World renowned signwriter Joby Carter has been teaching traditional hand lettering and painting online since the beginning of the UK lockdown. Over the past 5 months he has taught 25 online courses to over a thousand students all around the world. This September he is launching new and updated versions of your favourite courses based on feedback.
Traditional signwriting had been a dying art form because of cheap fast alternatives like vinyl stickers. However, recently there has been a growing interest and respect for the skill, with many pubs and cafes choosing lovingly hand-painted signs.
Who teaches the courses?
The courses are taught by traditional signwriter and fairground artist Joby Carter who has over 28 years of experience. He was taught the craft by Stan Wilkinson, following a signwriting lineage that dates back to the Victorian era. Signwriting was traditionally only passed down from one signpainter to another but Joby is passionate about keeping the traditional craft alive and enjoys sharing this knowledge with his students.
He has been teaching signwriting for over 10 years and in the past 5 months he has learnt a lot about how best to teach online. The new courses are packed with information which is delivered in the most effective way. Joby’s teaching experience together with the improvements to the programme based on student feedback make this possible.
Who can take the courses?
Everyone is welcome! There is no experience needed. The courses are designed for beginners, but graphic designers, illustrators and artists from all walks of life have also found them useful because Joby goes right back to the basic principles of how to draw letters, and builds up from there.
The best way to enjoy the courses is to first attend Learn About Letters which covers the basics of how to draw letters correctly and from this base, students can enjoy more advanced courses like Fancy Letters and Fairground Art.
What do the courses include?
Each course runs Monday to Friday with a one-hour live session over Zoom each day at 6pm GMT+1. The students have their cameras and mikes turned off and use the chat function to ask questions. They get given homework to practice between sessions. Course attendees are also invited to join Joby’s private signwriting Facebook group for past students which is a great place to share your work and ask for tips from fellow signwriters.
How have the courses been improved?
Joby Carter’s most popular online courses will be returning in September 2020 in their brand new revised forms. We’ve listened to your feedback and improved the layout and content of each of the courses. They now include new alphabets, new printable resources and -best of all- each live session will be recorded and sent to you so that you can watch the class again whenever you want.
Learn About Letters
Learn how to draw letters correctly, accurately spacing them and mastering the tricky letters, like ‘S’ and ‘M’. Practice different alphabets.
Brush Strokes
Joby demonstrates how he paints a series of pre-laid letters so you can see his brush strokes and learn how he does it.
Fancy Letters
Learn about block lettering, the 3D effect, understanding shadows, blending, bevelled lettering, colour combinations and more.
Fairground Art
Learn flamboyant painting, lining, scrolls, blending, marbling, colour combinations, the history of fairground art and more.
Scroll Course
Signwriters use scrolls to embellish signs. Learn how to draw and paint them with the correct negative space, blending and block.
Coach Painting and Lining
Learn about undercoats and topcoats and how to prepare different surfaces, coach line, paint on non-flat surfaces and more.
Special offer
We are now also offering the possibility to book on all 6 consecutive courses for the price of 5, click here for more information.
Past students say:
“I decided to try out Carters online course as a taster into the world of signwriting. As a complete novice, I knew basically nothing. In the 5 day course I’ve learned how to write a variation of different fonts and how to measure them, what tools and paints to use, tips and tricks and techniques for painting letters. The course was fun and entertaining, yet educational. I have learned so much and will definitely be back to do more courses.”
Macauley Hutchinson (@retroworksscotland on Instagram)
“I’m a digital designer so I work with type every day, but Joby’s course made me realise that I haven’t looked at the actual letterforms this closely in years! Seeing how much practice goes into sign writing is staggering, and it was a privilege to get an insight into it all from someone with such a deep and interesting experience of the craft. The class covered a surprising amount for five hours and had a good-hearted atmosphere which made it feel truly special.”
Kate S. (@katesigrist on Instagram)
“I thought the virtual layout was very effective, and I thought that Joby packed a lot of fun and useful information into the 5 hour-long sessions. I took so many notes and sketches and have learned so much that I would highly recommend it to anyone who is even the slightest bit interested in lettering and signwriting as it’s an absolute goldmine!”
Charlie Jefferey (@artfulcharlie on Instagram)
“The virtual courses are a wonderful way to build new and specialist skills which can be practiced at your leisure. I have learnt a huge amount from both the Learn About Letters and Fancy Lettering that I now feel confident to practice on my own. Joby is extremely skilful but also able to share his craft in an extremely comical and accessible way.”
Abbie Mooney (@mooneyabbie on Instagram)
