I am not much for pattern or color, but I think if you have visited here more than once you could probably gather that information on your own.  What I do love is anything animal related, antique engravings, a cheeky sense of humor and entrepreneurs that are truly creative.  I do believe that Abnormals Anonymous encompasses all of these things.  Have you heard of them before?  I accidentally came upon them this weekend and immediately wished I lived somewhere I could use their wallpapers, perhaps in Elle’s future big girl room? Or my studio?  Oh, even better how about a Besotted shop?  I think you get the picture, I like their offerings, but I like their cheeky nature even more.  You just need to read their ‘about’ page and you will understand what I mean.  I hope that this year I can find many more companies and people that will inspire, companies that are doing something creative but not taking themselves too seriously.  My favorite quote from an editor on my own company described it as ‘elegance with a wink’,  I can’t tell you how much I loved that, I want to embody that with everything I do.  Well, being a new mom is not so elegant, I often have spit up on my person (usually in my hair) and we have already discussed that showering is a luxury, so there’s that.

Happy New Year everyone, I can’t wait to see how this year unfolds!  Do you have any big plans to make 2014 your best year ever? Any 365/52 week projects that you might be starting? If so let me know, I am ever curious and would love to know what you have planned!

I mentioned I haven’t been able to do anything lately for any length of time. A movie?  No way.  A shower?  Sometimes.  I have been watching some snippets of TV in the wee hours of the night and earliest morning hours and I thought I would share with you some of the shows I have really enjoyed.  My husband and I enjoy the Food Network very much, you?  Any food related show reels us in. I had mentioned to my friend Michelle a while back about a new (to me) show called Cut Throat Kitchen and she said that her and her husband were enjoying a show called Master Chef, we decided to check it out, we got hooked.  Better than Master Chef though was Master Chef Junior, if you are interested in the culinary arts this show should blow your mind, it’s all under 13 years of age chefs, some as young as seven and if you aren’t duly impressed, I am not sure what will impress you.  We watched these shows on On Demand, but I am sure you can look on line to see where you can see the shows.

My mom has been wanting me to watch Shark Tank for ages, I finally acquiesced and was so glad I did. This show has made me re-evaluate my entire business and how I go about running it–game changer.  I thought I knew how to run a business, but there are so many unanswered questions and missing pieces in my company that I need to address and yes, this epiphany was from a TV show, go figure?  It has become my resolution to tighten up my ship for 2014.  Shark Tank even has an audiobook that you can download for free right now! My mother-in-law is a television addict and we usually defer to her to introduce us to new shows, she turned us on to Luther a British detective show that we binged on.  It says a lot that my husband would watch it as he hates British television, so there’s that.  It’s very heavy and dark, so if you have a sensitive disposition, skip the show.

Portlandia, okay it’s not always funny, but it’s the majority folks.  Since you are reading this blog, I am going to suppose you know a little about blog culture and I feel like they nail the bloggy world so well.  You’d have to watch to see what the heck I am talking about even the location of the show is blog centric to me (the blog world has definitely made Portland seem like utopia).

The last show rec is The Walking Dead, yes it’s zombies but gosh is it seat of your pants suspenseful.  Everything about this show is impressive to me, the writing, the acting, the make-up, etc. It’s just a really great show.  I wouldn’t recommend watching by yourself in a dark house, but if you are snuggled up close to your loved one(s) than it’s a great show to share. I was actually sad when they broke for hiatus, I am still missing the show.

Have you seen any of these shows?  Do you agree or disagree with me? Let me know if you have any recommendations, as you can see I am pretty varied in my tastes so I am open to hearing your thoughts and suggestions!

photo via Life magazine

I can’t believe I have been sitting on this interview for so long, granted I hope I have a good excuse and I pinky promise it is so worth the wait.  Today’s featured lettering artist is Julie Song. One of the reasons I reached out to her is because she is doing some spectacular work with her watercolor lettering, it’s just very fresh and original and I just know she is going to become one of your favorites (as she is one of mine).  She does wedding work of course, but some of her recent logo work has me wishing I was as gifted.  Lucky for us she is generously sharing her ‘secrets’ with us. Please feel free to leave questions in the comments and as always it’s so appreciated when you leave a nice note for our interviewee so don’t be shy and let her know how grateful we are! Without further ado…

 

//JULIE SONG INTERVIEW QUESTIONS//

Where are you located?

Currently in Oakland, California.

How did you get started in lettering?

I think I got into drawing bubble letters as a kid through some artsy relatives, and then somehow that evolved into me trying to turn every school assignment into an art project. I remember having to write a report about the Medieval period, and then buying a gold calligraphy pen so I could write it in a gothic hand on a parchment scroll, kind of like an illuminated manuscript. I’m sure it was horrible, but you gotta start somewhere :)

What are some of your favorite supplies (inks, brushes, nibs, paper)?

I think this is fairly common, but I love Sumi ink for so many uses, and enjoy using round watercolor brushes for brush-y lettering. But I love trying anything and everything to see how it writes, including Chinese brushes! I have a variety of nibs, but I’ve been using the Zebra G the most lately. I generally write on grid paper, especially if I need to write particularly neat or straight.

Can you please discuss any watercolor lettering supplies or techniques?

As I mentioned above, I love round watercolor brushes because they can hold a point well. I actually use some generic Blick brushes, but I keep buying new ones when the tips start losing their points (and I should probably take better care of the ones I have by not leaving them pointing down in the water too long!!). It’s nice to experiment with different sizes depending on what effect you’re going for. In terms of the paint, I tend to mix about a 40/60 ratio of paint to water, but again, this may vary depending on how transparent I want the lettering to look. Or I will use watered down gouache if I want it to be a bit more opaque. On technique – ironically, it seems to take a lot of tries to make something look spontaneous, so I seem to end up using more paper than I’d like!

Can you name some of your inspirations?

I’m of course very inspired by calligraphers like Neither Snow and Maybelle Imasa-Stukuls, who can do no wrong! I’m also fond of signatures of painters like Joan Miro – or even anyone’s signatures for that matter. I love their efficiency and personality. And I know this is cheesy, but I’m always inspired by children’s drawings in all their awkward splendor, and save all of my niece’s and nephew’s art for inspiration. I guess I agree with Picasso, I seriously hope to draw like them someday.

Can you go a little into your process of how you work on a project?

For projects involving hand-lettering, I typically write the wording out as close as possible to scale, and then scan it in at 300 dpi or higher resolution. There is often some cleaning of rough edges in Photoshop or Illustrator (unless of course it’s part of the look!)

Any tips for newbies on how to develop their own style?

Make a lot of different marks and then keep pushing the ones you like best! One fun thing to do is to experiment with everything, from writing tools to surfaces…even writing with things like feathers are fun just to see what marks you can make! A glass of wine is a great tool too …I think loosening up usually helps :)

Any recommendations of books or classes for lettering enthusiasts to further their studies?

Everyone probably already knows this, but I know Maybelle provides classes all over the world. For book inspiration, I love any and all typography books to see how people are using letter forms, such as Louise Fili’s Elegantissima.

Do you have some favorite projects you would like me to mention?

I’ve started to slowly populate my Society 6 and Etsy shops again with some fun (but maybe not very marketable) products! I also love combining gold foil and letterpress with watercolor; in particular, a recent rustic invitation suite involved the combination of letterpress and embossing with vibrant watercolor and hand-lettering on handmade paper, with other handmade details like stitching and wood paper, dried caspia sprigs, and stitched linen menus. I think this was one of most handmade detail-heavy projects I’ve done, but I think it helped convey the personal effort the couple put into creating a special wedding weekend for their guests. There are some peeks of this on my Instagram feed.

Any advice on what ‘not’ to do?

Yes! Don’t let your desk get so messy that your inkwells sit precariously at the edge of your desk, and then knock them over with one fell swoop, spraying black ink all over your white walls. And don’t put your paint water right next to your drinking water. But in seriousness, I think it’s important not to be afraid of mistakes, because sometimes you’ll love how they turn out.

Name one random talent you have that people may not know?

Carving rubber stamps. I used to carry around an X-acto knife at all times as a kid so I was at the ready. Until they confiscated it from me at the airport. So sad.

Hello! As you all know, Miss B. has her hands full with sweet baby b., so I thought I’d lend a hand, and share this project with you. Tristan’s original vision for this month was to provide you with a bountiful collection of luxe homemade gift ideas (not your average D.I.Y., that’s for sure). This is one of those projects. It’s a gourmet gift that will be appreciated by culinary novices & afficionados alike (you’ll want to make extra for yourself too).

We are in the habit of sprinkling herbed sea salt on just about everything that comes out of our kitchen. Vignalta Salle Alle Erbe is what hooked us (sooo good, don’t say you haven’t been warned). Of course it was one of the first things I shared with Tristan when she moved to town, and she asked if we’d ever tried to make our own. Brilliant, the girl is brilliant! After a trip to the market for fresh herbs (a steal at $1 / bunch at Pike Place Market), the first test was under way. Two hours later we had custom blended herbed sea salt, worthy of gracing our soups, roasted vegetables, fish, meats – anything normally seasoned with salt & herbs.  Best of all, it’s surprisingly easy and gift worthy!Read More