New signwriting studio opens in Glasgow's Southside

Signwriters Rachel E. Millar, 29, and Hana Lindsay, 25, first met during a workshop that Rachel was teaching a few years ago.

Hana started as a newcomer but fell in love with the trade and went on to found Sure Signs Glasgow.

Now the pair have teamed up with Duncan Peace, 36, of Peace Signs, to bring their dream of a signwriters-only studio to life.

Bungo Sign Co, located at The Deep End on Nithsdale Street, opened two weeks ago and has allowed the artists to build on each other’s experience.

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Hana said: “It’s really nice to work with other people who do the same thing as you.

“You can bounce ideas off each other, you can share equipment, you can share jobs, you can speak to each other and get advice.

“It just makes such a difference to be around the people who do the same thing as you.”

Traditional signwriting is a big part of Glasgow’s history and has seen a contemporary resurgence lately as more artists gravitate towards the art.

Hana said: “I think Glasgow as a city is very into craft, traditional craft, and signwriting plays into that.

“The city is really good at bringing back old crafts and appreciating them, there’s more space for it, especially with the tenement buildings.”

Rachel added: “What we do is definitely a contemporary version of signpainting.

“We’re not traditional style, we pick up lots of different contemporary styles and use them in our work, and our collective of being three sign-painters in the one space is a new thing.”

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Duncan said: “I love that signwriting is so varied. One day you can be 100ft up the side of a building doing massive letters, the next it’s some intricate gold leaf work.”

The trio hope to inspire more people to take up the trade and have found it especially popular with hobbyists looking to get a break from their day jobs with some hands-on fun.

Rachel has noticed the benefits of the new studio after hosting the first round of workshops in the space earlier this month.

She said: “It was so good to have the space, everything just in the one place ready to use and to help people out with the design of their piece.

“At the end of it, people love it. They take away this thing that they’ve done from start to finish and it’s a really good achievement for them.

“Using their hands as well, you know these people sit at a computer all day every day for the entire week and so at the weekend if they come away with this thing that they’ve made, they’re really proud of it.”

Rachel added: “They start off with brush strokes and getting to know how to use the paints and the brushes because it’s quite a specific technique that we use.

“It’s not like oil painting, it’s very controlled and smooth, so we have everyone doing that for a bit.

“Then we start drawing letters and painting them, and by the end of the weekend everyone has a board with their chosen one word on it that’s a sign painted properly, with nice effects and good colours.”

The artists plan to develop the workshops and eventually host some for intermediate painters looking to take the next step and improve their techniques.

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Hana said: “A lot of people say it’s really therapeutic as well.

“You start off really slow and you’re really focused, and it’s nice to just get into that, it’s quite a relaxing weekend in a way.”

The artists have a lot in the pipeline, from community murals to preparing hand-painted tiles and riso prints to sell at Park Lane and Deep End markets in time for Christmas.

Duncan said: “I’m really excited for the new workshop.

“We’ve got a good bit of experience between us and a lot of drive.

“I think we will push and inspire each other to take our painting to the next level and it’s also a way to connect with the local community.”