A pink house, neck-to-toe tatts, and now her very own Barnum-themed Gromit – in the years since Tozer’s move to Bristol 10 years ago, the signwriter has undoubtedly risen to the rank of ‘coolest artists in the city’. But how and why did she find herself forging this very niche (but very successful) career path? Isabelle Blakeney catches up with her to find out…
Picture above: a hand painted Belstaff jacket
Bristol residents are bound to recognise Tozer’s work, even if they didn’t know it at the time. That great big red and yellow Welcome to Bedminster sign? Yep, that’s her! And for those of you just visiting, a huge number of those quintessentially Bristolian, beautifully crafted shop fronts owe their appeal to Tozer’s meticulous brush.
So, what exactly is signwriting? Well, according to the artist’s website, it’s the craft of hand painting signs using traditional materials, skills, and processes, to create work that is personal, unique and long-lasting – not to mention extremely aesthetically pleasing. With more than 10 years’ experience in the game, the Nottingham-born, Bristol-residing Tozer has a very healthy portfolio that includes the huge, iconic murals around Bedminster and beyond, countless fascias, and a whole host of other unique commissions for both businesses and individuals – her career watched eagerly by a 100,000+ strong Instagram following.
When we speak, she’s in her studio, skin and clothes paint splattered, surrounded by commissions and ongoing projects.
“This is how I usually look!” she laughs, showing me a T-shirt to rival a Jackson Pollock. Between the paint, her studio, and the tattoos that cover her arms, it’s clear her artistic inclinations are all-encompassing – enticing a throng of dedicated clients who have kept her employed since she left university.
“I don’t know how it happened, to be honest,” she muses. “Obviously I slogged for those first couple of years, but I did somehow leave university and go straight into full-time sign writing. It’s been a pretty steady rise since then.”
I’d hedge a bet and say that ‘signwriter’ probably wasn’t on her school careers counsellor’s job list. How did she even discover such a niche career path?
“It was quite random, really – I used to follow a burlesque dancer from Australia, and every now and again she’d post her husband, who was a signwriter. And I started following him, and as Instagram does, it showed me a few other local signwriters, and the fascination grew from there.”
Weird and wonderful
It seems she’s always veered towards the weird and wonderful, and her initial attempt at the art form was no different.
“In my first year at university studying illustration, we had a module where they asked us to explore something outside of the core subject. I decided to combine signwriting and taxidermy, so my final project was a collection of signs for a shop where you could get your human loved one taxidermied.”
I’ll admit, I’m slightly horrified to hear this – was that a real shop?!
“No! No, it wasn’t. I’m not sure that’d be legal!” she laughs. “But I’ve actually still got one of those signs, which would have been from just over 10 years ago. It says something like ‘Recently bereaved? Get your stiffs stuffed.’”
The project clearly struck a chord with Tozer, because for the next two years everything became a signwriting opportunity, much to the dismay of her professors.
“I’d go home every day and practise horizontals and straights and curves and diagonals. I’d just try to jam it into everything.”
The practice started to pay off when she got offered a gig updating the A-Boards at a pub in return for burgers and chips, which turned into a steady climb with loyal clients and a full-blown freelancing career.
Despite her professional success, that reciprocity still appeals: “I wish I had more tattoo shops on my roster – tattoos are expensive! I would love to see how much I’ve saved on my body over the years from tattoo-sign trades. This tattoo of my cat was in exchange for some tattoo shop signs up in Manchester,” she says, examining her illustrated arms.
‘Paint fades, vinyl dies’
For Tozer, one particular appeal of traditional signwriting is how sustainable the practice can be. Signs last for decades, centuries even, and the gentle fading over time only serves to add to a sign’s character and historic value.
“There’s this saying in the signwriting community that ‘paint fades, vinyl dies’. There’s very little waste as well, compared to the vinyl and acrylic industries. I know people that have pots of paint from 50 years ago that they still use. And I think that’s why I love Bristol so much as well – there’s a sort of communal understanding that we want to put care into things.”
It’s impossible to box her designs into one aesthetic – there’s the bright, bold style of the iconic ‘Welcome To’ murals, the cowboy-cool Americana lettering, and traditional English typeface gilded in gold leaf, to name a few. Where does she get her inspiration? “Other than designing on my iPad or using photoshop sometimes, I’ve tried to keep the processes and techniques the same as they would have been done hundreds of years ago. I’ve got a huge collection of books, some of them from 100 years ago, that I refer back to. But my own work does have a much more modern, vibrant aspect to it… I get most excited by an email saying ‘Hey, can you do a sign that’s turquoise and bright, garish pink and neon yellow?’ I love pink – my whole house is pink, inside and out.”
Bristol has a burgeoning signwriting community. Tozer’s partner, who you can follow at @cobra.signs (soon to be @tightlinesigns), is also a member.
But there’s one person in particular who has had a huge impact on her life and her creative journey. James Cooper, known as Coops of Dapper Signs, was something of a legend in the community, and pioneered the resurgence of the signwriting industry in Bristol. Coops passed away in 2023, following a period of health problems.
“There were probably thousands of people around the world who were really affected by his passing. He was only 42, but in that time he absolutely mastered and perfected the craft to a degree that I can only hope to achieve in my lifetime.
“It was like he was given a whole lifetime’s worth of talent and skill, and turned it into such a strong and inspiring portfolio of work. He gifted my partner and a sign that says ‘Walk Ins Welcome’ that we have right at the front door, so it’s the first thing you see when you come in. I love that.” Throughout his lifetime, Bristol local Coops saw the craft grow from two professional signwriters to around 15 artisans.
“I think it’ll definitely keep growing. As a society, we’re really starting to want the opposite of the digital, cheap, quick turnaround way of things – we’re craving craft and passion and beauty and attention to detail,” Tozer says.
More paint, Gromit?
And at what’s arguably a peak of her artistic oeuvre in Bristol, Tozer was chosen by the Grand Appeal to paint a Gromit – part of this year’s Gromit Unleashed sculpture trail – her Greatest Showman-themed sculpture taking centre stage in the premium spot (though I may be biased) outside the BRI.
Left: Ringmaster Gromit. Credit: The Grand Appeal
“I got the email at the beginning of January, and I just remember being like… eek!” She squeals. “There’s one aspect of my Gromit that’s unlike the others… it’s got a special accessory [the circus hat] that turned out to be much more difficult to make than they’d anticipated. It was really fun to work with other artists, as well. I’m generally a lone wolf, but it was great to be surrounded by creative energy and see how the other sculptures progressed.”
As flawless as Tozer’s career journey may seem, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. She was “finally” diagnosed with ADHD last year, explaining (though not solving) the struggle to manage workload as a freelancer – a battle that often leads to pendulum swings of blinkered excitement followed by overload and burnout.
“You get excited by all of the opportunities offered up to you, and you can visualise them straight away, so why would you stop it from becoming a reality?” she explains. “But you forget that you’ve offered five other realities to other people, and suddenly you’re overloaded. At the same time, it’s always an opportunity to add more beauty into the world.”
Paint the town pink
In case you hadn’t noticed, between her attitude to life and her immense artistic portfolio, Tozer is undoubtedly cool. But what constitutes cool, to her?
“Hmm…” she lingers on this thought. “I think – not letting other people’s expectations of you change who you are and who you want to be.” And what would her younger self say to her now?
“I think she’d be proud. I’ve always loved art, so I hope she’d be proud that I managed to turn it into something! And probably that I was brave enough to get myself a motorbike licence. Even my motorbike is pink…”
Well, if riding through Bristol on a pink motorbike, painting the city fuchsia, gold and turquoise isn’t the epitome of cool, we don’t know what is…
Follow Tozer’s journey on Instagram @tozersigns, get in touch via her website tozersigns.com or email tozersigns@gmail.com
