Area signmaker revives brush-and-board branding

NORTH CANAAN — When Dylan Vadakin drives around the highways and byways, his focus is on the signs he sees along the way.

As an artist and musician, his creativity was spurred on two years ago when he began learning about the art of hand-painted signs, and he now admits “it’s become an obsession that’s spiraling out of control.” He’s taken up this new endeavor, speaking enthusiastically and excitedly on the topic.

“I can now easily determine those that are hand-painted from those digitally produced,” he said during a recent interview. “A lot of mass-produced signs are made from vinyl and the print is put directly onto aluminum.” He believes those are not as easily read as the hand-painted ones, which give clear and bold messages.

“When there is physical interaction with a sign, it will give the viewer a more intimate understanding of what the client needs the public to know,” said Vadakin, 32, who splits his time between North Canaan, where he was raised, and Boston.

A tattoo artist for the past six years, he has now opened Slow Burn Signs. He began by collecting random and cheap items he could paint on, such as wood and old windows; enjoying the practice of reuse.

He has some friends who were starting small businesses and he painted small signs for them to build up his portfolio. One friend owns a pinball arcade in which Vadakin’s “Play Pinball Here” entices customers, while another is on Counter-Intuitive Records in Boston. Some of his work adorns vans and he’s done a sandwich sign for the Falls Village Package Store. He’s now working on a banner for a wedding. His clientele is slowly building up.

Asked what makes a good sign, Vadakin said, besides the messaging, colors and tones are important and it needs to be free of clutter. Hand-painted ones have a warm and genuine quality. They also possess longevity. As for design, he said he goes through phases.

“Right now I’m into bulky, block letters,” he said. “I can play with perspective a lot, with some parts receding and others coming forward. But legibility must be maintained.”

He said signs have become his real focus and he can’t go anywhere without them screaming out at him.

He finds it frustrating there’s only one trade school for hand-painted signs that’s in San Francisco. It’s difficult to find courses, but he’s been fortunate to have some professionals giving him advice.

Vadakin is a graduate of Housatonic Valley Regional High School and Berklee College of Music, where he majored in vibraphone.