Taking traditional signage to the masses


Wayne is now the author of four books, the latest of which (The Essential Guide to Hand Painted Signs) was released last month.


Wayne also teaches, tutoring people


wanting to enter the industry at least one day a week. In writing the books and teaching, Wayne hopes to keep the interest in this skill alive, and to encourage more youngsters to take up the trade. “There aren’t any schools offering sign writing any-


more, so there’s no place for the next gen- eration to learn,” he says. “If people don’t pass on this trade to the next generation, it will disappear – we need to do that. To do my bit, I’m writing books, running workshops and teaching people, and hosting exhibi- tions to show people how letters are painted.”


Wayne doesn’t just teach locally – he has travelled to Belgium, Bahrain, and Spain to work on projects and teach sign writing. He has also taken his skills down to Zambia, Africa, a place he’s now visited six times. A woman who owns a safari lodge there initially contacted him in


Wayne has made six visits to Zambia to carry out his work whilst inspiring the locals.


want of handpainted signs, as stickers just wouldn’t suit the aesthetic. He created over 80 signs for the lodge, and having gotten involved in the local community, he now returns once a year. “I’ve done signs for the Zambian police force, the airport, everything,” he says, adding that youngsters are often quick to want to watch and learn.


Wayne also uses his signwriting skills to work on other projects to inspire and cap- ture attention. “I did a massive word painting on recycled materials, on which I painted the lyrics of one of Amy Winehouse’s lyrics,” he says. “It was a limited edition project ap- proved by her mother Janice Winehouse to celebrate her music, and it allowed me to take my signwriting skills and exhibit that this skill is still alive.”


www.waynetanswell-signwriter.co.uk


ISSUE 167 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016 Sign Update 71


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