On Saturday 8 March 2025, the doors to Joby Carter’s signwriting workshop in Street will be open to the public for an open day designed to showcase the traditional skill of signwriting to a wider audience.
What can you see at Joby Carter’s signwriting workshop open day?
The open day on Saturday 8 March will provide a rare opportunity for the public to see signwriters painting a variety of lettering in different styles. It’s an ‘open house’ type event where visitors can come and see a variety of different hand painted signs on the walls of the workshop as well as watch live demonstrations including how to use a lining brush to paint lines freehand and how to blend two colours.
The event is a chance to ask questions about signwriting and traditional decorative skills or to simply watch, enjoy and take photos of these traditional decorative skills in action.
Demonstrations will be available throughout the day with two specific demonstrations being hosted by Joby in the morning:
- 10.30 Joby Carter: Creating straight lines using an English coach lining brush
- 11.30: Joby Carter: Blending colours for special effects on backgrounds or lettering
You can also enjoy a complimentary tea or coffee while you watch the demonstrations.
Joby’s signwriting supply shop which sells specialist enamel paint, brushes, Joby’s books and other signwriting materials will be open throughout the open day. Visitors can also browse the signwriting gift section which includes fine art prints of Joby’s lettering designs, fridge magnets, jigsaws and the hand painted alphabet letters from Joby’s book All the Fonts of the Fair.
Why is Joby hosting an open day?
Joby knows that by giving people to see traditional skills in action, the more likely they are to take an interest in the craft which helps keep the skills alive for future generations.
Since completing an apprenticeship in signwriting when he was 17, Joby has spent the last 30 years developing his signwriting techniques, specialising in fairground art styles. He is well known as an advocate for traditional skills and has taught over 1000 students how to signwrite via his signwriting courses. He has written two popular signwriting books: Signwriting Tips, Tricks and Inspiration and All the Fonts of the Fair which have sold over 18,000 copies. He creates lettering designs by hand using traditional techniques which have been passed down through the generations: skills that can be traced back to Victorian times. There are no computers or modern design software programmes used in Joby’s workshop: he lets the brush do all the work.
The aim of the day is to spread the love of traditional signwriting and keep up the interest in the craft.
When did Joby Carter relocate to Somerset?
Joby relocated to Somerset from Maidenhead in 2024 and moved into his new workshop in Street in January 2025. His goal is to make this workshop the home of traditional signwriting by offering a range of learning opportunities, free open days and an online shop selling signwriting supplies and lettering inspired gifts.
Since relocating to Street, he has already hosted two signwriting courses and has two more planned: one in March and one in April. These courses attract a national and international audience with some students flying from America, Australia, Canada, Europe and across the UK to attend. In May he will also be hosting a guest workshop with Argentinian signwriter Gustavo Ferrari who will be teaching the art of Fileteado, an Argentinian style of decorative folk art.
How did Joby Carter learn to signwrite?
Joby was shown how to signwrite the traditional way from a master signwriter called Stan Wilkinson who himself had learned via an apprenticeship acquiring trade secrets and skills that can be traced back to the Victorian age. Joby learned in the early 1990s when signwriting as a profession was going out of fashion due to modern techniques such as vinyls being used on signs and vehicles instead. Growing up on the travelling vintage funfair Carters Steam Fair (which was owned by Joby’s parents) meant that the vintage rides and sidestalls became Joby’s canvas with plenty of opportunity for a variety of lettering styles to be painted.
Joby says:
I’ll be 50 this year and I feel quite duty bound to share these skills: we need new people to come into it to carry this on when we’re not here anymore. Upskilling others adds to the whole signwriting community. If you show people how traditional signwriting is created, it makes them appreciate it and value it even more, which encourages the craft even more. Hosting a free open day is a great way to showcase the traditional skills to a new audience. Of course, there’ll be signs you can buy and prints you can take home on the day, but you can come and spend nothing and just enjoy yourself. I welcome everyone of all ages to come along and see for themselves.
Joby Carter: open day details
Date: Saturday 8 March 10-4pm.
Admission: Free entry for all. Well behaved dogs are welcome on a lead.
Address: Unit 18 Rockhaven Business Centre, Gravenchon Way, Street, BA16 0HW
Parking: There is free parking in the neighbouring areas but please park sensibly and courteously.
Travel:
- 13 miles from Castle Cary Train station
- 28 miles from Bristol Temple Meads Train station
- 25 miles from Bristol Airport
- 5min walk from Bus Stop at Sainsburys Street
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Find out more:
You can read about previous signwriting open days held in Maidenhead on the blog:
Signwriting Sunday: a new opportunity to discover traditional skills.
A day of hand painted letters: Signwriting Sunday launches successfully