52 email: editor@signlink.co.uk Issue 266 - August | September 2026 ADVENTURES IN SIGN PAINTING WITH SAM ROBERTS shop covered all the traditional aspects of signwriting and gilding, and he emerged as a well-rounded ‘sign man’. Embracing Technology One of David’s mottos is “never stop learning” and, while traditionally trained, he spent the next 25 years or so working across a range of different sign-making disciplines and technologies. From extralarge dimensional letters and illuminated signs to vinyl and vitreous enamel, he continued to add new skills and techniques to his repertoire. Rather than resisting new technologies like large-format printing, he was driven to learn how they worked and which applications they were best suited to. In addition to design, fabrication, and installation work, David also spent time in project and production management roles, developing his understanding of pricing, scheduling, and customer services. He was often working with blue chip clients, learning how they operate and what they need from the sign shops that serve them. Throughout all of this, his curiosity was a driving force, consistently seeking new experiences that built the knowledge required to solve problems and recommend the best approaches for different customer requirements. Back to the Future After an extended period of time commuting from the mainland to the isle of Wight for his last employer, David began to feel an overwhelming desire to go it alone and, in doing so, return to his signwriting roots. This came to a head in early 2020 and, although unconnected to the onset of the Covid19 pandemic, he set up his current business, Signmode, in February of that year. Based in Worthing, West Sussex, Signmode is a full-service shop, but the vast majority of its output is 100% hand painted. Most of this is subcontracted from larger sign firms, with a smaller portion comprising local, private clients. David has relished this new direction and his passion for the craft is felt by his loyal and growing clientele. He has been able to draw on his decades of industry experience to quickly build a thriving business doing what he loves. He credits another technology – LinkedIn – as a solid marketing platform, alongside his existing network and word-of-mouth recommendations. His work now takes him all over the country, with pre-dawn starts not uncommon, but doing it for himself, which makes it all worthwhile. While speaking with him, he was in the middle of a project that required renting temporary space at Brighton City Airport to accommodate a series of handpainted safety screens for a 140m-tall student accommodation building in Canary Wharf. Some of these measure 14 × 7m, with their efficient production facilitated by the use of mask and spray techniques – “It’s all about finding the best way to deliver what the client needs, not forcing a brush into situations where it isn’t necessary,” says David. Passing It On After the 2020 shift in his career direction, David had another epiphany in 2022. This came after attending a four-day reverse glass gilding course in Torquay, Devon, taught by master craftsperson David Adrian Smith MBE. Driving back to Worthing, with his head full of the possibilities emerging from this intensive learning experience, he decided that he wanted to add teaching to his own activities. The result is The Sign Painter and its monthly workshop for those that want to learn some signwriting basics. With groups capped at four people, the hands-on day takes them through the basics, including tools and materials, brush control, and transfer techniques, with each participant taking home a finished personal project. The workshop is a long way from the years-long apprenticeship that David served, but most of his students are essentially hobbyists or those looking to get off their screens and do something with their hands. However, there are often some that have a degree of natural talent and David is actively considering taking on an apprentice of his own one day. And the lucky person will likely pick up a lot more than the technical skills needed to be a signwriter, including that all-important number crunching that makes it pay. Hand lining train buffers, the only way to do this while making sure you don’t fall in the pit – Fenchurch Steam Engine, The Bluebell Railway April, 2022 Hand lining the water tanks, "much easier and cleaner when they are on the train!" – Fenchurch Steam Engine, The Bluebell Railway May, 2022
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