Print-y Goodness

Just in case there are other printmakers reading, here are some interesting sites:

Woodblock Dreams - printmaking blog by illustrator and printmaker Annie Bissett of Massachusets. She is working in the traditional Japanese style of woodblock printing, called moku hanga and shows lots of good pics of her work in progress.

Printing press made from a folding chair - This one already made the rounds last year but it's so clever I just have to point it out again.

Block printing with styrofoam and a dremel tool - Illustrator Sam Hundley shares a step-by-step tutorial for this unique process. Check out this link too for info on a workshop he conducted. He also showcases some very cool Halloween projects!

Prepare to Be Impressed

Words cannot express how much I *love* these illustrations by Courtney Reagor! So quirky, so perfect, and drawn/painted on reused materials to-boot. Something about the people she draws seems familiar, like they're someone I know. I'm really enamored with her style and aesthetic. Check it out and see what you think.

Found via five and a half, which is where you will find some absolutely out-of-this-world journals made from recollected papers. Her blog is really interesting too, filled with tons of other art and design gems.

Credit Where Credit is Due

Short on time today kids, so check out this link for some great info and galleries on Saul Bass designed movie credits.

And then have a wonderful weekend!

Image from notcoming.com used under a Creative Commons License

iCry, uCry, We All Cry for iFri!

Have you heard of Illustration Friday? Started by extremely talented illustrator Penelope Dullaghan, Illustration Friday is a wonderful site for exercising your creative muscles without the pressure of meeting client expectations. It's such a smart thing to have a weekly "assignment". They're one-word topics and completely open to interpretation, which is what makes seeing the results so much fun, but it's just enough to give you the structure needed to get some personal work done. When I was in art school those early assignments seemed so restrictive and we all complained about the constraints and the stifling of our creativity. Then one day we got an assignment to do anything we wanted. what the....? Anything at all. We were to decide on the project specs, ANY project, and produce the design. That's when we all figured out that it's actually easier to design with some guidelines in place than to not.

iFri also has artist interviews and a forum seciton for connecting with other illustrators. I've been meaning to participate since it started, and as these things usually go, haven't done it yet. So I'm publicly stating my goal of completing at least 26 iFri assignments over the next year, in the hopes that I'll be more likely to stick to it since I put it out there for everyone and their dog to see. (yikes, what am I thinking!?!)

Got Craft:?

So you all remember the Maker Faire, right? Put on by Make Magazine? (We were there as part of Bazaar Bizarre within the Maker Faire; it was so much fun!) If so, then you've probably heard of O'Reilly Media's new magazine launching on October 17th called Craft. It sounds so great! (We're advertising in the inaugural issue! hooray!) They have a blog too. Check out My Paper Crane to see the very cool robots that Heidi made for their press kits. (hmmmm, how to get press credentials pronto?) If you decide to subscribe use code MAKE4CRAFT to get a Craft t-shirt. Or, if you have an Etsy store you can get 5 issues for the price of 4.

The First Time Ever

Hey, we have a blog! We're keeping the scrolling news box on the home page to alert you to sales, shows and other tidbits, but the blog will allow us to elaborate on a few things. We felt like we needed a place to tell you about all of the great products/arts/crafts we run across, and we'll be introducing you to other artists and designers, fun web sites, and anything else that tickles our fancy. There may be a small bit of redundancy with the news box, but this is where you'll find all the nitty gritty details. Please bear with us while we figure out this blogging software and feel free to say hi!