vehicle graphic Archives - Sign Smith Sign Painting

Vehicle Graphics RJ Electric

Vehicle graphics is a term in today’s parlance that describes what we as sign painters used to refer to as truck lettering. This would also include pin stripping and any air brushed murals or illustration work done on vehicles. I would also include motorcycles in this category of work.

RJ Electric has been in Orange since 1983. Roger Rohm contacted me to letter one of their trucks back in the 1980’s after the sign painter they had been using retired. I had my shop in Anaheim at the time. I’ve hand lettered all of their trucks since then.
Recently Roger decided to change the logo. All of his older trucks are brown with primrose yellow and dark brown copy.

He called me to hand letter the new trucks. I offered to do part of the copy with vinyl but he likes the hand lettered look. I also did their new outside identification signs. This truck has the new paint job and new logo. As time and money permits, the new logo will be put on his fleet of vehicles.

Disneyland Railroad Tender

The Disneyland railroad was one of the original rides at the park, and all of the trains are hand lettered. I worked at Disneyland for seven years. I did hand lettering every day on projects throughout the park that included window lettering on Main St., wall signs throughout the Magic Kingdom and various silk screened projects and show cards for cast members celebrating retirement or birthdays. In 2005 the park was literally gold leafed throughout, including the Magic Castle and the Merry-Go-Round. It was something to see and I’m glad I got to be part of that.

On this particular job WDI decided to redesign the lettering on the tender for the C.K. Holiday train. Warren asked me to redesign a computer created drawing and draw it out by hand as it was done in the old days.

This is the design that was approved. It is lettered with One Shot enamel. The tender was repainted in the Disneyland Paint Shop and brought to the Disneyland Sign Shop. The work was completed in a large room in the Sign Shop building that was used for the purpose of doing large projects like lettering train tenders.

Columbia Fire Engine Vehicle Graphic

This fire engine is a beautiful machine, gold leafed and pinstriped, It was built in 1926 by Seagraves Fire Engine Company. The placement of the vehicle graphic was crucial to the beauty of the existing paint.

Dave is in the process of restoring the complete truck and wanted a new name designed for the truck and have it placed on the split hood and also on the gas tank. I also did some sketches for the illustration of a ‘southern belle’ to decorate the lower part of the hood. I did several sketches and after they were approved went on site to do the gold leaf and hand lettering.

I worked in a covered garage and Dave wanted to learn some gold leaf technique so he helped me where he could. I did the stripping and all the brush work that you see. The work took several days and it turned out to be a really nice job. I hope Dave learned enough to stripe the rest of the fire truck. I haven’t heard yet how that went.