Forgot to say that before christmas I bought some Type Trumps as a present for myself. Whoop. Waiting eagerly for them to arrive.
See them here.
Tuesday 30 December 2008
Sunday 28 December 2008
Melanie Alexandrou
Another gift from Kirsty & Adam, this time something that they bought from a Middlesborough craft fair.
This is a little book made by Melanie Alexandrou. Normally at christmas you have to do the compulsory open-reaction-thank-repeat but for this one I had to sit and go through all it's little parts.
Firstly a little card fell out with a hand-printed logo, which has all the contact information on the back in really nice handwriting.
Then I noticed a little pocket on the inside cover with another contact slip and a teeny little info sheet with information about what the photographs that fill up the main body of the book are of.
I was firstly amazed by the handcrafted splendour of it all. Handwritten contact cards with little emblems (I see them as square-head jellyfishes), punched out holes from the photographs stuck on the cover, cable-tie binding, corrugated cardboard cover and back, brown paper and string bag, typewriter ornamented pockets and much more. It screamed manual and I loved it. You couldn't look at it without enisioning one person having to sit and make each part which amoungst the usual shrink wrap and celophane of ASDA christmas sets it made it silently bounce about (quite aptly) like a silent happy cat (another strange coincidence as next door now have a really cute cat which spent the majority of christmas at our house).
Then I actually sat and stalled the rhythm of present opening by looking at every single picture. It reminded me of the time when I'd spent three days pulling pictures from forsakenplaces.com for fear of it vanishing. Beautiful scenes of abandoned rooms with scrawling paint peels and delicate wallpaper curls only hanging on with damp. It was speckled metal rust, cracked wood, desolate shining lonely windows trapped in huge somber walls and I loved it. Obviously a bit of a personal because even Dad appreciated the craftmanship of the book yet was perplexed by the subject in each photo: "Lovely book, but, why would anyone want to look at that?". It made me laugh because it highlights just how specific a love it is to have. Holding a book made by somebody else containing no sales margin or profit gain percentages, just a pure simple love and projection of it was exhilarating because me and my sister (or maybe not, yet she stills sees that I see it) could say "This person 'gets' it".
I'm not too sure if I've got the titles of the links right but here they are:
Personal Myspace
Craft Collective Myspace
This is a little book made by Melanie Alexandrou. Normally at christmas you have to do the compulsory open-reaction-thank-repeat but for this one I had to sit and go through all it's little parts.
Firstly a little card fell out with a hand-printed logo, which has all the contact information on the back in really nice handwriting.
Then I noticed a little pocket on the inside cover with another contact slip and a teeny little info sheet with information about what the photographs that fill up the main body of the book are of.
I was firstly amazed by the handcrafted splendour of it all. Handwritten contact cards with little emblems (I see them as square-head jellyfishes), punched out holes from the photographs stuck on the cover, cable-tie binding, corrugated cardboard cover and back, brown paper and string bag, typewriter ornamented pockets and much more. It screamed manual and I loved it. You couldn't look at it without enisioning one person having to sit and make each part which amoungst the usual shrink wrap and celophane of ASDA christmas sets it made it silently bounce about (quite aptly) like a silent happy cat (another strange coincidence as next door now have a really cute cat which spent the majority of christmas at our house).
Then I actually sat and stalled the rhythm of present opening by looking at every single picture. It reminded me of the time when I'd spent three days pulling pictures from forsakenplaces.com for fear of it vanishing. Beautiful scenes of abandoned rooms with scrawling paint peels and delicate wallpaper curls only hanging on with damp. It was speckled metal rust, cracked wood, desolate shining lonely windows trapped in huge somber walls and I loved it. Obviously a bit of a personal because even Dad appreciated the craftmanship of the book yet was perplexed by the subject in each photo: "Lovely book, but, why would anyone want to look at that?". It made me laugh because it highlights just how specific a love it is to have. Holding a book made by somebody else containing no sales margin or profit gain percentages, just a pure simple love and projection of it was exhilarating because me and my sister (or maybe not, yet she stills sees that I see it) could say "This person 'gets' it".
I'm not too sure if I've got the titles of the links right but here they are:
Personal Myspace
Craft Collective Myspace
Original Famous Teacher's Brand: Proper Penmanship
Always great well thought out gifts from Kirsty & Adam, yet this one was slightly weird at just how good it was.
I'd been practicing calligraphy after a few finds via Flickr and loved the learning process and the actual hands-on need to acquiring the skill. No clicking or remembering shortcuts. You either know how to control your fingers and wrist or it just doesn't work. It's ten times more rewarding I find, to learn a 'real' skill rather than a process on a computer. So, when I got this christmas morning, after spending the previous few days reaming off practice page after practice page, I thought they'd been to the future or something.
The packaging is wonderful and I had to stop myself from opening it there and then, so I could take some photos properly. The kiss of the black type is gorgeous and a really really nice touch
Expect a post with some pictures of my calligraphy trials on Derrick soon.
I'd been practicing calligraphy after a few finds via Flickr and loved the learning process and the actual hands-on need to acquiring the skill. No clicking or remembering shortcuts. You either know how to control your fingers and wrist or it just doesn't work. It's ten times more rewarding I find, to learn a 'real' skill rather than a process on a computer. So, when I got this christmas morning, after spending the previous few days reaming off practice page after practice page, I thought they'd been to the future or something.
The packaging is wonderful and I had to stop myself from opening it there and then, so I could take some photos properly. The kiss of the black type is gorgeous and a really really nice touch
Expect a post with some pictures of my calligraphy trials on Derrick soon.
Post Christmas
I've been away from the computer for christmas but it's been something of a nice reprieve.
Bustling train journeys to and from home meant that I got to finish my Richard Yates book 'Revolutionary Road'. I had to leave the other books by him I'd bought behind so no more from him for a while. It's a shame really as I really liked it. It's a 50's setting generally about the dissolution of marriage and family and how that picturesque perfect image of family times before that era slowly began to unwind. Powerful stuff. Oh and never buy a book for it's cover? Pfft. I don't adhere to that rule. Just look at how I got enticed to buy:
Shit! Upon just looking for a picture of the book cover to stick in here, I've found that it's been made into a movie. I hope they do it justice. The actors are nothing like what I imagined them so already that part is ruined in my mind. Grrr.
That brings me onto my next little thought before the scans and photo posts begin. I've been noting down little phrases and quotes I like purely for the sake of rememberance but I'm not thinking that it'd be nice to do some typographical posters on them. Just as a personal hobbie fun-time thing to do, I think it'll be good to turn these powerful word structures (that obviously resonate enought for me to want to remember them) into something nicer than a text message draft saved on my phone.
Bustling train journeys to and from home meant that I got to finish my Richard Yates book 'Revolutionary Road'. I had to leave the other books by him I'd bought behind so no more from him for a while. It's a shame really as I really liked it. It's a 50's setting generally about the dissolution of marriage and family and how that picturesque perfect image of family times before that era slowly began to unwind. Powerful stuff. Oh and never buy a book for it's cover? Pfft. I don't adhere to that rule. Just look at how I got enticed to buy:
Shit! Upon just looking for a picture of the book cover to stick in here, I've found that it's been made into a movie. I hope they do it justice. The actors are nothing like what I imagined them so already that part is ruined in my mind. Grrr.
That brings me onto my next little thought before the scans and photo posts begin. I've been noting down little phrases and quotes I like purely for the sake of rememberance but I'm not thinking that it'd be nice to do some typographical posters on them. Just as a personal hobbie fun-time thing to do, I think it'll be good to turn these powerful word structures (that obviously resonate enought for me to want to remember them) into something nicer than a text message draft saved on my phone.
Sunday 21 December 2008
A Weekend
Fucked up my sleeping pattern again this weekend. After work on friday I went over to Anil's and it was the normal inspire-fest that can be expected.
Listened to a whole bunch of vinyl's which is always a great start. A great mix of which I noted down Bon Iver. Bon Iver is the guy who we listened to before and it really struck a chord with the mood and crisp air and everything. He locked himself away in a cabin to record the whole album (I think). It must have struck because of Anil's proud declaration of clearing out his little out house in the back garden for 'his space'. And an escape from his wife. Can't really remember quite what the song was but I think it's on the 'For Emma' album. I'll hazard a guess at this track: here.
Also noted Devon Sproule who has a gentle crisp voice which was refreshing.
After a few more vinyls of which I'd heard before or simply didn't resonate with, we stuck on 'What's up Doc?'. A comedy. It was great and fitted the mood well to have a humorous breath in of non-seriousness. The end line was great "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." but of course it wouldn't of made much sense without Anil telling me about 'Love Story' beforehand. Have to watch that sometime.
Then we watched The Night Hunter which was really really bizarre as I'd randomly come across Lillian Gish and included a picture of her in one of my personal works. Was a strange but welcome feeling to have that clawing thought of "I know that name" and then figure it out. It was a really old black and white thriller/horror which even to this day scares Anil shitless because of the remeberence of the first time he watched it; stoned.
Words I looked up: Persiflage.
Slept all Saturday subsequently, on and off until 2am Sunday morning where I woke, made my compulsory get better poached eggs on toast. Guzzled orange juice, milk then made a hot chocolate.
Watched 'Adaptation', after researching into Kaufman a bit more. Amazing 'Act III' line "You are what you love, not what loves you. I decided that a long time ago." Great film, just wish I hadn't of seen the ending before, whilst lazily watching TV with my dad.
Words I looked up: Deus ex machina. Protagonist (remembered the meaning but wasn't sure. Got it right though!)
Listened to a whole bunch of vinyl's which is always a great start. A great mix of which I noted down Bon Iver. Bon Iver is the guy who we listened to before and it really struck a chord with the mood and crisp air and everything. He locked himself away in a cabin to record the whole album (I think). It must have struck because of Anil's proud declaration of clearing out his little out house in the back garden for 'his space'. And an escape from his wife. Can't really remember quite what the song was but I think it's on the 'For Emma' album. I'll hazard a guess at this track: here.
Also noted Devon Sproule who has a gentle crisp voice which was refreshing.
After a few more vinyls of which I'd heard before or simply didn't resonate with, we stuck on 'What's up Doc?'. A comedy. It was great and fitted the mood well to have a humorous breath in of non-seriousness. The end line was great "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." but of course it wouldn't of made much sense without Anil telling me about 'Love Story' beforehand. Have to watch that sometime.
Then we watched The Night Hunter which was really really bizarre as I'd randomly come across Lillian Gish and included a picture of her in one of my personal works. Was a strange but welcome feeling to have that clawing thought of "I know that name" and then figure it out. It was a really old black and white thriller/horror which even to this day scares Anil shitless because of the remeberence of the first time he watched it; stoned.
Words I looked up: Persiflage.
Slept all Saturday subsequently, on and off until 2am Sunday morning where I woke, made my compulsory get better poached eggs on toast. Guzzled orange juice, milk then made a hot chocolate.
Watched 'Adaptation', after researching into Kaufman a bit more. Amazing 'Act III' line "You are what you love, not what loves you. I decided that a long time ago." Great film, just wish I hadn't of seen the ending before, whilst lazily watching TV with my dad.
Words I looked up: Deus ex machina. Protagonist (remembered the meaning but wasn't sure. Got it right though!)
Facebook...
Thursday 18 December 2008
Yiying Lu
Website
After staring at a bottle of Rosé in our kitchen for some days I finally decided to find out who'd created it. See it here. I've emailed her asking about who did the type so hopefully she'll know or be able to find out.
[Update] After a speedy response she just directed me to upload it to whatthefont.com. Not a lot of help but oh well.
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