ligatures YYZ

Lettering by Christopher Rouleau

Have you heard about the nifty group of type lovers who gather on a monthly basis in Toronto to talk about all things type? It's called Ligatures and they're holding their fourth meeting this Thursday at SOMA Chocolatemaker! Kind of a win-win, right?

Sign up to be there, bring your type and lettering projects, hang out with some good peoples and pick up some chocolatey treats! I'll be there and offering 10% off sweetheart-themed paper goods - all just in time for Valentine's Day :)

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I was recently introduced to a UK band called  Daughter and have pretty much fallen in love with their cover of Get Lucky by Daft Punk. The songs on their debut album are atmospheric, sad and beautiful. It inspired me to put a brush and watercolour ink to some lovely St. Armand paper and add handset type to it. I love moments like these when I'm moved to create something but not knowing exactly what it is that I want to make. It's times like that when you turn to the tools that you love to use so much for work and commissioned pieces that you often forget that they're also there for play time.

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Every six months or so I feel the need to add to the studio's collection of type. As exciting as it is to get a font, it's still a daunting task to decide on which one. And only one? It was really difficult to narrow it down. And so, I got two fonts instead of one. Pictured above is News Gothic Extra Condensed at 36 point. It's not a fancy font by any means. But I like that it's tall, narrow, compact and that it's a larger font than the rest of what I have which are between 10-16pt. I seriously considered adding an italic set the studio since I don't have any but I couldn't see myself using it too often. So, my second new font is Clarendon Bold, quite different from anything italics. I got a hankering for a slab serif type and that one just fit the bill. I can't wait to crack these babies open.

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euro wood type

My good friend, Christopher Rouleau, just came back from a remarkable trip to Paris and among the things he brought back, were a set of vintage type. When he visited me a couple of weeks ago to share stories of his trip, he showed me the letters and I told him that he needed to print those stat! And without hesitation he inked up those beauties right then and there. Out of the four presses that I own, the letters would've only printed well on the Morgan Line-O-Scribe for two reasons: 1). it's the only press big enough and 2). it has an adjustable roller height. Apparently because the letters came from Europe, they weren't exactly type-high. They were in fact considerably higher. I knew the Morgan would come in handy :)

Check out more beautiful photo accounts of Christopher's trip to Paris here!

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Little Book of Numbers

You guys, the Little Book of Numbers is done! I completed the book last week and am so pleased at how it turned out. It has 13 pages, printed mainly in black but red was used for the back and front covers. I've also included a bookplate with every edition! I personalized the one for Marcus by printing his initials on it. The book is held together by two handy metal rings (which can be opened should I ever want to include more pages). The numbers and words of numbers were all handset and the acquired images were individually printed. This means that one book was hand-fed through the press 79 times!

I introduced the book to Marcus (19.5 months) yesterday and he was quite interested. The timing was good because he is very much into books and has recently started counting. Or rather, repeating numbers when he hears or sees them. He only gets as far as two and skips to eight and nine, but it's still a marvellous thing for his parents to hear it :) The book is nice a small and fits comfortably in his little paws and he has no trouble separating or turning the pages. He even recognizes some of the images, like the birds and the rockets (or "planes" as he refers them to). It was great to see Marcus and the book in action together.

I've only made 10 of these books and they are currently being sold in the online shop. I've also reserved a couple to bring and sell at the Parkdale Flea this Sunday!

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santa's new reindeer

With last minute craft fairs, end-of-season workshops, commissioned work, a baby with a fever, and me with a cold, I nearly gave up on the idea of making my own holiday cards for friends and family. I know it wasn't really a big deal to forgo the tradition of seasonal greetings this one time but what kind of stationer would I be if I didn't send any out? Bah hum bug.

So, I made sure that M was in a good mood before I outfitted him in the reindeer onesie. He didn't like the hood all that much and it was thanks to a fast shutter speed that helped me get one good shot of him. Also lucky to have had some nice natural daylight the afternoon I took that photo. I was very thankful for the local grocery store that has a photo lab with online ordering and quick turnaround because I got to pick up the pictures the same day.  Next evening I set to cutting, scoring, folding and making the slits for the wallet-size photos. The third night, I got to handset the forme and printed in gold ink. I also decided to print the envelopes with a small snowflake to match the card. A quiet Friday evening in and I took to handwriting notes in each of them. Stamped, signed, posted. And that felt pretty darn good.

Merry Holidays, friends!

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chalkboard signage by Christopher Rouleau

Not only did he help me man the Postcard Printing Station for the City of Craft, my good friend Christopher Rouleau, made the chalkboard signage for the event! He sketched it out the night before and hand-lettered it right there on the spot as the show got underway. He's a star. I can't bring myself to erase it even though the event is over. The chalkboard is now sitting in the studio and I just might even hang it up as is.

Thanks again, Christopher!

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My former high-school self dabbled in painting and during the most recent visit to my parents, I found my old set of gouache inks. Naturally, I ran out to the art store, bought some script brushes and sat down to play. It was really nice to get reacquainted with these tools. I actually didn't remember that I had these inks at all, nor using them for that matter. Since experimenting with them, I realized that I love working with gouache. With the right amount of ink and water on the brush, it seems to go down like liquid pastel. Smooth, opaque and quick to dry. That and I find it's pretty forgiving to work with.

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cards for pi'lo

These sweet petite cards were custom printed for Heather from pi 'lo. I'll never tire of blind printing with handset type. The soft white cardstock goes well with the clean, minimal and beautifully simple style of Heather's products. Have a peek at her handmade goods here and over at her blog for a daily dose of the serene.

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dope calligraphy

My brother-in-law was cleaning out his bedroom the other day and came across a calligraphy set and asked if I wanted it. Sure enough, I took the set off his hands with distant dreams of being able to use the nibs and inks properly. I came across this video and think it's just about one of the coolest demonstrations on how to write modern calligraphy. I'm worlds away from becoming a master scribe. So for now, I'll just sit back, enjoy and be inspired by the talents and expertise of others.

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Prints fresh of the press from this morning's Tabletop Letterpress Workshop with Jennifer and Nicki!

If you've got a moment, head on over to Amanda's blog (a past letterpress workshop participant) and help name her new letterpress shop! I voted for Silverplate Press :)

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cross stitching

I was given a gift certificate to The Workroom from my wonderful parents-in-law. The only trouble I had with it was trying to decide which of the many fantastic classes to take. I decided on the Intro to Cross Stitch (mainly based on the cover, that is, the photograph of the alphabet). While I love to letterpress and sew, I thought it'd be a good idea to learn something new that was easily portable. I like the idea of  taking cross-stitching on the road, on the subway, to the cottage etc.

Our instructor Johanna Masko was so friendly, knowledgeable and patient with us. She was just as excited as we were to thread the needle. We didn't make our first stitch until the class was an hour and a half in (third photo down)! And let me tell you, it was an amazing feeling that one cross-stitch did for me. The world was pretty much the class' oyster after that.

Karyn just got in, oh about a million, colours of Cosmo 6-stranded embroidery floss. But true to form, I stuck with the greys and decided on a gradient, just for some variety.

As I was working on the alphabet sampler at home, I realized how much focus it takes. I enjoy that it's a slow progress and requires close attention (unless you don't mind repeatedly un-threading your mistakes). The tactile results are immediately satisfying and the creative possibilities are endless.

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thrift store find: vintage stationery

I haven't posted in a few days, but I'm still here! The next couple of days will be light with blogs post since the holidays haven taken over. But in the meantime here are some shots of my latest find from the thrift store. This is a vintage set of Eaton, Crane and Pike's fine stationery. The gold box and bright pinks and oranges sort of stood out from the rest of the drab on the shelves. How delighted was I when I found good writing paper and lined envelopes inside! And I just about died seeing the $0.25 coupon.

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