Bad Type Day Out

Continuing with the Bad Type project, the class all brought our horrible letters to the studio and shot them being used in various scenarios. The photo of our group to follow soon. After this, we all went out to photograph the letters around London. Having got followed out the Tate by about five guards, we eventually left them on a set of steps outside a church. Not necessarily the best choice of location but as thunder sounded and the heavens poured down, we made the most of it.

Laura Lancaster

Newcastle based artist Laura Lancaster exhibited some of her recent works at the Laing Art Gallery. She finds disgarded photographs in charity shops, junk shops and in the street and uses them as a way of rescuing lost moments and memories of strangers. I especially liked these images although Lancaster also paints canvases based on the found photographs.

Here comes the Sun

Taken outside my house in Newcastle on a snowy winter's afternoon. Gorgeous.

Xmas 2010

Above, the Christmas card I designed for my parents to send to everyone on their list. What with the tough economic climate, in the words of sir sugar, it seemed an appropriate minimal design. My love for my typewriter and current interest in rubber stamps also fitted in well. Below, one of the shots of my family's Christmas pudding up in flames. Very pretty but I think I'll stick to puddings that actually taste good.

Van

What a fine example of bad type/word art. Found on Grey Street in my hometown of Newcastle. Was is really necessary to write 'ANY AREA' twice? Was any of it really necessary at all?

Tonight I'm going to be...

Iconic photograph project. I became Rita Hayworth, an American movie star and dancer and also sex symbol in the 1940s. The photo was shot by Charlie Patterson.

Had to buy one of these

Chocolate typography, also found in the KK Outlet in Hoxton Square. Having sold out of upper case A, my favourite letter, I bought a letter S. Yum.

This Way

Found in the KK Outlet in Hoxton Square in Shoreditch.

Letterpress: The Cockney Alphabet

Final day at the New North Press before the Reverting to Type exhibition at Standpoint Gallery. I spent the first day setting the press with the curator, Graham Bignell, and my Chelsea College tutor, Nigel Bents. It's amazing how long the whole poster takes to set. Measuring and adjusting each letter as thin as a hair space is very time consuming. However, I learnt so much about printing and type so I loved the experience.




Measuring a boarder to fit. Only one poster was printed with a boarder for the exhibition so hopefully I can return in the New Year to help print the remaining 99 sheets.



Inking up. First with a wide roller all over the leads. Then we went over the main letters with a much smaller roller to ensure they printed boldly. This was how day two was spent with Jasper, a fellow graphics student. We printed something between 60-80 posters that day. He had to do all the pressing, my little arms couldn't take the pressure.





Dismantling. Looks like a battle ground. So many tiny pieces to put back in a draw. Locating the draw in the first place took quite a while.




The final poster at Standpoint Gallery.

Papyrus Destroyed

Having waited a week, my plaster papyrus letter finally arrived in Newcastle. It turned out in just the condition I had hoped, nicely smashed up.

Thames-ing it up

Despite the cold, I braved it out with my camera along London's Southbank. I've been trying to work out how my camera works to take good night photography. These came out quite well. With the Christmas market on and all the colourful lights, London is starting to feel quite festive. Still too early if you ask me though.

Plaster Papyrus

Last Thursday I made a lower case 's' in Papyrus typeface out of plaster. This is for the destroy a letter project so I posted it to my home address in Newcastle. I hoped the type would travel up and down the country and return nicely smashed through my letterbox. I sent it on Friday morning however it seems it has not arrived at my parents' house yet. I'll put the results up if/when I get them but here's how I made the cast in the meantime.