Sign painters are few and far between these days. The reason for this is there's no-one training for this dying art. Practically every sign painter was taught by an old pro and learned the art, but he had to be able to take constructive criticism.
Actually painting a sign or rather hand lettering kind of took a back seat to other methods of lettering a sign, in the recent past. Computer generated signs seem to be the hot spot in the sign industry. Anyone who could spell would type in the copy, size and font style, then a plotter would cut out the vinyl letters. All they had to do was then stick them on whatever surface they chose. You didn't have to be an artist, you just needed to be able to read a ruler.
Go into any town and you can find these shops anywhere, a lot of the times they will be incorporated with some business as a side line.
Back in the 60s and before, neon signs were real popular and they lost ground to the internally lit signs made using plastic faces. The only places neon signs stayed in constant use were in cities like Vegas etc. They are being used more each day now, seemingly making a comeback back in lesser populated areas also.
Getting back to the actual sign painter, he is very much in demand now. The reason is, computer generated signs have no character compared to a well designed hand painted sign. And if they are painted correctly, they usually last longer than the vinyl ones.
I just retired after painting signs for a little over fifty years, but I still enjoy painting occasionally. Especially if it one that doesn't require climbing.
So, if anyone is interested in learning this trade and wants to know how to paint a sign, their best bet is to find a actual sign painter and work out a plan to work with him for the training and supervision you will need to succeed. There are alternatives such as online training (art course) available for those who want to learn and does not have someone to teach them, This will take you longer, because you want have over the shoulder supervision, to correct you as you make mistakes. Oh yes, you will make mistakes because it takes time to perfect this art form. But, well worth the effort and you can have fun while learning as well.
Some of the sign painting basics needed to learn are formatting and separating the copy into categories and laying out the sign for painting. Also choosing the the best material for the sign, choosing style of letter (font) that would best reflect the business and colors that would be appealing or matching an existing sign.
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