I Am Having Fun! I Am Doing It Right!

print by Cecilia Hedin

A few weeks ago, a friend emailed me forwarding a request to reprint a postcard-sized print.  I love printing postcards and I love helping someone make something silly and special they love.

drawing on film by Cecilia Hedin

Cecilia Hedin is a designer with drawing skills. She drew the image of the Chickenoseros directly onto film, which I then made into a plastic plate.  To draw onto film, you have to use something sharo to scrape away the emulsion.  And there is no erasing.  It is similar to etching but using a plastic film and then photosenstive material instead of metal, wax and acid.

preparing to print...that is tea not whiskey

printing on the Universal 1

With the plate made and the paper having arrived from the east coast, I set up the press.  I printed both her image and the text (in fluorescent red!) but you will have to wait until I deliver them to her tomorrow to see the final print.  Hopefully it looks close to her orginal.

this is the mess I make (registering the second color

Just for You!

printed for Viva Snail Mail

A few weeks ago, I offered to print postcards or business cards for five subscribers of Keep Writing, for only the cost of materials.  Melissa was the first to respond, within an hour, and finally, here is the result: a postcard-sized award for those who help promote the written letter.  Check out her blog, Viva Snail Mail to see who might be up for such an award and why.

one of these plates doesn't print right

 I took advantage of a lovely sunny day to clean up and organize a little before starting on the next custom work, for a subscriber in Berkeley.  Here are a few sneak peeks at her postcard, but I won't let you see it before she does!

success!

subtle split fountain

 I love a day off! Even if it is to print at home.  At home there are Krazy straws for my water, and a mid-day mail delivery bringing me postcards from Power and Light Press.  Printing at home means naptime, like Sunday, or staying up late.  Like now.  Good night!

krazeeee!

thanks Kyle!

Coffee Will Only Get You So Far...

adding a hand-drawn line to a negative for a plate

From zero to three cups of coffee a day in a week,that is how it is going here.  Tonight, all the coffee in my cup can't convince me to design what I meant to.  I've been working extra hours at my job, printing a wedding invitation with the usual complications.  And I've been printing my own stuff at work  and volunteering at the San Fransisco Center for the Book.   At night I've been trying to do all the things I usually do on my days off--cooking fun things, addressing postcards, grocery shopping, hanging with friends.  And so, here I am, finally too tired to catch up with one more day before I get a day off.  The good news is that your postcard will go in the mail tomorrow.  But nothing else will be done tonight.  Here are some photos of working on my own work at Painted Tongue Studios, where, during the week, I am a printer on their Heidelberg Windmill.  Good night!

metal-backed polymer plates for this month's postcards

sneak peek at my first custom postcard

postcards on the press!

Inspiration

Making stationary for sale means you have to start preparing holiday cards months ahead. By the time December arrives, you might just want to sit back with a warm whiskey drink and enjoy. But first there are a pile of holiday sales to attend. I was at Bazaar Bizarre a few weeks ago with the San Francisco Center for the Book. Then I had my own things for sale at the intern's table SFCB's holiday sale, along with my fellow intern, Jeff Shepard. And just this week I was at Renegade Craft Fair with Dutch Door Press. I am almost ready for that drink. But first I have some holiday gifts to make. Since I can't show you those, I will share with you what I am excited about today.

My subscription for the Oxford American ran out just before the Louisiana Music issue was released. After some hassles with the credit card company, it is in the mail and on its way. Possibly in time for a homesick Christmas Eve.

I have been following Geninne's Art Blog for about a year. I download her free desktop calendar every month for a bit of loveliness every time I turn on the computer. Also, changing my desktop format every month means I have to reorganize monthly.

One of my favorite booths at Renegade Craft fair was Small Adventure. Their illustrations are adorable and this poster of adventurous careers was one of many things I eyed all weekend, trying to think about who might want this for Christmas. I do!

That drink is coming, by the way, when Greg Reed gets here Wednesday night to tell stories of his farm. Then Ben and I hit the press room to start loving the lonely Vandercook we keep in the gargage.

Working from Home

After ten days in a row of going to work, I have a day to stay home and work here. This means lots of baking, cleaning, and posting photos I have been meaning to share with you. Mostly this is a good thing, but not entirely. I have today off because there was a fire next to the building that houses Dutch Door Press, one of the three places I work. Everyone is ok and the presses are ok, but a lot of stock was lost and I think I might be spending some time cleaning up water- and smoke-damanged cards that I packaged last week.

At home, I am getting ready for another holiday sale. This Saturday I will be at the San Francisco Center for the Book from 12-5. Stop by if you are in the city. I am sharing a table with other interns, but I will have datebooks, postcards, and handmade paper.

I've also been posting photographs of postcards I've received. Today, Roberta sent me images of all the great cards she received from Keep Writing 41. I've been getting lots of good ones lately and I will post them soon. Though we have been in this house for a few months, we are slow to hang things on the walls. I finally had a chance to hang the balloons I brought from Louisiana, and a special housewarming gift I had packed away almost a year ago, from Blackbird Letterpress. Just in time to welcome friends from Michigan for a few days.

Preparations

I have the stamps,

the colorful tape,

the type set and then printed

and jobs in three printshops (this was the first thing I printed at Painted Tongue Press, a rainbow roll on the Vandercook for one of their cards). Then Moveable Type visited and I was all showing off my letterpress lifestyle in Oakland and I couldn't even remember the combination to the printshop at our house. No, I have not used the lovely lonely Vandercook in our garage. Sure, I've been working, biking to the beach and tired from the sneaky uphills that demoralize my ride to work---turns out I'm not so outta shape or tired or sick or so so slow, but that it is actually a long slow hill. A tricky kind of uphill that makes you feel like you're doing something all wrong since it LOOKS flat and everybody passes me. In Louisiana, it would be a hill. More postcards in the works. And I have been trying to adapt business tools to a more flexible economy, to blend better my love of making and sharing stuff and the financial reality of rent. I added an option to renew on etsy, if you have a postcard subscription or if you have been receiving cards and want to pay a little for postage but $15 is too much for you. I can't make it outright sliding scale without more programming knowledge, but I can refund you the difference. Slowly closing the gaps between some of the things I would like to do and the things I am doing.

Postcard Exceptions

Since I finished school in Milan, postcards have not been too consistent. I hear that number 42, sent from Spain the first week of June, arrived just a few weeks ago. I took a month off as Andy and I traversed Europe. Back in New Orleans, I printed Keep Writing number 43 at Fitzgerald Letterpress in New Orleans. I bought 130 postcards while in Europe, mostly in Italy, and printed on the backs. I thought it would give me time to catch up to moving.

In August I handset this, which you might remember seeing locked up. I never had a chance to proof it as a hurricane hit and we left the city a few days later, still without electricity. Again, John helped out by printing the text I had left onto the chipboard Kathryn had donated to the cause. He kindly sent multiple messages to me, which I did not receive because of phone and internet issues in Oakland and eventually had to guess the placement of my text according to my awful notes. The finished postcards are in the mail. Now back to work on setting next month's, using the facilities at the San Francisco Center for the book.

The Trees of Oslo

Oslo might be the capital of a geographically sizable nation, but it is a cozy city surrounded by forest. We were lucky to have an excellent guide and a little bit of sun book ending the rainy days. My friend lives across from a large park with a botanical garden, which includes a green house. One room is humid and hot and filled with familiar plants. It was a little bit Louisiana for me. There is also a large waterfall and cultivated garden outside. From the kitchen window where we spent many hours drinking coffee, it was difficult to see the street, only the green green park.

I managed not to take photos at the two most interesting museums we went to, the Viking Ship Museum (oh how it rained that day) and the Contemporary Arts Museum. However, I had the camera handy when we visited the national touring theater of Norway, who brings dance, theater and puppets to all of the country. My friend works in the costuming department there.She showed us the stage with large metallic trees, made of mesh, built to be broken down and transported. It is very clever.

We also tried on old costumes. The camel was a two person deal and crowded Andy out of the dressing room so there is no photo but he got a good shot of me in a giant frog suit. It was a good day.

Outside, in the city, the trees are tall and healthy. There are so many beautiful parks in Oslo and a lot of new development to give the place a skyline. Too bad. Sometimes those choices lead to this: a good view of the fjord blocked by this cruise ship.

PS Maybe you think I will be traversing Europe indefinitely but my visa runs out soon enough. In September I am moving to the Bay Area and I will be the new letterpress intern at the San Fransisco Center for the Book. Yahoo! More letterpress for me. Expect more from postcards!

Design Week Milan

Not only are classes nearly over, but it is Design Week in Milan with hundreds of events showcasing designers of all sorts, panels, art shows, and of course, appertivi. Also it has been raining like a fairy tale. The only event I have made it to so far was well worth the long subway ride and confusing directions. When I reached the Spazio MIL, there was a temporary workshop of letterpress workers organized by Milan's own Nove Punti, a group of eight designers and an architect. They have workshops, bring artists to Milan and show this city what type can do.

I met John from Flowers and Fleurons Press in Brighton UK who was printing these black and white graphics. The theme of the workshop was printing without electricity, a post-apocalyptic print world.

While everyone was busy printing, John went outside to start a different kind of type setting--carving letters into marble. I don't have any photos of that but I do intend to return Saturday and see what progress they have made. I got to try chiseling a line into the marble. The display and set up was lovely, people were friendly and having a good time. It was mentioned that we are lucky in the US, to have so much space that people hold onto presses instead of scrapping them, even when they don't know what they are for. I would add, I know see many more lady printers in the US than I saw today, though I was only there for a little bit and there was at least one women working on the presses. More photos Saturday!

Parma Vacation

It is spring break and no one was in class yesterday. This morning I woke up extra early to take the train to Parma. When I arrived I was awarded with the above view. Luckily for me, Ashley sent me a camera so I could take a photo of it for you.

I had an appointment with the Museo Bodoniano, in an amazing library in the Ducal Palace. The museum is free but you have to make a reservation. I don't think there are long lines out the door to see the history of book printing in Parma. Too bad for them! There was a huge collection of works he printed including manuals for printmaking and my favorite, Mr.Gray's Poems. I don't know who Mister Gray is or anything about his poetry but, as sometimes happens, it doesn't matter since the presentation was so lovely. There were also printing tools, a press, type, casts for type and a drawing of how he designed Bodini typeface. His wife continued printing after his death. There was an exhibit about that, celebrating unrecognized achievements by women, though that is all I could understand from the poster.

I walked around Parma for a few hours before returning to Milan. I found the botanical gardens, which was hosting a celebration of violets, which smelled amazing. I love spring. In the garden, there was this weirdo installation hanging from a tree.

I also found a few churches to peek inside and I don't like to use flash so all my photos seem to capture the Light of God. Or blurry wonder. I got a little lost, shot down two offers for friendship with lonely men in the park and almost missed my train home. Now, with all the windows open and birds singing, I can pack for my spring break vacation. Now that I have been starting to understand what people say to me if they speak slowly, or bits of overheard conversation (my neighbor just yelled for a spoon) I thought I would go a few places where I won't understand the language at all. Here I come!

It's A New Year!

I welcomed 2012 the best way I could:
printing New Year's postcards for Keep Writing.






making kimchi and soured beets with these lovelies from the garden.



setting woodtype for another of Jason's mystery projects.




Now off to bed with hot buttered whiskey. I need to get my rest. There is a lot coming up this year. Stay tuned.

Letterpress Exchange

A printer from the Ladies of Letterpress forum has proposed a postcard swap for the summer with the idea of each lady involved printing a postcard of where they are from. Details are here: http://ladiesofletterpress.ning.com/forum/topics/letterpress-swap?
I particiapated in a swap of Old Maid cards with members of this group last summer and it was a lot of fun. Not to mention that I love postcards, writing about where I am from, and where I was all summer.