By Cheryl McLean
Posted on Monday, May 12th, 2025
I never dreamt of being a signwriter, but ever since watching my grandfather forming beautiful letters with pen and ink, I have loved beautiful lettering. I began my working life as a schoolteacher. After 8 years in the classroom, I decided on a change, and enrolled in a 2-year show-card and ticket-writing course. It gave me solid training in brush lettering, how to create stunning layouts, and traditional signwriting methods. I was hooked.
Learning, then teaching others
Early in my career, someone gave me copies of SignCraft magazine. The vibrant photos, clever layouts, artist profiles, and even the ad designs were inspiring. These signs were multi-layered, used interesting color combinations, shadows and outlines, had different panel shapes, and beautiful casual brush lettering. I subscribed and pored over each magazine, learning from ideas on every page. The creativity in those layouts was, and still is, an inspiration.
The most rewarding part of this journey has been sharing what I’ve learned over many years. Through SignCraft, I discovered the international Letterheads movement—a community of signwriters passionate about preserving the craft. In 2013, I met Mike Meyer in Australia, who invited me to his Mazeppa Mardi Gras Meet the following year, to demonstrate what I do. He urged, “Just come. It will change your life.” He was right. Since then, I’ve been invited to attend Letterhead meets around the world, taught blackboard art workshops across the USA, Europe and UK, with a highlight being invited to teach at the LA Trade Tech College with the late Doc Guthrie.
It was an honor to teach at the 40th Letterheads meet at Cincinnati in 2015, where I met the artists and contributors to Signcraft that I’d admired for years. What a privilege that was to rub shoulders with the talented greats in the industry. This year, the highlight of my career as I celebrate 30 years in the industry, will be to present a seminar at the 50th Letterheads event, a full-circle moment that I’m so looking forward to.
SignCraft and the Letterheads movement has not only been an inspiration—they have connected me with a global signwriting family and opened up doors I never knew existed. I’m so grateful for the mentors who shared their wisdom both in print and in person, and now I’m privileged to be giving back. As long as I’m able, my goal is to keep inspiring the next generation of hand letterers and help keep our wonderful craft alive.
To learn more about Blackboard Art or upcoming workshops, visit www.blackboardart.com.au or follow me on Instagram @blackboardart_au.
I landed my very first job with the first business card I handed out—a large shopfront window splash. This was the first of many, and with support and guidance of two local signwriters, I spent the next five years hand painting large-scale shopfront windows across Sydney.
One day, a client asked for two large illustrated menu blackboards. I’d never done this before, but without hesitation, I said, “Yes, I can start the job in two weeks!” Great, I now had two weeks to figure out how to do them! Two other kind blackboard artists gave me ideas on materials and methods, and not long after, the signs went to a very happy client. I discovered my niche, and this was the start of my BlackboardArt business. I found that when you specialize people seek you out, and my business grew.
Blackboards are popular because they attract customers. People notice a hand-drawn blackboard. From the perspective of a customer, a professional-looking blackboard says a lot about a business. If the business cares about their signage, they likely care about their service, cleanliness and food. Even in economic downturns, blackboards help boost sales.
My materials
Speed is important, especially when perched on ladders or standing on café counters. There are a variety of materials which work best for particular applications. I love using paint and brush, and sometimes I even use chalk, but my go-to for their speed and practicality are Posca paint pens.
They dry flat and fast, so you can easily re-coat and paint over with blackboard paint without having to sand the surface. You can work at the top of a ladder without having to come down to change colors and wash brushes. They’re so convenient to use and make the job go much quicker. Where a chalk look is requested, I often use non-smudging pastels that look like chalk.
Matte blackboard vinyl, like Neschen EasyDot, is another go-to product. It takes most mediums and can be rolled up and posted—perfect for remote work. It adheres easily to surfaces from walls and windows to concrete pillars—all while being repositionable.
Letter styles
Menus generally change often, so you can’t be too fussy about your sign. Lettering doesn’t have to be perfect, but fonts should be consistent, My advice for anyone starting out, is that you need to master at least three fonts, a script, a block or condensed block, and your own fast, signature font.
Script and adaptations of block lettering are great for headings, while your signature font can be used for smaller copy. Ideally headings should be the same style, and the small print neat but relaxed. Always use a ruler or spirit level when marking out—lines of text must be straight.
Illustrations
I try to give my boards personality, life, and warmth—something digital prints can’t replicate. Illustrations don’t need to be photo-realistic. Adding movement lines, tilted angles, exaggerated perspective, and sparkle will help bring a board to life. You should also learn to illustrate quickly, by studying objects in detail. Look closely at the tones and shape and note the different colors and where they occur. With glass objects like bottles and glasses, look at where the highlights fall, and draw them.
Layouts
Learn to design layouts on the spot. When working out a layout, put the information into blocks, and position each with space around it. Panels, arrows and rows of dots are useful dividers of information. The goal is to lead the reader through the sign to easily find what they’re looking for. No computers required. If you’re able to be a one-stop-shop, you won’t have to make multiple visits to complete the job.
Just one more handy hint: Always check your spelling. After a long day, my last job was a large sign saying “Friday Special – Schnitzel – $9”. Halfway through my hour and a half drive home, I got a call from the manager—I’d left out the “n” in schnitzel! Oops. To make matters worse, I couldn’t get back there for a month. I told him it was a “subtle test to see if people were reading the sign!”
The business of blackboards
The beauty of blackboard work is that it is repeat business. I still get calls from the very first clients I had when I started. There’s also plenty of opportunity to upsell. Recommend signage such as countertop specials boards, outdoor A-frames, an illustrated cocktail board near the bar or a coffee-and-cake board. These can all create additional sales.
One of my favorite jobs involved a client who had a struggling café on a busy pedestrian strip. He begged for help, so I asked him what he wanted to promote. He replied, “We make delicious burgers.” I began by illustrating a juicy burger on a blackboard out in front of his shop.
Before I even finished the sign, he was astonished to see customers looking at my sign and joining the queue which went out the door and down the street. Ten years later he’s still one of my regular customers.
Clients tell me my boards boost sales by up to 500%. Others tell me they can’t afford not to get me back! It’s a really nice feeling to know that you’re helping businesses succeed.
