I got call last week that my friend “Mr.J” was going to embark on special project: a Wayne Jessel replica of his 1956 Chevy Sedan Delivery YOO HOO TOO that he raced in the sixties and that “Mr.”J lettered back in 1966.  Julian “Mr.J” Braet has been in the sign/auto graphics industry for more than forty years. As a kid, he constantly drew cars and monsters that he copied out of car & movie magazines. At the age of eleven, he created his first “weirdo” shirt, using black magic markers & fluorescent spray paint after seeing an article by Ed “Big Daddy” Roth in a car magazine. (These were small books, that cost only 25 cents, and you could hide them in your school books.)

That same summer, after seeing an article on “Pinstriping” by “Von Dutch”, Julian bought his first pinstriping brush, some paint, and as they say “the rest is history.” After painting his way through high school, ”Mr.J” landed an apprenticeship with one of the best “show card/sign” artists in the East Coast, “Tony Anthony.” My association first started back in the 1970s when I meet him at a place call Circus Custom Paint where he was letter some of the best looking funny cars in the country for the likes of Jungle Jim, Brutus, Broadway Freddy, Mandingo  and more.

Fast forward to the present: “Mr.J” is writing articles for the top sign and auto graphics magazines, working for companies such as “Media-Iwata” airbrush, “One-Shot” paint, “Roland Digital Corp.”, “Rapid Tac”, “Createx Paint”, “Art tools”, “Sign Gold” and others, serving as both a consultant and a spokesperson at National and International sign conventions and Letterhead/ Pinhead events. He is also one of the original “Pinheads” (#5) and has been inducted into the Pinstriper’s Hall of Fame.

“Mr.J’s” extensive experience in both pinstriping and lettering has led him into developing his own signature pinstriping brush. He began by cutting and trimming pinstriping brushes, experimenting with different lengths and thicknesses. “Mr. J’ started his now famous “Xcaliber” pinstriping brushes considered  best thing since sliced  bread. Check them out at  www.xcaliberart.com.