A. S. Handover stock a range of gold leaf from numerous suppliers, but none have such a rich and longstanding history as Giusto Manetti Battiloro. Manetti gold leaf spans 15 generations and over 400 years, and to this day all…
The Sign Painters Academy is an all-encompassing online sign painting course launched by Paul Myerscough of Bespoke Signs. It offers a thorough insight into the techniques and skills needed for a career in sign painting. Primarily video-based, you are able…
I’m so excited to finally have a reverse glass gilding tutorial! Here at Handover, we get asked a lot about the process of reverse glass gilding, Jay Holland, more often known as Greater Opacity, has created this tutorial to de-mystify…
Newcastle based Alex Richardson of Mango Signs has put together this brilliant tutorial on surface gilding and the wizardry of directional burnishing! Check out his video and instructions below, and to see more of Alex’s work, visit his Instagram here!…
Shell Gold – so called because traditionally it was made and stored in a shallow shell such as a clamshell, is genuine gold, finely ground to a pigment and bound with gum arabic to form a solid watercolour pan. Shell…
– “The Poor Man’s Acid Etch” I’m very excited about this customer-created tutorial! Archie of Irregular Signs demonstrates how to create a beautiful texture to a reverse glass gild. Archie is a friend of Handover and has recently painted a…
Next in the customer created tutorials is traditional flower painting. I was lucky enough to meet Steph (and her excellent dog Blue) at the Norwich Letterheads hosted by Kieran Harper and Rizzo Studio. Steph is new to signwriting but has…
This is the first in an exciting series of tutorials and tips led by our customers. The following tutorial was created by The Unlikely Painter, a Glasgow based sign painter and artist who is sharing his method of using mother…
There are a number of ways to transfer a design, the traditional way is with a pouce pattern. This method requires the design be drawn to scale and then the lines are perferated by small dots using a pouce wheel….
The two 1 Shot tints have been specially developed for use with 1 Shot Lettering Enamels. The 4001 Tinting Black produces various shades of grey without streaking when added to 101L Lettering White, and 103L Polar White. It can also…
There are a number of products available that can be used to create a cracked effect for aging and for adding interest to pieces. Below is a rundown of products currently available through A. S Handover. Polyvine Crackle Glaze This…
Back in October, alongside filling the UK with handpainted signs, the gal members of Alphabetics Anonymous, Hana Sunny Whaler and Mia Warner, found time to host an all-women sign painting event at Blue Shop cottage. I (Rachel from Handover HQ)…
1-Shot paints are well known and well loved but they also have a range of additives, one of which is Smith’s Cream. Smith’s Cream is a non-yellowing additive/glazing medium for enamel paint that improves brushability and has strong durability, making…
A little while ago I attended a Kölner gilding workshop run by Gold Leaf Supplies, the UK distributor of the Kölner range, and Richard Walker at Watergild Studios. I got to see first hand how quick and easy it is…
Today I received an email from Alistair Hall, who had noticed our metal lettering stencils have a very particular feature of an angle at the end of the letter. He has been trying to discover the origin of this distinct…
Here at Handover we are always curious about how people are using different materials which is why we were so excited to see Nancy Reyner’s use of gold leaf in her paintings. Nancy Reyner is a painter, author, and teacher,…
In planning since July 2017, Letterheads 2018: London Calling came and went far too quickly following the opening party on 15 August. Now that the dust has settled, the organising team present the following summary of what happened for all…
We love looking at the highlights from a sign writer’s meet-up that took place last month at Light Space, Leeds. It’s always a pleasure to sponsor sign writing events that are full of talent and fun! Hosted by Kieran and the…
Having a clear out of our brushmaking warehouse recently, we came across these fantastic printing plates. The box they were in simply said “Printer’s bookplates” so we guess they were used for printing a catalogue – possibly litho printed, but…