#handwritingmatters with Sakura

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Sakura's ad in the current issue of UPPERCASE.

Regular readers of UPPERCASE magazine will know that it is a magazine with very few ads. I really appreciate all the advertisers in each issue, whether they're readers placing Peeps, Calling Cards or bigger ads. In issue 28, Sakura of America is supporting UPPERCASE with a half page ad and Minted has a full page ad. All revenue from ads goes directly to paying contributors. If you'd like to advertise your business—big or small—the details are posted here.

Saturday, January 23 is National Handwriting Day. To celebrate, Sakura is holding an Instagram giveaway. Write your favourite quote on a piece of paper (preferably using one of Sakura’s products of course) and post the image using the hashtag #handwritingmatters on Instagram in order to be considered. Between Friday, January 15 and Monday, January 25, Sakura will choose 10 winners to receive tools for lettering. The giveaway’s only open to residents of the US and Canada, and you must be over 13 to participate. The full rules are listed here.

The prize includes:

  • Pigma Professional Brush Pen, all three sizes of fine, medium, bold
  • Pigma Calligrapher in all six colors and 2mm nib size
  • 2 Koi Coloring Brush Pens
  • 4 Gelly Roll
  • 1 Pigma Pen 10
  • 1 XS12 Mechanical Pencil
  • 1 Pigma Graphic
  • 3 Pigma Micron
  • 1 Strathmore Writing pad
  • 1 Sakura pen case

Sakura will be featuring many submitted posts on the Pigma Micron website.

Happy Handwriting!

Win with CourseCraft

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Online learning has really taken off. If you’re an independent maker or entrepreneur and want to get in on the trend by teaching your own class, CourseCraft has created the infrastructure to do just that, easily and free of tech hassles so that you can concentrate on providing great content. CourseCraft has been a long supporter of UPPERCASE magazine—you'll have seen their Calling Card in many issues of the magazine. You can read more about them in the forthcoming issue 27. Founder Sara Funduk has a generous giveaway for UPPERCASE readers:

Steer your own course!

We've put together this 'E-Course Starter Kit' to give you everything you need to get started with your next (or first) online course! The Nikon P7800 is a highly rated camera with a super fast f/2 lens, 7.1x zoom and full 1080p HD video capabilities. The assortment of fun office supplies will help you get all your ideas down on paper and stay organized. And lastly, we've included a free Pro upgrade for your course so you can take advantage of all the features of CourseCraft.

E-Course Starter Kit from CourseCraft (value of over $700)
- Nikon P7800 camera
- 3-pack of Studio Oh Woodland Creatures notebooks
- Kate Spade Expletive gold paper clips
- Set of floral sticky notes with matching pen
- free Pro upgrade on CourseCraft

To enter, simply enter your email address on this page. A winner will be chosen on Monday, September 28th by CourseCraft and they will contact the winner by email.

Calling Card: All Aboard with Jasmine Jimenez

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A couple of years ago, I was invited to speak at the AIGA San Diego Y Conference. I met lots of really nice people and one of them was conference administrator Jasmine Jimenez (she was impressively organized!) Thanks to her, I had a great experience.

Jasmine recently got in touch to support UPPERCASE magazine through a Peep and a Calling Card—both will be appearing in the Fall issue. (That's issue #27 which is off to print today and will be released by October 1.) The funds received from Calling Cards and other advertisements go directly to paying contributor fees, so thank you to Jasmine and my other Calling Card advertisers for supporting fine content for fall. You can see them all on the blog sidebar—please click through and discover their talents and services.

I'll let Jasmine take it away from here:

Hi, My Name is Jasmine, and I believe Essential Oils are the answer that many people are looking for, whether they are aware of it or not. I make light of 'jumping on the oily train', but you should know, that once your ride begins your wellness destination is just a few stops away. Just like the train needs the track to move forward, our bodies need a stable infrastructure to function well. Without well-balanced systems, our bodies may want to give out on us. It doesn't matter which side of the ‘health tracks’ you have lived on in the past, you can always take the small steps over to the wellness side. Essential Oils and oil infused products will act as your boarding pass to a healthier non-toxic way of living for you, your family (kids too!) and your friends. 

WHY I CHOOSE ESSENTIAL OILS
I choose essential oils because I believe there is always another way. The "possible" side effect on every single label is what prevents me from buying medicine, accepting a prescription and from having faith that the neatly designed box of the shelf is magical in any way.

THE TRANSITION
After you enrol, a transition will begin to happen. I know because it happens to all of us. You will realize you've stopped shopping at the store for the brand items your have in your home today. Your home will feel cleaner without all of the cleaning products. You will realize that you feel better each and every day. Your instinct about how to use essential oils will start to kick-in, and they will begin to feel as natural to you as they are to our Mother Earth.

You can find me at oil-relief.com and we can start your journey to feeling better today!

Art Makers Denver

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Thank you to Art Makers Denver for supporting the blog this month through their sidebar advertisement.

Art Makers Denver is a first-of-its-kind urban art retreat located in Denver, Colorado. Spanning a period of four days, 12 dynamic instructors will offer over 30 art workshops, teaching a variety of innovative techniques. Most workshops are open to all skill levels, but are designed for everyone, including experienced artists and makers. You will learn new techniques using common materials and media, or will be introduced to and instructed on how to use new and innovative products to enhance your artistic design process.     

Coming from around the globe, their instructors are bringing both modern and ancient design techniques and skills to the table.

Ruth Fiege from Denver, Colorado
“Printing with Stencils - Underwear Through the Ages” 

 

Harriet Goodall from Sydney, Australia
“Random Weaving” 

 

Sarah Watts from Atlanta, Georgia
“Surface Pattern Design with Adobe Illustrator” 

Spend your days in the company of these master art makers, feeding your creative soul, and forging lasting friendships with like-minded makers. Go to the Art Makers Denver website to see all that they have to offer.

Win a set of lettering and illustration pens from Sakura

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Regular readers of UPPERCASE magazine will observe that there are very few ads in each print issue. Sometimes two pages plus the Calling Cards and Peeps, sometimes fewer than that! Truth is, as a one-woman operation, I don't have a lot of time to sell ads. But sometimes, advertisers seek out the magazine and it becomes a natural fit. Like when Sakura of America, makers of the Pigma pen, reached out to advertise in UPPERCASE. You'll see their print ad in the fall illustration-themed issue of UPPERCASE. In the meantime, we're collaborating on a giveaway!

I've been using Pigma Micron pens since college. They're really are part of any designer and illustrator's tool kit.

Sakura has recently introduced a new line of Pigma Professional Brush Pens to the line. These pens use the same rich, black, archival ink, but with expressive brush nibs in fine, medium and bold tips. They're perfect for illustration and lettering projects. I had some fun experimenting with the boldest nib, below.

Master penman Jake Weidmann, whom we featured in the calligraphy and lettering issue 23, tries out a finer version below. Wow, his talent is awesome!

To win one of five Sakura Pigma Pen prize packs, please leave a comment about why you love inky black pens over on this Instagram photo. Make sure you follow @uppercasemag and @sakuraofamerica. This promotion is open to legal residents of the 50 United States, District of Columbia and Canada (except Quebec). You must be over the age of 13. Contest is open until May 18. The winners will be selected at random from the Instagram comments. Good luck!

Calling Card: Stencil Girl

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Mary Beth Shaw, photo by Greg Barth Designs

I know there are a lot of UPPERCASE readers who love to do art journaling and scrapbooking. Stencil Girl products make unique stencils that can enhance your art-making experience. Stencil Girl offers wide collection of stencils designed by a long and growing list of artists. The stencils are meant for mixed media and there are no rules on how to use them. Through varying media, layering and other techniques, they're a fun way to explore making marks. Here's founder Mary Beth Shaw's story:

Mary Beth Shaw worked in the insurance industry for 18 years before she quit her job in 2000 to re-ignite a childhood love of art.  She is now a full time painter and internationally known workshop instructor. Her creative process is largely self taught, spontaneous and joyful. She is author of Flavor for Mixed Media and Stencil Girl , both published by F&W and is also a columnist for Somerset Studios Magazine. 

In 2010, Mary Beth recognized a need for 'artist designed' stencils and created StencilGirl Products, which has quickly grown into a respected supplier of high quality stencils for all media. Living with her husband and three cats, Mary Beth is passionate about every moment of life. 

Stencil Girl has released a new Stencil Club collection for April, designed by Jessica Sporn. Here's Jessica, below, describing how fabrics from her childhood inspired the new, groovy collection.

And in the second video, Jessica shows how to make a gesso resist and then offers a peek into her art journals.

I'd like to thank Stencil Girl Products for supporting UPPERCASE magazine's original content through their purchase of a Calling Card ad. 

Vancouver: Salt Spring in the City

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Erin Morris Ceramics

Salt Spring in the City is an event later this week (March 27-29th) in Vancouver that celebrates the artisans of Salt Spring Island. 

Salt Spring Island Candle Co

"We will be bringing the island’s bohemian lifestyle and fresh finds from our hottest artisans with over 30 unique brands to discover," write the organizers. "From the modern to the rustic, chic to traditional—there's something for everyone. Salt Spring in the City will take over Heritage Hall (3102 Main Street)."

There looks to be a nice assortment of vendors at the event. If you're in Vancouver this weekend, please go check it out!

Big Bear and the Wolf

Doors open on Friday at 4pm and the event is open until 9pm. On Saturday, March 28, 10–6 and on Sunday the event is from 10–5. 

Julie MacKinnon Ceramics

Thank you to Salt Spring in the City for supporting UPPERCASE by placing a sidebar ad! Visit their blog for plenty of artisan profiles and for more information.

Zandra Stratford

BADbandana

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UPPERCASE reader and supporter Don Moyer has very successful track record on Kickstarter. His CalamityWare plates and BADbandana projects highlight his complex and fun illustration motifs on usable everyday items such as plates and bandanas. His latest campaign launched a few days ago already surpassed its goal, but with 19 days to go, there's plenty of time to make a pledge to preorder these bandanas featuring "early video games meet folk-art embroidery, plus energetic monsters".

Blanketed in Simple Stripes with Purl Soho yarns

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Purl Soho's crocheted Super Easy Baby Blanket 

Purl Soho is a gorgeous shop in New York City that I'm happy to say has been a regular stockist and supporter of UPPERCASE for many years. (Here are some pictures from my visit there last November.)

Their products are always carefully selected and they really excel at COLOUR. Beautiful colour combinations showing real sophistication—subtle differences in shades, beautiful gradations, unexpected pairings... the Purl Bee, their inspiring blog, showcases various projects using Purl products and for those of us admiring and shopping from afar, offers an up close appreciation of their fabrics and yarns through great photography and really accessible patterns. Here are some simple striped patterns that are easy for beginners and meditative and satisfying for expert crocheters and knitters.

On a cold winter's day, I'd love to be encircled by this gradient cowl.

And I'll curl up under a striped blanket... or perhaps I'll just snuggle up to these skeins of yarn that look warm and inviting just like this:

The Purl Bee offers plenty of free patterns and inspiration and you can shop from the comfort of home via their website. Copies of UPPERCASE are available as well.

Look for an ad from Purl Soho in the winter issue of UPPERCASE. Thanks, Purl Soho!

Fossil

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There is very little advertising in each issue of UPPERCASE. This is partly by design since the few ads I do run have more impact for the advertiser and hold more interest for the reader (and leave more room for content!) but it is also out of necessity. Being a one-woman magazine operation means I don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to finding advertisers. My goal is to find two advertisers per issue—one for each of the inside covers—plus an assortment of Calling Card ads and Peeps round out each issue. I was happy when, out of the blue, the folks at Fossil contacted me about placing an ad in the current issue. They’re certainly the biggest brand that has advertised with UPPERCASE, but they’re also a great fit: with beautiful products that I personally already use (my watch, for example) and a company culture driven by design, Fossil has employed and supported many illustrators and designers within the larger UPPERCASE community.

I’ve been a solo designer pretty much my entire career, working my way up out of the room off the kitchen, the basement, a public gallery space and now to a nice studio office. But I’ve never worked for another company and I am particularly intrigued by how bigger brands nurture creativity and foster great work environments. I was curious about how UPPERCASE fits into life at Fossil so I reached out to Laura Pike-Seeley, the librarian at the Fossil headquarters in Richardson, Texas. (Please note that this profile was entirely initiated by me and is not a sponsored post.)

What kinds of books, magazines and reference materials are at the Fossil Library?

The Fossil Library is open to all employees, but specializes in connecting our design teams to Fossil’s shared creative resources. We have a variety of materials, from books on Expressionist woodcuts and jazz album covers to a circulating iPad full of digital magazine subscriptions.

Fossil subscribes to dozens of design journal titles, including, of course, UPPERCASE! Other popular titles include Kinfolk, Vogue Accessory, Wallpaper, Print and many more. We also hold management and leadership titles, graphic and watch design annuals and paper samples

In addition, the Library manages collections for our product design teams, the largest being our collection of retail and vintage samples. Imagine a circulating library, but instead of books, it’s bags, belts, textiles and anything else you can imagine.

How is the library curated?

You can’t always anticipate where creativity will lead people, so much of the collection development is in response to designers’ requests or from conversations with employees about the directions their work is taking. That said, the library fills gaps and anticipates user needs by acquiring titles that are crucial for a well-rounded design resource center to offer. The other major driver is our seasonal brand stories— the Fossil brand team helps to curate resources that will support their vision for upcoming seasons.

How did you hear about UPPERCASE magazine?

This first time I flipped through an UPPERCASE issue was at Salvage Ltd in Arlington, Massachusetts. When I came on over three years ago and started managing our journal subscriptions, UPPERCASE was a magazine I knew that the Library, as a resource center for hundreds of creatives, had to have. This impulse was confirmed over and over again, as it’s one of our most popular titles.

UPPERCASE is adored for its...

The magazine is so well curated and colorful—it just makes you smile. According to our designers, UPPERCASE is adored because it’s eclectic, practical and made for creatives by creatives. Charming, whimsical, surprising—these are all words used by our designers to describe UPPERCASE.

As many Fossil employees are lovers of historical ephemera, we are always delighted to see celebrations of the cultural paper trail in UPPERCASE—like the piece on ham radio cards from issue 20 and the midcentury letterhead feature from issue 19.

What kinds of materials are in the archives?

We’re currently celebrating Fossil’s 30th birthday, so our archives have been heavily mined this year. The archives contains packaging (we have a full archive of our signature watch tins), catalogs and mailers, advertising collateral, newsletters, press releases, merchandising props, and of course, product, including watches, bags, belts and clothing. Our digital archives holds commercials, internal videos and our art department’s work from the past twenty years or so. The archive is growing as we are striving to collect some of our oldest and rarest designs. And several times a year, the library works with design leaders to pick the best of the best designs to add to our seasonal archive.

What is the coolest item in the archive?

It's tough to pick just one! We do have some particularly great items seen in the retro future story, which is a recurring theme that has popped up again and again over the years at Fossil.

As early as 1991, you can see a retro-futuristic influence in Fossil's packaging and product. These robots, rockets, ray guns, galactic travelers and other symbols of other-worldly adventures were inspired by late 1950s visions of a fantastic future.

Fossil has looked to the story of retro future once again for the Holiday 2014 collection. Taking the best elements of midcentury design culture and infusing it with humor and whimsy is what Fossil does best.

How do designers at Fossil typically use the library services?

It’s a function of both reference and inspiration. Someone may need to get a better grasp on a subject they are already familiar with, or perhaps a topic they have been assigned to research, and we work together to locate the best resources. Other times, they come from a place of curiosity or a desire for new thinking. Our fully-automated library consists of about two thousand books—big enough to provide a little of most things design-related, but small enough to easily browse for inspiration, both in person and through the digital catalog.

How does the library assist the Fossil brand and company culture?

The Library is here for anyone to use for inspiration, reference, or simply a place to get away from your desk and computer for a little while. It’s a welcoming, open space that encourages creativity and collaboration, which are both so crucial to the Fossil identity. Quite simply, the Library is a creative haven.

Based on what people are interacting with in the library, can you see trends in style and design emerging?

It seems that one of the biggest developments in creative culture is a shift toward authenticity and craftsmanship, even as creatives retain a passion for technology and how it can support innovation in design. 3D printing, wearables, hackerspaces—these emerged from a desire to explore what role technology plays in self-expression, and the urge to find self-fulfillment through the creative process. Maker culture supports innovation that is practical, progressive and collaborative. It’s an emotional, optimistic movement that touches all aspects of design, especially at a company like Fossil that looks to both the history and the future of style and design to define our aesthetic.

Thank you to Laura and the team at Fossil for sharing these behind-the-scenes with us! For a look at Fossil design process, visit their blog. And please check out the Eley Kishimoto x Fossil collaboration that is advertised in the current issue—it's full of pattern designs plus some really bold retro-inspired watch designs. Would you or your brand like to advertise in the pages of UPPERCASE next year? Download the media kit over here.

Calling Card: Paper and Ink Arts

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After reading the current issue, you're probably inspired to pick up a calligraphy pen! I'd like to suggest a visit to Paper and Ink Arts, one of the advertisers who supported the content creation of this issue by purchasing a Calling Card ad.

Even if you're a seasoned calligrapher, you'll always be in need of new ink, nibs and paper and it is great to have a reliable source for your favourite things.

In addition to calligraphy supplies, you'll also find general creative supplies like markers, paints, papers.. even adjustable craft tables! Thanks again to Jennifer of Paper and Ink Arts for her support of UPPERCASE magazine.

If you'd like to have your Calling Card appear on the blog, sidebar, social media and in print, they cost just $400. Select an image that best represents you, your product or service (squarish image 3 inches wide at 300dpi ), then click here to upload it and get your Calling Card ad designed by me and shared with the UPPERCASE community. You'll be supporting UPPERCASE content creation, boosting your profile, be immortalized in print and be serving the community with your creative offerings

Calling Card: The Paper Flea Market

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Trina Lucido is an artist and paper enthusiast. "I can't resist beautiful paper, old or new, and see potential in every piece I find," she says. "These papers find their way into my artwork which includes greeting cards, art journals, mixed media pieces and home decor." As her collection of papers and haberdashery grew, Trina decided to open up shop as The Paper Flea Market to share her finds with other paper and vintage lovers. 

She has scrapbookers' cuts of vintage wallpaper, lovely old hat labels, vintage buttons on cards (I can't resist a good old button!) and so much more... like any good flea, there's lots to discover!

The Paper Flea Market is the first official Calling Card that will appear in the fall issue of UPPERCASE. In addition to the ad appearing in lovely ink on paper in 10,000 copies of the magazine, a Calling Card ad will reside on the UPPERCASE blog sidebar for the duration of the forthcoming issue. I'll also share the ad with my Twitter followers and do a blog post, such as this one, to offer as much value as I possibly can to your $400 investment. The next issue goes to print after the Labour Day weekend, so there's still time to get your Calling Card if you get in touch soon. I look forward to sharing more Calling Card profiles here in the blog over the next weeks. Please click the Calling Cards already on the sidebar to discover more.

To make your Calling Card, choose an image that best represents you, your product or service (squarish image 3 inches wide at 300dpi ), then click here to upload it and get your Calling Card ad designed by me and shared with the UPPERCASE community. You'll be supporting UPPERCASE content creation, boosting your profile, be immortalized in print and be serving the community with your creative offerings.

Thank you to The Paper Flea Market!

A Gathering of Stitches

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A Gathering of Stitches is a communal making space for textile and fibre artists located in Portland, Maine. Members can rent equipment and studio space and benefit from a community of fellow makers. You can even rent a "Fairy Godmother", most likely to be proprietor Samantha Hoyt Lindgren, to consult on your project and help you learn new equipment.

Their doors open mid August this past summer, so they're still new and growing. But with a great roster of classes and equipment, it looks like A Gathering of Stitches is stitching up a firm foundation in this creative community.

UPPERCASE would like to thank A Gathering of Stitches for their ongoing support of UPPERCASE. As we transition away from ads in our print magazine, we are very pleased to have A Gathering of Stitches' ad on our blog sidebar. If you are a creative business owner and would like to advertise with us, we would be happy to hear from you.

"A woman at her printing press"

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Kseniya Thomas of Thomas-Printers on why she loves the business of letterpress:

We're commercial letterpress printers at Thomas-Printers, which means we primarily print others' designs. This provides us with a great variety of work: we've printed on sheet copper for napkin rings, printed corporate invitations for functions we're not allowed to talk about, and even printed a birth announcement for the son of a German princess. Germany still has princesses! So every day brings a new challenge, but that keeps me looking forward to work every day and to making whatever it is I'm printing look great. One of the best parts of my job is the printer-client interaction: talking to customers about letterpress, educating them about what we do and how letterpress works best, and working together to make a beautiful finished piece.

That's what draws me to printing: the communal nature of what looks like a solitary thing, a woman at her printing press. I love making things every day, interacting with my customers, and problem solving each new job's challenges. The fact that I get to work with antique machines, beautiful paper, and killer designs doesn't hurt either. I really believe in making things by hand, and keeping people involved with processes, and am thankful every time someone chooses a handmade invitation over one made by a machine in a huge plant. That choice not only supports me and the business, but also a whole ecosystem of other humans, from papermakers to plate makers to the postal worker who delivers the finished invitation. Choosing print is an increasingly important choice, and I'm hopeful that the relationships we've established will help keep printed things vital far into the future. 

The (other, so many!) great thing about letterpress printing is the community of printers. While we all have our unique methods and ways of getting ink onto paper, and getting that printed thing out into the world, we all share a love of the craft and a commitment to its continuance. A friend and I started Ladies of Letterpress about six years ago to help encourage the community of printers out there to come together and share knowledge—we now have almost 2000 members all over the world. 

UPPERCASE would like to thank Thomas-Printers for their ongoing support of UPPERCASE. As we transition away from ads in our print magazine, we are very pleased to have Thomas-Printers' ad on our blog sidebar. If you are a creative business owner and would like to advertise with us, we would be happy to hear from you.

type tuesday: sketchnotes

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You might have noticed the top sidebar ad for "The Sketchnote Typeface". It's an extensive and useful font made from designer Mike Rohde's own lettering. The sketchnote is a process that Mike uses while taking live notes at events or otherwise getting ideas down on paper. Using handlettering and simple drawings, he jots down the experience of listening and learning while creating engaging and memorable pages in his journal.

The Sketchnote Handbook is a guide for this technique, teaching readers how to balance the act of visual note-taking while still remaining engaged in the live content. For the design of the book, which emulates his own sketchnote visual style, Mike worked with Delve Withrington to digitize Mike's lettering. "I saved literally hundreds of hours by using this typeface," Mike says. You can read about their process here.

A few years ago, Carolyn Sewell was our correspondent at Typecon. Carolyn employs a similar technique for her live notes. I'm inspired to try my hand and sketchnotes during next week's Nearly Impossible conference. 

connecting

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Thank you to everyone who participated in our survey earlier this month. It was important to get your feedback about incorporating ads on the blog.  As you can see from the sidebar, I'm starting to incorporate ads and affiliate ads. It is necessary to help support the content here on the blog and in the print magazine. Our ads are affordable (starting at $25) and all the details are on our Advertise page.


Some of the results of the survey:

88% of responders said that advertising could be in print and online.

"I have no problem with ads in your online presence. I prefer UPPERCASE with ads to no UPPERCASE at all."

 
82% of the responders were either subscribers or purchase copies of the print magazine in the store.

"I like feeling connected to UPPERCASE in my daily life, just like I have the creative and curious pennant on my wall, the magazines always close to hand, reading the blog and following UPPERCASE on social media is one more way of feeling connected and, in a way, part of the story." 

"Because I love the print publication so much, the online site is like little bites to get me through to the next edition in my mailbox."

 

 For the kinds of ads you'd prefer to see online: 

41% would like to see ads from creative services, designers and illustrators
39% would like shopping links like Etsy shops, indie artisans and makers
8% wanted brand names and no one really liked "responsive" ads.

 

"My Dad said way back (he was in advertising when I was a kid) that ads are only ads when they're not of interest to you. Otherwise they're information. I'd prefer not to see brand names (generic Target/blockbuster movies/car ads) or responsive ads (which again, I assume are probably generic). But if the ads were 'chosen' with the same care as the content, I doubt they'd be seen as ads at all."

"Keep up the good work! I don't think ads would detract from what you are doing online—I think people realize that bills have to get paid."

"What I like about the magazine/blog is that the focus isn't on consuming, so if ads are going to make an appearance it would be great if they were consistent with the small and creative vibe."

 

UPPERCASE has always been about making, doing, participating, creating community... so we will endeavour to include advertisers who suit that outlook. I hope that many of our talented and savvy readers will decide to advertise on the blog—it would be the ideal way to connect with an engaged and interested audience.

The affiliate links included are of services or sites that I use in creating UPPERCASE and/or support creative entrepreneurship and the UPPERCASE community in some way.

Thank you.