gilding and gold leafing – work with elegant letters crafted from genuine gold leaf
• Illustrations and decorations – a form of artistic murals

The signpainters.pl project

The signpainters.pl project was an initiative of Good Looking Studio – a dedicated website created to promote hand-painted signs and lettering in Poland. The project involved several works, including:

• Wallphabet in Saska Kępa – a mural depicting the alphabet painted using traditional techniques
• Soul Food sign at Elektrownia Powiśle in Warsaw
• Window display of the Port Royal restaurant in Warsaw

Sign Painting Workshops

An important part of the project was the organization of educational workshops in 2019, which allowed participants to explore the techniques of traditional sign painting and lettering.

Gilding on glass workshop with Richie Chlaszczak

In November 2019, a two-day workshop was held by Richie Chlaszczak from Oslo, who specializes in sign manufacturing and gilding. Participants had the opportunity to learn techniques used in Edwardian and Victorian England, including:

• Water gilding and oil gilding
• Smooth mixing of gold colors
• Painting gradients on glass using OneShot paints
• Screen printing on glass

Each participant made and took home their own hand-gilded glass sign.

Lettering workshop with Copenhagen Signs

In October 2019, Jakob Engberg (Copenhagen Signs) led a workshop dedicated to hand-painted lettering. The program covered:

• Constructing basic block lettering (Gothic)
• Casual lettering techniques
• Working a brush and mahlstick
• Designing and painting your own layouts
• The pouncing technique for transferring sketches

The workshop was open to both beginners and advanced participants who wanted to improve their skills.

Traditional sign painting techniques still hold their place in the modern world, offering a unique character and authenticity that simply cannot be achieved with industrial methods.