I’m working on a very big alphabet book-style project for my senior thesis at PNCA. That won’t be done until May 2010 when I graduate. To get in the swing of things, I’m doing some quick black and white alphabet illustrations whenever I find the time. Mostly inspired by things I like, iconic things in my head, etc; glorified doodles pretty much. If I like them when I’m done I may bind them into a little zine perhaps. Here are the first two to get started.
For this week’s Typo Friday, I thought I’d show you the next piece in my “rules to live by” book which I started posting on Monday. I had a good time trying to recreate the look of ballpoint on faded notebook paper, using no actual notebook paper and only grayscale scans of some ballpoint scratches; otherwise it’s finished the same way I do all my illustration work.
I turned one ballpoint scribble into a brush in Photoshop, and while doing some experimenting, came upon a custom brush setting that makes a really wonderful, soft, crosshatching effect that I will almost definitely use for something soon.
I wasn’t sure how much I liked the doodled version right away, so I made another “clean” version without the doodles. It also just so happens to be available as a high quality print in my Etsy store.
I also just added a Fan Page for my art and comics and such on the Facebook. Feel free to become a fan, if you’re into that sort of thing.
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Winter Sale: 15% discount on orders of $20+ (before shipping) from the radrobot.org store or my Etsy shop.
Because I’m a senior this year, I have access to cheap studio space through my school. I opted to take it so I could work on some large panels for an upcoming show. Most spaces in the studio building at PNCA are essentially large cubicles, but I am in a larger space shared by four other people and no walls to separate us, which I like a lot better.
Last night, however, I felt the place looked a little too stark and white, so I decided to work on my walls a bit instead. My space is right by the front door of the studio building, so everyone will see this as they leave. There’s also an upper floor that looks down into my space; hopefully they like it. I know for sure it has already tricked a few folks into actually looking up to the ceiling.
Speaking of being a senior… that means I’m also working on my final thesis project. I haven’t brought it up here yet, but you’ll be seeing a lot in the coming months. I can say this right now: it involves a personal exploration of facial hair, which may sound funny at first, but for any of you that actually know me, you realize it’s a topic I take very seriously.
But, I’m showing you this awful Photobooth picture for a reason (not just to show off my sweet new glasses). I was issued a challenge, sort of. I will propose my thesis idea to a panel of teachers this December, and will give the final presentation of the work almost exactly six months from today. Due to the theme of my project, my thesis instructor informed me yesterday that I cannot shave for the next six months, but then have to show up with something spectacular for my presentation. That’s my kind of challenge, and hey, if it’s good enough for Alec Longstreth, it’s good enough for me. Unlike Alec though, I will not be completely shaven down at the start; I’m keeping the ’stache cause it’s hard to sell moustache wax without it.
This is the final for the first assignment in my illustration class this semester at Pacific Northwest College of Art. The assignment was to create a gender-specific image to be used for advertising. It just so happens that I already had a gender-specific product ready to be advertised, Man’s Face Stuff.
This was a fun illustration do do because I’ve been looking for more ways to integrate my character-based illustration with my hand-lettering; I feel like the two worlds are a little too separated at times. I really struggled in the early concept stages to come up with an image that made for a good illustration, and not something that would be better accomplished through photography. I finally stumbled onto this concept through the help of my instructor, and a raging sketch session after about 5 cups of coffee a few days later.
Also, one last bit of goodness about the Small Press Expo: I was sort of interviewed (or at least asked to talk about myself) while at my table there, and it’s all up on the YouTube! Watch me and marvel at how clean my fingernails are!
Lastly, for those of you in Portland, I will be speaking about my experiences with Etsy and the DIY community, and also introducing the main speaker, Etsy’s Matt Stinchcomb, at the “Digitally Building the DIY Community” talk at the Cyan Building tonight. The talk starts at 5:30pm, and is free and open to the public; you should come on by. The Cyan Building is located at 1720 SW 4th Ave in Portland.
Less than a week before I left for SPX last weekend, I decided I was tired of almost all of my stock of 1″ buttons that I sell at shows, some of which have been for sale for almost three years now. I took a day and whipped up these new designs and because I am who I am now, they all ended up being typography based.
I think they are all pretty representative of where I’m at with lettering right now, so they seemed fitting for a Typo Friday, and they went over pretty well at the show too, so hooray for that.
If anyone is interested in any of these, they are available for $1 each. Feel free to contact me or use the Paypal button below!
Four years ago today, I arrived in Portland, and I have not wanted to live anywhere else since. Thanks, Portland, you’re pretty rad! I know the concept of writing “Stumptown” as wood has been done to death, but I’ve never done it, so there you go. For those of you who don’t know, when Portland was an emerging boomtown, they were chopping down trees so fast for lumber that they didn’t bother to take the stumps out of the middle of the streets, hence the nickname.
Also, here’s a tarted-up quick drawing of Ben Franklin as a test for a project that’s in the works.
Everything illustration-y I’m working on right now is either in the early, thumbnail stage or under a NDA, so here are a smattering of the doodles and lettering I’ve done during classes or at other random times this week.
Plus, here is a very new review of one of my first comics, Business Casual, written by Ashcan Magazine. The last few remaining copies of Business Casual are still for sale in the store.
To go along with my plan to set in place an update schedule of every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I’m starting a new weekly segment here: Typo Friday. Every Friday, I will make a post relating to the wonderful world of letters. It might be some cool found typography (like today), a hand-lettered art piece of my own, or a review of one of the many typography, hand-lettering, and sign-painting books I’ve read.
OK, now on with things… I went out to the Bins again yesterday, my favorite spot to pick up some vintage typographic lovelies. Here’s what I got this week.
This is a pretty dry, hefty book from 1942 about the ins and out of radio, and even includes pull-out schematics. The gold type on the blue gray book is just really so simple and beautiful I think.
Another simple cover, but with so much action and excitement in the lettering for this little novel, possibly about sailors; I’m not sure I haven’t read it yet. That exclamation mark just cracks me up every time I see it too.
Nothing too spectacular or this tiny, religious handbook, but I’m a sucker for gold, so I bought it.
Horse breaking! This is a well-used, softcover book. I bought it mostly because of my recent obsession with horses, and if you don’t look at it directly, the cowboy’s lasso totally looks like a stream of urine. When I cracked it open though, I was hit with some really nice lettering for the section headers. Here are just a few of the dirtier sounding examples.
Thanks for being here for the first Typo Friday, and here’s to many more!
As I mentioned last week, I’ve been volunteering at the Independent Publishing Resource Center and supervising the use of their new perfect binding machine. Along with the FADGE books, I’ve been doing some other experiments on the binder. Yesterday, I made these to-do list notepads because I’m a man that loves a good to-do list. Just a test really, I’ve been thinking of some other projects involving the notepad format.
If anyone’s curious about the binding process, I took a bunch of pictures last night, and I’m working up a process post for Monday.
Also, I may have a new favorite shirt. I just picked it up from the talented Frank Chimero. Frank just released three other new shirts, and has a ton of fantastic work on his site, check it out.
Like many other typography geeks I know, I spend quite a bit of time in junk stores and at garage sales looking for various ephemera featuring great lettering. This weekend, some friends and I took a trip to the Goodwill Outlet store, aka The Bins. For those not in the know, The Bins is an airplane hangar-sized warehouse full of everything too dirty, broken, obscure, or otherwise unwanted by regular Goodwills, and it is always an amazing source for old books. Here’s what I picked up!
FUN FACT: There are eight books in the “Singspiration” series.
That says Sonntagsschul Gesangbuch, or Sunday School Hymnal. It’s a small book of hymns, all in German. Also, this book is from 1876, the oldest book I’ve ever found at The Bins.
Beautiful lettering and wonderfully phallic imagery, what more could a child want?
Oh, it’s also obsolete, so please disregard it completely.
Probably my favorite find of the trip. It’s a cook book for men, published in 1958. This book contains no less than five recipes for barbecue sauce.
And, so I don’t leave you non-typophiles in a lurch, here are two recipes!