Portfolio - P.G. Smith Design

Coca Cola Vintage Sign

The contractor who brought me this sign is a collector of vintage Coca Cola memorabilia.

Steve bought this sign from a local dealer and it was totally thrashed. The sign face was barely readable and we figured it to definitely be a vintage Coca Cola sign.

What I thought to be one of the finer points of the sign was the metal border. It was tiered stamped metal and had rounded corners. The separate border was about eleven inches wide and had junction pieces that acted as decoration on the border.

I made traced over what was left of the artwork and then researched Coca Cola signs to try to find a similar looking sign.

Steve brought me a Coca Cola vintage sign book and we found artwork that was used on signs like this one. I had purchased a book with Coca Cola art also. He cleaned the metal and got it ready for priming and then I did the background and border in Fire Red. The most difficult part was duplicating the illustration from the picture in the book, but after several trying attempts it started to have the look of an old Coke sign. I painted the illustration with acrylics, Mann Bros. to be exact.

Once completed, I made brackets for the tiered border so they could be mounted on the old sign and then aged the sign to have that ‘vintage’ look.

Steve was happy with the finished sign and it now has a place at his home.

Sketch for the Christmas House

The ‘Christmas House’ was down the street from my sign shop in Rancho Cucamonga. The sign was in need of repair so I asked the owners if I could do a sketch and bid on a new sign. This was pre-computers when all of my drawings were done with pen and markers.

I usually did a pen sketch to make sure I was on the same page with the client and also tried to have a proposal ready. If all was copacetic, I would furnish a colored drawing and take my deposit to start the work. I did not get this job, but I always liked the sketch.

Chili’s Big Mouth Burger Interior Sign

This interior sign was done for Chili’s Restaurant in Aliso Viejo back in 1997. I believe they contacted me from the phone book.

I did all the interior signs for this store and they were all on brick walls. At the time they furnished the patterns but the technology wasn’t good enough to get a clean pattern. The pen work had too little detail and there was no flow to the lines as I remember.

I requested a picture of the logo and enlarged it, then I did a trace over for a transparency to use with the overhead projector.

I used a large hand held pounce wheel to make the transfer holes. I used felt as a backing for the wheel on pattern paper. Whenever I’ve worked on brick or any rough surface the need for larger holes is imperative because of the rough surface. I had an electric pounce machine but the holes were not adequate.

The brick was also brutal on my fitches but the job was finished in the time frame given. A ‘fun’ job!

Breezy’s Lookout Hand Painted Sign

I used hdu for this hand painted sign because of it’s durability and ease of carving. I was contacted by a friend of this client who wanted to have a memorial sign made for her friend’s horse that had passed away.

I met with the client at her ranch and she showed me where the sign was to be placed. It was a habit of Breezy’s to stand at this spot and gaze at the country side. She gave me a picture of Breezy and I used this to paint the picture in the oval.

I made a couple of sketches and Vicki picked the one she liked and I did a color comp for her review. I decided to use High Density Urethane board because of the elements. It is 2” thick. This ranch is in Orange and I wanted it to have the old California look. Like the vintage Orange Crate Labels. I hand carved out the background around Breezy to get a ‘leather’ look.
I used acrylic on the picture and enamel for the lettering. I installed the hand painted sign on the corral metal posts using gate hardware.

Bonita Ranch Outdoor Sign

Bonita Ranch has an outdoor billboard sign to identify its campground. It is located in the Devore Pass at Lytle Creek, Calif.
I had found out an old friend of mine owned the place and I stopped by awhile back and noticed that the existing sign was in bad shape. I suggested to the owner that I’d like to do a couple of sketches and if she liked the ideas for the new sign I would give her a price.

Becky loved the sketches and after adding some amenities to the sign she ok’d moving forward. It is a 4’x10’ and back framed with 1×4’s. The sign is primered front and back and the background painted with enamel. I hand lettered all the copy with One Shot enamel and camel hair brushes.

The waterfall is a focal point at the campgrounds. It sits up on the mountain but is visible from the site. Bonita Ranch sits next to Lytle Creek and is quite beautiful and gives the impression you are deep in the mountains.

The illustration of the waterfall I painted from a furnished picture of the waterfall and used my overhead projector to place it on the sign.

I delivered the exterior sign and Becky contracted out the installation. They did a good job of removing the old sign and installing the new exterior identification sign.