Honours boards are one of the trickier tasks in the sign painter repertoire. In fact, many signwriters steer well clear of this type of work, with good reason. It can be frustratingly fiddly work, especially if you add gilding into the equation too. But it can also be one of the most rewarding aspects of the trade, as I am discovering.
I will admit to being somewhat reluctant to take honours board lettering on at first, but it's been such a constant and reliable work source for my family for so long, that it just felt natural to try and continue. Even during the vinyl years, honours boards were one of the few jobs that dad could still do that kept him familiar with his brushes rather than just using the computer and plotter. And once you're on board with a client, it's the kind of work that requires updating year upon year, so it can become a good, reliable income.
Until last year, I tended to still offload honours boards onto dad. He still enjoyed doing them and could certainly turn them out at a better pace than myself. But, for such delicate work, it can be quite draining, both in terms of the concentration involved, and the physicality involved sometimes, especially if the lettering is in an awkward position, or if ladders are involved. So, keen not to rely too heavily on my 75-year-old dad, I made a decision to accompany him on the jobs, familiarise myself with the clients and locations, build my confidence and speed up by getting stuck in, and eventually rely less on the old man.
And I feel like things are going to plan. Much improvement is needed, but I feel like I'm achieving a decent standard. My first jobs were for a local gold club and were written in an unfussy, casual lettering style, so we're a good place to start. One of the most appealing parts of lettering honours boards is attempting to distinguish the different writers who have contributed to the boards, seeing how the letters evolve over time as different signwriters have worked on them. From my point of view, you want to attain a certain level of consistency on the boards, so you study the older lettering and attempt to match your lettering to it, while also recognising that there is appeal in the different hands involved and the subtle differences visible as your eyes scan down the lists of names. I worked on some boards last year that dated back to the 1800’s. On other boards I have seen the evolution of letters from my grandfather, through to my dad, and now to me. That means something.
The photos here are from a local bowling club. I had the pleasure recently of lettering and gilding the 2021 trophy winners updates, the first entries since the pandemic. I took the opportunity to take some photos of some of the earlier entries. These, in particular, were of a ridiculous standard and I wanted a record of them to keep as a reference. The capital letters are approx 18mm, the lower case letters are 12mm.
