Print A Little Valentine with Me!

I'm happy to say that the Printing Station is back and will be posted at the lovely SOUVENIR studios this Saturday February 13th, just in time for Valentine's Day. If you're keen on a little DIY, come into the shop between 12:30pm-3:30pm to print a little love note with pre-designed plates on the mini Showcard flatbed press. Each print is $5 and you have a choice between using one or two colours.

Swing by SOUVENIR and get your print on. There will also be fresh bouquets, baked goods, and other swell things in the shop that you can pick up for your loved ones or to keep for yourself). It'll be a good time!

UPPERCASE magazine issue 25

When the open call came from UPPERCASE publication (a beautiful Canadian quarterly print magazine) for printmakers to submit some samples to be included in issue #25, I didn't hesitate to put my name in the hat!

Editor and designer of UPPERCASE, Janine Vangool, always maintains a level of stellar work and an eye for beauty in her magazine. I feel lucky to have gotten in on the list of Profiles in Printmaking and couldn't have been happier printing 50 or so paper bag samples and tucking in a greeting card into each one for subscribers.

Here's a throwback to the last time I contributed to the open call for letterpress artists in issue #8!

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Letterpress Holiday Card Workshop

It's my favorite time of the year! I had so much fun with these Letterpress Holiday Workshops last year that I'm bringing them back. Dates are set for November - but hurry, spots are limited! Details and registration info can be found on the website here!

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for big mistakes eraser printing

A few weeks ago I was able to get my hands on one of those crazy big erasers "For Big Mistakes" and got to do some carving! It wasn't exactly type high so I just placed a piece of cardboard that was about 3mm thick and that did the trick. The eraser is just big (and small) enough that it's not daunting to work with and gives you plenty of room to ink something up that feels substantial. If you happen to have a mini Showcard press, I highly recommend using it to print with the eraser. But if you don't, I still recommend giving the carving a go and finding something heavy enough to put on top of it that will transfer an impression onto paper. Good times!

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september workshops

Hi friends! I've got two dates available for this month's workshops. For more details, please visit the S + T site here. To register, contact me at snapandtumbleletterpres@gmail.com.

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i wanna do bad things with you art print

 

True Blood is over and I'm a little sad about it. But I think things wrapped up pretty neatly on the series finale. I couldn't help but print this baddie up for the occasion. Now available in the shop!

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letterpress signage for Cultural Hotspots project

For it's inaugural year, an initiative called Cultural Hotspots will be featuring the south area of Scarborough by celebrating culture, art and community. I was invited by craft maven Kalpna Patel to participate in her window installation project "Please Come Again" which transforms an unconventional space and brings it to life through the lost art of visual merchandising and striking displays.

 

Say Yes and Ask Questions Later

If you aren't familiar with Kalpna's work, get to know it - it's inspiring. I was both honoured and scared straight when she asked if I would create an installation. I loved the idea of this gallery of storefronts coming to an area that hasn't ever been mined for art installations before. I'm always griping about living so far out east from the downtown core where all the cool stuff happens. So the opportunity to do something that I've never done (and have always wanted to), and the chance to work with an ace in her field, and bringing some craft to an area nearby are all the reasons why I jumped in with both feet. 

 

The Big Idea

The storefront that I was assigned to isn't really a store. It's the Crossroads Business Improvement Area office. What these folks essentially do is market, promote and revitalize businesses in the area, which in this case is between Victoria Park Avenue and Warden Avenue. Kalpna came up with the concept of creatively displaying names of businesses along that strip. It was a simple and effective idea that gave both purpose and meaning to its storefront.

 

The Process

As a letterpress artist, I was excited to execute the vision. For this project, I knew I had to get type that was larger than what I owned. It's not often that I get to work on things larger than 5x7", so this was a treat. I selected various fonts with serifs and a  gothic trade and sizes between an inch and a half to 3 inches in height for visual interest. The primary press used was the Morgan Line-O-Scribe flatbed which has a bed size of 14x22". For the smaller signs, I used the Mini Showcard press. This was all very fitting because these antique machines were originally used by small shop owners to print temporary point-of-sale signs. The business names that were printed were, for the most part, selected at random. Other names, Kalpna and I just really liked the sound of regardless of the business type and its current state of operation.

 

The Community Notice Board

The BIA asked if I could help address their promotional flyers situation. Up until the installation, they would tape announcements of events to their windows for passer-bys to read. But it looked plain, scattered and a little untidy. I decided to create a notice board disguised as another piece of storefront signage. It's simply a corkboard covered in felt and "Crossroads of the Danforth" hand-painted in a fashion reminiscent of old-school signage. The board is now prominently showcased with the dual purpose of either displaying the business name or a collection of flyers neatly arranged.

 

Big Ups

This project was a hell of a lot of fun to work on. I only have big hugs and thanks to give to Kalpna for trusting me to see it through. She was a huge help in the actual installation. I brought the supplies but she brought the know-how.

My hope is that people who come upon the window stop, look, read, wonder and smile. The display will be up for a month, so if you are in the area (or even if you're not), have a look-see and please do check out the other window installations created by fellow artists. Each of them are truly unique and a sight to behold!

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valentine letterpress workshop

Valentine's Day is just a month away and I've got a special workshop for those who'd like to send valentine's the good ol' fashioned way!

Valentine Letterpress Workshop

Saturday February 1st or Saturday February 8th, 2014
$75 + HST

Toronto, ON

Carry on the tradition of sending handwritten Valentine’s notes with your very own set of handprinted cards. No prior experience is needed for this 2 hour workshop. All that’s required is a willingness to get into the spirit of St. Valentine’s and to get your hands inky! Instructions, materials and wood-type will be provided by yours truly. 

Included in the workshop:
-choose from five Valentine greetings which will be handset with wood type (Oh,Cupid!, XOXO, LOVE, dreamboat, Be Mine)
-print on a vintage mini proofing press with one or two colours of your choice
-12 (3.5 x 5”) blank folded cards + envelopes

Participants are encouraged to bring in their own pre-cut cardstock to print with as well!

Email me for registration details at snapandtumbleletterpress(at)gmail(dot)com.

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new correspondence cards for the Gladstone Flea

Save the date, folks! Snap + Tumble will have a table at the Gladstone Flea on Saturday, December 7th from 10am-4pm. It's early enough to get in some holiday shopping before the real hustle + bustle begins! Above are a couple of fancy new additions to the line that will be for sale at the flea. Cotton black cardstock and gold ink, in limited editions!

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holiday card printing with yen + danijela

A couple weeks back when I launched the Holiday Card Workshops, I invited these two lovely gals to the opening. Yen and Danijela were such good sports to be printing holiday-themed cards in October! It was a grand time chatting the whole way through and getting to know these ladies a little better outside of the blogosphere. Thanks for joining the workshop ladies! Here's to snail mail and the festive season! 

Have a look at what Yen and Danijela had to say about their time printing at the studio :)

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I found the all-Christmas-music radio station yesterday and it totally made my day. 

Some snapshots above of the lovely Erica printing her holiday cards in the workshop last weekend.

Hot pink and wintergreen are so in this season!

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it's here! letterpress holiday card workshops

I'm so excited to announce the opening of Snap + Tumble's first letterpress holiday card workshop! For those of you who like to get a jump on the season, these workshops will be held in November which leaves plenty of time to write and post your handmade greetings. There will be a selection of seven festive designs to choose from and to print with on the Mini Showcard Proof press. Participants will take home 15 letterpress printed cards to send and share with friends and loved ones. Also included, will be two vintage stamp packs by Send More Mail. These sweet stamps are holiday themed and are enough to send two standard sized letters within Canada. Visit the Snap + Tumble website for more information, dates and registration details!

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totem cards

to·tem (noun)

Anything serving as a distinctive, often venerated, emblem or symbol.

 

There is something about this starburst shape that I love and can't seem to stop printing with. I once saw it referred to as a Slocum seal but haven't since found any more information about it. It's become my favorite go to piece when I'm printing on the Showcard press. Maybe it has something to do with how large the block is and how satisfying it is to roll an inked brayer over it. And no matter what colour it lays down, it always looks so, so good. Is it just me or do you also have something similar that you like to see in print? Is there something you have an affinity for and keep printing, drawing or painting?

 

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As we live a life of ease
Every one of us has all we need 

Sky of blue and sea of green

In our yellow submarine 

- The Beatles

 Sometimes you just have to print a yellow submarine card.

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colour block play II

More colour block play. It's no surprise that I lean towards blues, greens, whites and neutrals. You can see it in alot of my work. Though, I didn't think that these three colours would mix well but I actually quite like it - what do you think? The print in the middle was my test print and it happens to be my favorite. I'm enjoying adding more and more layers. Sometimes it's hard to know when to stop. I guess that's why I carved out some time to 'play' to find out what works and what doesn't.

Good weekend, all! And, Spring - where the heck are you?

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colour blocks 1

Sometimes I just want to see what a few colours would look like together in print. Playing with these wood block punctuation marks on the Showcard press lets me do just that, quickly and easily. Because I'm not using type for these experiements, it's easy for me to simply focus on the colours and see nothing else other than that. Also by using the punctuation marks, which are basically rectangular in shape, I decided to casually put them together and was always happily met with the final result. The random arrangement of the shapes, patterns, colours and overlays is a nice way to break away from other projects and type-related matter. I'm hoping to create a few more works of these mini-wall-art prints with different colour ways.

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post flea

I had a really great time at the Junction Flea Market on Sunday. Pedestrian traffic was in full effect and the sun was blazing. It was already balmy at 7am and it got so intense by the afternoon. Luckily, my booth was under a tent!

I was so pleased with the response to the Postcard Printing Station. Some passerbys couldn't help but either stop, linger, look, ask or print. The cityscape plate got the most play but each image got inked up and printed by day's end. Even kids got in on the printing action! It was really nice to see folks be excited about using the Showcard. I am definitely going to have to set up the printing station again.

This was my first time offering on-site printing and thankfully, I don't think I'd change anything in terms of the set-up. One colour, two types of cardstock and a choice of six images went very smoothly.

As for the stationery, it's always good to see people pick up and touch the hand printed cards. My top seller was the last minute print I did the day before the flea. "No. 1 Dad" for Father's Day :)

A big thank you to Smash and Russet & Empire for organizing such a successful event! And a very, very big thank you to my good friend, Chris, who helped me out with the booth for the entire sweltering day!

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