Lmst

'I walked south-east along the dark streets, leaving the small houses huddled behind me over crooked pavements and their sleeping cars.
Strange trees had dropped sticky berries in the night.
I walked past the dark skate park, ramps like sculptures. Past stunted husky palms and finally into the vineyards where generous skies opened above me, brightening with the approaching dawn.
I took the short-cut through a spirit field, home to rabbits, pigeons and waist-high fluffy white plants.
And just beyond that, with a thrill of excitement, I glimpsed the great shiny mirror of the étang dArnel.
Not a soul around apart from the birds and the occasional leaping fish.
I crossed the rough causeway and sidled off down the cycle path to the side. Long wet grass, squelchy with mud underfoot but the view made up for it all.
Not a cloud in the sky.
Not a wave on the étang.
Everything perfect and polished with the sublimely beautiful colours of the rising light.

And when the sun appeared over Palavas-les-Flots, bathing everything in angry orange light, it was almost a disappointment.'

This is my last French landscape and this one's for me, remembering a moment of pure wonder.
I might still write 'TAM - bus ligne 32' at the top because that was part of the journey.

#sunriselandscape
#villeneuvelesmagulone
#etangdarnel
#acryliclandscape
#stillwater
#jillstrongart
#jillstrongsigns

A calm landscape with sunrise colours in the sky and reflected in the still water of a mediterranean lagoon painted in acrylics by jill strong the vintage style text underneath reads villeneuve les magulone

Ben, one of the founders of the Electric Bakery in Bude (UK) had always imagined the Bad Brains album cover when they chose the bakery's name... but with the lightning hitting the Bude storm tower instead of Capitol. I rattled his idea off in an evening.
And here's my concert ticket from The Astoria London, 29th September 1989 ;-)

#badbrains
#badbrainstheband
#hommage
#oldpunks
#oldpunksneverdie
#rastapunk
#panafricancolours
#alwayshandletter
#jillstrongart

illustration of a yellow lighting strike hitting the storm tower in bude uk hommage to bad brains the band drawn by jill strong

circular black and white sky hatching and some lettering by jill strong

the original bad brains yellow tape cover which shows a yellow flash striking capitol which is exploding surrounded by the pan african colours and the words bad brains in red yellow and green on the left hand side

selection of uk concert tickets from the late 1980s and early 1990s including bad brains, anthrax, jah shaka, fields of the nephilim and jello biafra

Hommage to Bad Brains' 'Yellow Tape' as a t-shirt design for Ben the Baker at The Electric Bakery, Bude UK.
Swipe to see the original, Bude's storm tower and my 1989 Bad Brains concert ticket.

#handstyle
#fancylettering
#panafricancolours
#rastapunk
#badbrainstheband
#oldpunks
#oldpunksneverdie
#alwayshandletter
#alwayshandpaint
#letteringartist
#letteringartistcornwall
#rockandrollletteringartist
#womenwhosignpaint
#jillstrongsigns
#jillstrongart

Hommage to the Bad Brains yellow tape cover as a yellow lightning bolt hits the storm tower in bude uk

The original Bad Brains artwork for the yellow tape cover with a yellow lightning bolt hitting capitol

The storm tower, Bude, UK - a small octagonal building on the ridge of a hill

Paper concert tickets from the late 1980s and early 1990s including Bad Brains, Jah Shaka and Anthrax

After a six-month break from social media, I'm back in the workshop. Big exhibition planned at The Castle, Bude, UK for September 2026.

#handstyle
#blackletter
#tuscan
#sanskrit
#ornamentallettering
#fancylettering
#funkylettering
#victorianornamentedlettering
#nineteenthcenturytypefaces
#amberedsilver
#fauxgoldleaf
#flamboyants
#alwayshandletter
#alwayshandpaint
#letteringartist
#letteringartistcornwall
#rockandrollletteringartist
#womenwhosignpaint
#exhibitionatthecastlebude
#jillstrongsigns
#jillstrongart
#nahmateimakecakesnow

Brightly coloured cut-up squares of typography by jill strong scattered on a white background

Had a top day out in Marseille, meeting my favourite (living) graffiti lettering artist @fuego_29 for a sign swap.
Look the way his beautiful fire lettering moves... crazy talented dude :D
In return, I did some of my 'fairground tuscan' style with ultra-black shadows.

Took the slow train south to spend time taking in the dusty countryside and vinyards I'll soon be leaving :-)

#fuego
#firelettering
#graffitilettering
#signswap
#trocdepano
#fairgroundtuscan
#nineteenthcenturytypeface #victorianornamentedlettering #alileaf
#flamboyants
#vantablack
#musoublackpaint
#alwayshandletter
#alwayshandpaint
#peintreenlettrestresrock
#peintreenlettresdrome
#womenwhosignpaint
#letteringartist
#jillstrongsigns
#jillstrongart

Two signs on black backgrounds both painted with the word fuego in orange and yellow, one in graffiti wildstyle, the other in fairground tuscan lettering

When your children built a raised bed from found wood and you could quite resist hitting it with the Blackletter ;-)

#blackletter
#thecoffin
#nosferatu
#signpainter
#signwriter
#letteringartist
#alwayshandletter
#alwayshandpaint
#gothicmum
#rusticblackletter
#recycledwoodraisedbed
#jillstrongsigns
#jillstrongart

Rustic raised wooden flowerbed with the words the coffin painted in blackletter on the side

Clothes horse full of kanji.
These are for a friend's end of school year dance performance; painted on sheets of white fake leather, they're flexible enough to stand being whirled around.
We added the red marks so her pupils can easily get them the rightway round :-)

#signpainter
#signwriter
#kanji
#kanjidancesheets
#japanesecalligraphy
#fakeleather
#jillstrongsigns
#jillstrongart

Large white sheets marked in black ink with japanese kanji set out to dry in the sun on a clothes horse

'Brochier-Basso plage' is a sign in the style of the Parisian metro that I made for my friends Audrey and David.
They've turned their garden into a mini water park and this sign sits proudly in the beach hut.
The sign is completely flat with the tile border painted as trompe l'oeil. Swipe to the last photo to see the flat version.

I did this in the middle of winter and not wanting to stink out the house with oil-based paints, did the whole thing in acrylics.
This is custom lettering, based on Art Nouveau letter shapes and the seven millefiori underneath hold a significance for the B-B family.

Gimme a shout if you want something similar or see other signs and skateboards for sale in my shop: jillstrong.bigcartel.com

#brochierbassoplage
#brochierbassobeach
#malissardplage
#fictitiousstationsign
#fauxstationsign
#parismetrostyle
#parismetrosign
#artnouveaulettering
#fauxartnouveausign
#fauxenamelsign
#customsign
#bespokenamesign
#bespokemetrosign
#parisianmetrotiles
#millefiori
#blueandwhite
#chicdecoration
#chicgardendecoration
#beachhutsign
#personalisedgardensign
#personalisedpoolsign
#interiordecorationidea
#exteriordecorationidea
#retrolettering
#handdrawnlettering
#acrylicpaints
#artisansign
#europeandecorativeart
#wallsign
#decorativewallsign
#largeletteredwallsign
#woodenwallsign
#retroletteredwoodenwallsign
#alwayshandletter
#alwayshandpaint
#signwriterdrome
#peintreenlettrestresrock
#peintreenlettresdrome
#peintreenlettres
#womenwhosignpaint
#letteringartist
#jillstrongsigns
#jillstrongart

Large ultramarine blue rectangular wall sign with white art nouveau lettering which reads brochier-basso plage painted by jill strong

Large ultramarine blue rectangular wall sign with white art nouveau lettering which reads brochier-basso plage on a turquoise beach hut wall painted by jill strong

Urban beach hut with a dark blue and white custom wall sign

Sixty days to go till I move back to the UK and here are three, pre-2000 paintings waiting to be packed.
At the back, a tribute to Jamie Hewlett's 'Tank Girl' from 1995. It's all hand drawn on marbled paper and stuck to a piece of wood.
In the middle, part of a painting called 'The Dream' from 2007.
At the front, 'Sugar 1' from an exhibition in 2006.

#tributetojamiehewlett #tributetotankgirl #1990sart #fanart #handdrawn #greboart #dreamart #popart #leavingfrance

#jillstrongart

Three colourful paintings by jill strong propped up in front of a bright red wall

Three pre-2000 paintings waiting to be packed up.
At the back, a tribute to Jamie Hewlett's 'Tank Girl' from 1995. It's all hand drawn on home marbled paper and stuck to a piece of wood.
In the middle, part of a painting called 'The Dream' from 2007. At the front, 'Sugar 1' from an exhibition in 2006.
This was all before I started learning to letter properly, but I often included lettering in my work.

All three will be moving back to the UK with me in June. Sixty days to go :-)

#tributetojamiehewlett #tributetotankgirl #1990sart #handdrawn #greboart #dreamart #popart #leavingfrance
#jillstrongart

Three colourful paintings by jill strong leaning against a bright red wall

Three paintings waiting to move to Blighty.
At the back, a tribute to Jamie Hewlett's Tank Girl from 1995. It's all hand drawn on home marbled paper and stuck to a piece of wood.
In the middle, part of a painting called 'The Dream' from 2007.
At the front, 'Sugar 1' from an exhibition in 2006.
This was all before I started learning to letter properly, but I often included lettering in my work.
All three will be moving with me in June. Sixty days to go :-)

#tributetojamiehewlett #tributetotankgirl #1990sart #handdrawn #greboart #dreamart #popart #leavingfrance
#jillstrongart

Three colourful paintings by jill strong propped up against a bright red wall

When I finish designing a logo/lettering for a client, the usual format for the graphic guidelines is a PDF, which they can send to anyone who needs it.
This time, working for the new Grand Barry bakery which will open in Vercheny, I used some scraps of wood and rattled off one letter to see what it would really look like. Check the little flashes of gold leaf.
Pretty tidy, huh?
The real thing will be 4m long. Still not sure how I'll deliver it but I can't wait to start the build...

BTW, I'm not taking any new French commissions now - go hassle my co-worker Yoann @lepignonpeint

#grandbarry #boulangeriepatisseriedugrandbarry #ornamentedlettering #fauxgoldleaf
#woodengraphiccharter
#chartegraphiqueenbois
#alwayshandletter
#alwayshandpaint
#signwriterdrome
#peintreenlettrestresrock
#peintreenlettresdrome
#peintreenlettres
#womenwhosignpaint
#letteringartist
#jillstrongsigns
#jillstrongart

A square framed ornamental capital letter g in various shades of green resting on a wooden table top designed and painted by jill strong

A space weather inspired pub sign :-)
I check the swpc.noaa website quite often as I like to see what the sun's 'face' looks like, what the auras are up to and I find the solar wind prediction model incredibly soothing... A bit like the BBC shipping forecast.

This is (faux) gold leaf and gold enamel paint. Commissions taken - get in touch if you want it, or something similar.

#thecarrington
#carringtonevent
#solarflare
#spaceweather
#spaceweathergeek #spaceweatherpredictioncenter
#pubsign
#goldandblack
#goldleaf
#goldsun
#alwayshandletter
#alwayshandpaint
#signwriterdrome
#peintreenlettrestresrock
#peintreenlettresdrome
#womenwhosignpaint
#letteringartist
#jillstrongsigns
#jillstrongart

Black rectangular pub sign with a large gold sun motif and the words the carrington painted underneath all by jill strong

Here's some experimental Blackletter - more info over at my main account:
https://pixelfed.social/jill.strong
(Nope - still haven't managed to switch this one to that one yet).

#blackletter #blacklettercalligraphy #warpedblackletter #magicpeoplevoodoopeople
#theprodigy
#vantablack #musoublackpaint
#alwayshandletter
#alwayshandpaint
#signwriterdrome
#peintreenlettrestresrock
#peintreenlettresdrome
#peintreenlettres
#womenwhosignpaint
#letteringartist
#jillstrongsigns
#jillstrongart

Yellow to blue horizontal gradient overwritten with warped blackletter calligraphy and shapes painted by jill strong

Experimental lettering piece (no shit ;-)
I love Blackletter calligraphy and have practiced it on and off since I was a teenage vampire.
It's a very regular lettering and I think that's why I love the idea of warping it. Obviously this is really easy in Photoshop but without a computer?
Here's an attempt at warping Blackletter using nothing more technical than messing with the lines its drawn on.
To be continued :-)

#blackletter #blacklettercalligraphy #warpedblackletter #magicpeoplevoodoopeople
#vantablack #musoublackpaint
#alwayshandletter
#alwayshandpaint
#signwriterdrome
#peintreenlettrestresrock
#peintreenlettresdrome
#peintreenlettres26
#peintreenlettres
#womenwhosignpaint
#femmepeintreenlettres
#letteringartist
#jillstrongsigns
#jillstrongart

Lemon yellow to blue gradient with warped blackletter lettering painted over the top which says magic people voodoo people painted by lettering artist jill strong

Lemon yellow to blue gradient with warped blackletter lettering painted over the top which says magic people voodoo people painted by jill strong

Lemon yellow to blue gradient with fluid black forms painted over it by jill strong

I only agreed to build a double-sided, sacred heart swing sign for boutique La Grainerie in Crest because I knew it'd be an interesting learning curve.
So here's me the other day as I bounced gently on it, trying to squish out the glue between the laters.
Due to for delivery on the 10th March - watch this space.

#makingitupasigoalong #sacredheart #coeurdevoto #swingsign #fauxgoldleaf #panneaudrapeau #crestdromefrance #lagrainerie #alwayshandletter
#alwayshandpaint
#signwriterdrome
#peintreenlettrestresrock
#peintreenlettresdrome
#peintreenlettres26
#peintreenlettres
#womenwhosignpaint
#femmepeintreenlettres
#letteringartist
#jillstrongsigns
#jillstrongart

A pair of feet in Doctor Martin boots standing on a golden heart sign in an attempt to squash the composite layers together

BARGEPOLE, besides being an object, is also a British expression; a shortened form of 'I wouldn't touch that with a bargepole.'
It means 'no way.'
An example: 'Do you have a Facebook page' and I could answer 'Bargepole.'

For the letterheads, this is inspired by a 1817 Vincent Figgins typeface.

#bargepole #vincentfiggins #letterheads #victorianlettering #ornamentedlettering #goldleaf #signpainter #letteringartist #signpainteruk #jillstrongsigns #jillstrongart #letsescapethemetaverse

Iridescent and gold leaf fancy Victorian letters B and A on a royal blue background hand painted by lettering artist Jill Strong in 2025

Iridescent and gold leaf fancy Victorian letters R and G on a royal blue background hand painted by lettering artist Jill Strong in 2025

Iridescent and gold leaf fancy Victorian letters E P and O on a royal blue background hand painted by lettering artist Jill Strong in 2025

Iridescent and gold leaf fancy Victorian letters L and E on a royal blue background hand painted by lettering artist Jill Strong in 2025

Hello peeps,
Here's an image from my solo exhibition called 'ILLISIBLE' (which is French for 'unreadable'). It's Au Tribouli, Crest, France.
Because I'm a sign painter, people often concentrate on the word I've written rather than enjoying the letters. So I took my trusty old Makita jigsaw to a load of practice signs and made these.
DM me to buy one 🙂

#jillstrongsigns #jillstrongart #popart # letteringart #alwayshandpaint #alwayshandletter #illisible #artexhibitioncrestfrance
#crestdrome

#jillstrongart

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