The Signpainter’s Art is Alive and Thriving.
Signpainter Carlos Aguilar began his career in art and lettering at the age of 13. Inspired daily by the art in Los Angeles, he began to recognize the beauty and unique style in signs and murals all over the city, and began to practice his craft in earnest. With over ten years in experience as owner of Sign Graf Custom Signs, Carlos has now opened El Sapo Studio, a collective of experienced sign artists who work to create the best custom sign work available. He specializes in custom type, hand lettering and graphics, modern and traditional designs.
Here, a sign painter in Northern Mexico worked this funky freehand cursive with a handful of sweet design tricks: chrome highlights, key lines, drop shadows. It’s slick and awkward at the same time, which makes it especially appealing. So appealing, in fact, that I was compelled to go in and buy something. I walked away with a plaster buddha the size of a deflated basketball that must weigh thirty pounds.
The sign maker’s craft is not a retro obsession. A drive today through almost any thriving Los Angeles commercial neighborhood east of Fairfax will reveal a vibrant living culture of handmade sign painting. From the auto-body shops of Pico Boulevard, to the storefronts of South Crenshaw, to the richly painted storefront bodegas and restaurants from East Beverly Boulevard to Downtown, the sign maker’s craft is thriving.