Hand Lettered Inspiration

A few months ago I was somehow directed to the blog Ephemera Assemblyman. It's basically collections of really neat, assorted old photos, documents, prints, etc. I love it. Today I saw this post on calligraphy art. So so pretty! And inspiring. I seem to have fallen out of practice as far as drawing since high school. I think doing some lettering drawings would be a good way to get back into sketching. As a graphic designer, I am naturally a typophile, so letters and fonts are art forms to me.



Images from Ephemera Assemblyman

It just so happens that a couple weeks ago I finally watched the movie The Pillow Book. It revolves around a woman who is obsessed with calligraphy, specifically written on her body. She is constantly seeking lovers who have beautiful calligraphy skills, and she also teaches her self to make beautiful word art on men's bodies. It's a gorgeous movie, though disturbing. The lettering are magnificent.




So, hooked on the pretty, I've wandered around the Internet looking for more calligraphy art. Here's some nice examples, and links to a plethora more.


Art by Jordan Jalev, via this Design Roof post.




Art by Natasha Mileshina, via this Smashing Magazine post, which is so very very full of lettery goodness.




Wine label design, via another über-amazing lettery goodness post on noupe (click on each image in that post to see more works by each artist!), which also had more Jordan Jalev:




And this delightful ode to Sir Mix-a-lot:




I love love love this idea that Lettercult is doing. Alphabattle, in which designers/artists can submit their interpretation of each letter of the alphabet. So fun!! Check out some of the A's:







And, of course, there's a calligraphy flickr group, for even more daily pretties. I love me some flickr groups!

Alright, I hope you are as inspired as I am. Gonna go raid my markers now.

butterflies!

One of my favorite places in St. Louis to take photos is the Butterfly House in Chesterfield. Who doesn't like pretty, colorful, whimsical butterflies? At a place like the butterfly house, you are able to get up-close and personal with these gorgeous critters... at times it's eerie. They are insects, afterall. Here are some photos I've taken there...







These two are mating, so right there, awesome picture. It's even more awesome since my friend April pointed out that you can see what looks like a fishie about to eat a little nugget! Can you see it?

Collections: Owls

This is a newer collection for me, and most of it is from a single table at a Flea Market I was at last summer. Owls. They are trendy, yes, and I cannot seem to resist a good owl. What can I say, they're a HOOT!


This is a white resin owl for hanging on the wall. pretty!! And he was only 25¢!





These are pages from a pad of stationary called "Cute Hoots." I have no idea if this a newer notepad or from the 70's, but I LOVE it and can't bring myself to actually use the precious paper for actual notes. WHOOO doesn't love a good pun, amirite?



Brass owl trivet. So 70's. so gorgeous. (so needs to be cleaned!) This was my grandma's. I nabbed it when she had a garage sale a few years ago. He is promintently displayed in my kitchen.



Shark tooth + wood + Googlie eyes = most awesomest owl necklace evar.



Assorted teeny tiny owls. Can you even stand it?



Noodles can't. He was trying to pounce the whole time I was taking their photos! Look out teeny Owlie friends!! :)

Past "Collections" post: Kokeshi dolls.

favorite live music. part 1 of ... who knows.

2009 will go down in my personal history book as the year of live music. I pretty much was able to go see a live show at least once a week. I hope to continue this pattern. Live music... well it just makes my soul feel right... too corny? I like to rock, how 'bout that?

Now, I may not have the skillz of my friends Corey Woodruff and Bryan Sutter... two AMAZING live show photographers... but I do like to document my experience. Usually with my iPhone *winces as Bryan kicks me in the taint* Okay, but sometimes, with assorted apps... well, the pics can be kind of cool. The point here, though, is the music. You should definitely check these acts out when you have the chance. In this post, I'll talk about 3 quite different performers... all of which I will go to see again and again.

THE DAMNWELLS


The Damnwells. Thanks to S. Eric Ketzer for introducing them to me. And when I say "introduce" I mean take me on an EPIC roadtrip through the mid-south to follow them. So worth it.



The Damnwells music I would describe as... okay, so I'm terrible at describing music. They are kinda folk, kinda rock, a nice hearty pinch of "indie." Seriously, I'm no good at reviewing music. I just know I like them. A LOT. and you have no excuse not to check their stuff out, because their last album is a FREE download. Why is it free? not because it's bad, oh heck no. They've had a rough, heartbreaking few years in regards to record companies. As documented in the recently released film "The Golden Years."



Here is a video I took from the Damnwells show in Birmingham, AL:



SO MANY DYNAMOS


So Many Dynamos are a local band (St. Louis area) that are so fantastically high-energy. Whenever I go to see them, my friend Mike, who got me into them in the first place, and I dance like, as we call it, Silly White Kids. Sweaty, no-cares, dork-a-rific dancing and flailing around. It's liberating, and so much fun. So Many Dynamos is kinda techno, kinda nerd-rock... all awesome. Oh, and rather brilliant, it seems. Someone noticed that many of the songs on their last album sound like songs from the previous album PLAYED BACKWARDS. who does that? geniuses, that's who:




Here's a video of what I might claim as my favorite Dynamos song, Search Party:




LANGHORNE SLIM


Langhorne Slim opened up for Josh Ritter (also highly recommend Josh... great songs, great performer, always smiling!), and I was smitten by his coveralls and upbeat, slightly rowdy... ummm.. folk-punk style. Yeah, folk-punk is the best way I can think of to describe mister Slim.



I find myself randomly singing this song at least 3 times a week:


So there's a little glimpse into my musical tastes and iPhone photo geekery. Seriously, check all these dudes out. Let me know what you think! Oh, and they are all on twitter: Damnwells, So Many Dynamos, Langhorne Slim


"Without music life would be a mistake.": ~Friedrich Nietzsche

travel photos: it's all about the details

Last weekend I visited Maryland to hang out with my BFF and my cousin. It was a whirlwind tour of both Washington D.C. and Baltimore. When I go on trips, I take TONS of photos. I am such a tourist! There is one travel photography tip that always sticks with me... make sure to capture the details. I know I read this tip on LJC's blog, but I cannot find a link... it's been years. Anyway, think about it. Full pictures of the White house, Lincoln Memorial, etc. are all well and good, but they are a dime a dozen. Getting shots of of, say, the an interesting ceiling tile inside the Lincoln Memorial, or an exceptionally pretty tree branch outside the Jefferson Memorial, will help bring back the feel of the place you visited. Here are some of my favorite detail photos from my trip.


This handsome fella was hanging around with his lady friend in the lake as we walked towards the Jefferson Memorial.


I thought this twisty tree outside of the Jefferson Memorial was really pretty.


There was a lot of construction going on around DC. Instead of ruining the view, it just made it more colorful and interesting.


The index finger on FDR's statue at the FDR memorial was shiny. I don't know if people rub it for good luck, or if they think it's funny to play the "pull my finger" game with the statue of a dead president.



The FDR memorial had this really neat metal art installation. I loved the contrast of the different panel colors, different metals aging in their different ways.


OMGOMGOMG squeee! I visited Julia Child's kitchen at the Smithsonian American History Museum. It was quite a spiritual experience for me. The teal color of her cabinets is the color I hope to have in my kitchen someday. And is there anything prettier than copper pots and pans? I love that Paul traced all the hanging pots and pans with a marker so things could be put away in the right place!


The outside of the American Indian museum was so pretty with it's curves and golden bricks.


Random silly graffiti on a plywood construction fence. Made me smile.





We only did a quick walk through Chinatown in DC, but I still wanted to capture the essence.


On our walk back to the car after our day in DC, I noticed the eerie lighting on the merry-go-round in the National mall.



Some uplifting grafitti in a treehouse outside the American Visionary Museum in Baltimore. We met an awesome kid in that treehouse who was pretending to be an astronaut. He warned us that the aliens came out of red hearts, so if we saw any red hearts we should look out.



Cherry Blossom trees in bloom by the Inner Harbor in Baltimore!


A seagull at the Harbor watching us paddle around in the dragon boats.


Ate a delicious pizza from Isabella's in Baltimore's Little Italy on a Bocce court.


My BFF's feet and mine on "the beach" of the Johns Hopkins University campus, where we went to fly a kite. I am a fan of taking pictures of my feet when I travel too... they say "I walked here."


We ate dinner at the Paper Moon Diner in Baltimore. A super-neat kitschy-collection laden place with lots of details to photograph. So fun! This fabulous diva stood watch outside the bathroom.


Finished up my trip in Baltimore's Fell's point. Had a pint and some yummy bar food at a little pub, Slainte, there before heading home. Ahhhh.