judyisokay

Neenah Fun on National Handwriting Day

Did you realize that yesterday was National Handwriting Day? In honor of perfect penmanship, Ross from Neenah Paper and I had a group to lunch to celebrate. We handed out a bunch of paper goodies and re-introduced the folks to the fresh Classic line of papers. We gave out one-of-a-kind samples on Classic Crest Stipple - my favorite new finish to Classic Crest. And each attendee got a Scripto-Analysis Notebook along with my favorite pen - the Sharpie, fine tip, no bleed. If that wasn't enough - each got a copy of "Love your Handwriting" a workshop in a book to have fun while working on your penmanship. The conversations were great and wandered from paper and design to the an announcement about Neenah aquiring the Wausau brands. Guacamole was made to order - table side. Yum. It's not too late to celebrate great penmanship. Here's more great info to get you going.  Choosing the Right Pen to Improve your Handwriting.

Lens/Film combos for @hipstamatic by @benthinkin

     

Looking for just the right combo of film and lenses on your Hipstamatic? Check out Hipstamatrix. It's a clever website by Ben Gremillion  and Cherie Benoit. Everyone knows how much I love Hipstamatic. It is my "go to" photo app on my iPhone 4s. I have been shooting with it since it hit the app store and have taught a workshop or two on it as well. Initially, I was drawn to the app because of the square format shots but quickly fell in love with the lens/film combos to create photography that mimics found art. Happy Hipsta!

World's Most Expensive Book?

Next week Christie's will be auctioning off a first edition copy of "The Birds of America"by John James Audubon. This massive book (4 volumes in the set) contain 435 hand-colored prints. It is a merging of science and art which boggles the mind. Tom Lecky, head of books at Christie's said "His ambition to do this monumental project has made the book the most valuable in the world and made his name known throughout the world as a great observer of nature." Audubon insisted in exacting production and that each bird be printed life-size which required the largest paper available at the time. He chose aquatint printing rather than lithography. Using aquatint printing produced more detailed gradiations though it was a more expensive process. The four volumes were printed in 1838 at a total cost of $115,640. It was a 200-copy run. Only 120 complete sets are believed to exist. The last copy fetched $11.5 million. More in this article from The Daily Beast.

Austin ADDY on Classic Crest Stipple

Now that all the Austin ADDY pieces have been entered, they are ready for judging. This is the weekend it all happens. But before it all goes down,  you can meet the judges tomorrow night at the Mean Eyed Cat. I hope you were able to take a moment and look at the fantastic printed materials for this year's ADDY's. These graphically-modern, Mayan pieces were printed on the new Neenah, Classic Crest, Antique Gray, Stipple finish. The saturated dark inks printed gorgeously on this embossed finish. It was designed by Tilted Chair Creative and printed by The Whitley Group. Well done guys! Olmsted-Kirk Paper was pleased to donate the paper stock.

Ode to @uppercasemag

Uppercase is simply a work of art. As Uppercase puts it  -  a magazine for the creative and curious. On its pages is an visual adventure of ink and paper.  If you don't believe me, take a peek at this 30 second video of a previous issue - Volume 5.

 

The magazine content is always interesting. I feel like I've been personally invited to walk into the artist|designer|illustrator's studios and get to know them personally. Sit, chat and find out what they're doing creatively. The upcoming Volume 12 centers around paper. I can't tell you how excited I was to be asked to write a short article about "My Life with Paper". I have always felt a deep connection to paper and ink. It's not just a job but a passion of mine. In Volume 12, a group of paper folks from different paper perspectives share their view and thoughts on paper. Janine Vangool, the publisher, editor and designer of Uppercase says this issue is a real humdinger. A big thank you to her for allowing me to be a part of it. Check out a low rez preview of Volume 12. I cannot wait to get my copy in these grubby, papercut fingers, grab a warm cup of coffee and peruse its pages.

Of course, this is all very exciting BUT it leads me to review my "to-do list" for 2011 and the things that didn't get attended to before the year's end. The big one being the updating of this blog. I wanted to start the new year with a fresh look. Guess I'll move this task to the top spot on my list this month. Hoping to beat the release date of the magazine. Stay tuned.  AND look for Uppercase Magazine to hit soon or preorder your copy online. And be sure to check out Janine's Uppercase blog also. It's scrumptious.

The @TypeTruck is heading to ATX!

Rolling it's way to Austin, Texas is the Moveable Type Truck!  A 1983 Chevy Step Van which was originally part of a fleet truck for American Linens. It has been demo'd and customized to function as mobile letterpress studio. Allow me to introduce you to Kyle Durrie, a letterpress printer from Portland, Oregon, owner of Power and Light Press. She has a penchant for wanderlust and letterpress. The Type Truck allows her to enjoy both. Check out the whole story behind the truck and it's customization. Her truck rolls into Austin on this Friday, January 6th and Saturday the 7th. She'll set up shop outside of Flatbed Press at 2830 E. MLK Blvd. AIGAAustin has coordiinated a member only dinner with Kyle that is limited to just 12 spaces. Register here. AND a workshop will follow from 7:30 till 9:00. This space is limited also and you can sign up for this part of the evening, here.  On Saturday, Kyle will be open to the general public with print demos, studio/truck tours and tales of life on the road. Flatbed will be exhibiting work from the Type Truck travels in their gallery space. Can't wait to meet Kyle and give her a Austin hug and a big stack of the new Classic Crest, Eggshell finish, 100 Cover.  I promised and happy as heck to do it.  Here is a video from her visit to Make Good in San Diego.