© 1998 Élaine Beauchemin

the text may be a little bizarre

I am french speaking and not that fluent in English spelling. Please understant that my vocabulary and/or composing skills are limited. So be indulgent and report any mistake or mispelling.

Thanks

Élaine (aka scrip)

e-mail :scripsit @Mlink.net

Thank you for being here !

The Letterhead's Place is so full of good fellows it's almost incredible to believe it! By cross linking all that knowledge together world becomes a better and nicer place too!

As soon as my hands could grab a pencil (a pen or anything that could marque on a paper...stylus would be a nice word here ... wouldn't it be?) I've started scripting letters on my older sister's school books. Sitting all day long in the basement stairways "applying myself"(m'appliquant à) to follow the traced path the best I could. And loving it so much. Family's friends talk to me all of the time I would ask them to draw some lines on a paper. I would then take that piece of paper and markers and make some cute drawing out of scratch. Or then again...coloring books with my dad was so fun! The odor of the Prismacolor crayons hummmmm!

My parents had a nice Pine farm in the "eastern townships" we went there every week ends :-) On the road to "Roxton Falls" just before entering the rural road there was that most intriguing place my mind could dream of...The sign man's place...I could never see what was happening there...sometimes I could catch a glance of it! And it seamed so mysterious.

My first recall of a "sign"

I was around 9 years old maybe a bit less than that and I managed to letter a sign post for the RR we lived on.The name of it is "petit 9"/(small 9)wich you can make the "9" design look as the letter "q" Facts are that letter "q" in french is the same pronunciation as "but" (U know!) So it was kind of funny too! Believe it or not, my favorite activity in school was drawing or art related subjects. Got to be a singing soldier in a Christmas play (nice memory from then) having done my costume pattern myself. I do love singing and signing !!!!!

Wend the time to choose a working path came (usually late adolescence (but may vary)) I turned out to chose "graphic arts"closely related to commercial artist that we are. Was BC time (before computer)[thanks for that clever expression!]hummmmm! Had all kind of classes. colors/sculpture/photo/design/illustration /screen printing/calligraphy/presentations Was soo cooooool! 3 full years. Made a couple of $$$ on commissioned jobs

I was a happy face.

It was in 1981 I've encounter the first sign painter wend my uncle asked me to "do the lettering" on his trucks. He had 5 of them. Bright red trucks. Freshly out of school graphic artist I thought that they were screen printed...and I say yes to my uncle. Made a little research and found out the way sign people made that kind of stuff. I had ... one shot, stabilo, bon ami, thinner, rags and a non quill brush (retouching brush) Lucky me! I had the chance to meet with a real 6'4" sign painter: Jean Mondou. He told me I didn't had the right brush and gave me one #4 lettering brush. Told me how to do a pounce pattern and how to use it ;-)Trucks was much easier to deal with and I started the long path of learning the trade at that same moment! Merci Jean!!!

A week after he asked me to help on a 45' trailer for hasbro toys. Up on the stairs for reaching the sky! Was working at a photocopy place at that time real awesome Xerox machines for that time. I went to a store that was opening and asked them if they had any signage need or whatsoever. At my surprise the guy answered Yes to my quest! 2 paper banners and the scrubbing of the entrance tiles! Deal! Afterward one of his buddies asked me if I could reproduce something special . . . showing me a gold leaf job. Said I could try . . . Back lettered a gold leaf mat inside and a mirror outline on a black background. Purchased Mr. Leblanc Gold leaf technique books and started some testing and went on with the job! Two 18" x42" and two smaller one (I wish I could find a photo of that 1st one . . . as it does exist just don't know where it is)

Then went to learn more of the brush stuff and trade with Jean Mondou working with him for three years before he sold out his co. to a Theme decor Place (Décor Cherrier) been theree 7 years in charge of the lettering and design department.

Afterward I quit the job and then started Lettrage Scripsit in dec. 1989 in a room of my apartment... then moved to a bigger spot and then to a 1750 sq ft. one where I wish to preserve that way. Small is beautiful!!! Could still use a bigger office :-)