Ask Frank Chimero

The creative smarts of Frank Chimero continue to amaze and amuse! Here's his latest project, available through his shop:

"It’s simple: when you buy a print, ask me any question you'd like. I’ll write your question and its response on your print and try to answer to the best of my ability. Sense and nonsense are welcome. Let’s consider this a little social experiment and as a way for you and I to make a more meaningful interaction through this crazy internet thing. It’s a letter and it's art. You’re creative, I’m creative, so let’s collaboratively make something cool."

Watch for Frank's "Spot Thoughts" in each issue of UPPERCASE magazine. Go here for a smile.

Ken Carbone's Journals

And visit his company's website, Carbone Smolan Agency, for another promotional video highlighting a digital printer from Canon that can print with glossy toner. I want one! {via Pica n Pixel}

Dice-y printing

Stukenborg on Etsy has some interesting letterpress prints in which dice were used. {via Monoscope}

Everything at once

This morning, a countertop is being installed in our new ikea-cabinetry kitchen! Soon, we'll have a working sink and we can enjoy a functional kitchen after many weeks of upheaval. (Yup, I'm 38 weeks pregnant, designing the next issue of the magazine and overseeing kitchen renos!)

Debbie Hill's found shopping lists, which she then illustrates, spoke to me when I saw her latest post to flickr. Lots of people collect and post found lists and papers, but it is fun to see her take them as inspiration for drawing and even animation.

Call for Submissions: Gallery of Foxes

In our upcoming issue, Deidre will be exploring the allure of the fox. To complement the article, I am gathering a "gallery of foxes." I've already invited a few illustrator favourites for their work but am opening it up to our readers! To participate, send us your fox illustrations and inspirations by Friday, February 19. Submissions must be at least 4" wide at 300dpi to be considered for publication. Label the file with your last name, and submit it here. Please send a follow up email with your full name, address, email and a brief description of your submission. There's only room for a few submissions! Thanks.

Birds gone electric

{via Yummy Chummy}

Jenny's new Etsy shop

Our Calgary friends likely know Jenny Tzanakos from the shop; she was the friendly face of UPPERCASE on Saturdays. Now that UPPERCASE's focus is shifted towards publishing the magazine and our books (and I head towards maternity leave), Jenny has taken on the roles of subscription manager, online shop-keeper and eclecto-maker. She is also a contributor to UPPERCASE magazine and her photography is featured in the "Snapshot" article from issue 3.

She has just launched her own Etsy shop, and these mixed media works are lovely. Please head on over to Magdalena Junk and welcome Jenny to Etsy!

Inspiration

{via Mein Loves: thanks for joining w.i.p.s.}

{via Aqua Velvet}

Type Tuesday: What type are you?

Pentagram has an amusing site in which your personality traits determine your typeface. I'm "rational, understated, progressive, disciplined"... which according to their type psychologist means that I'm "courier": the rhythmical and monospaced regularity of a typewriter. nice!

Enter the password "character" to start.

Letterpress Impressed

{via The Post Family}

Craft and the pursuit of perfection

Amazing video from the NZ Book Council

Guest curator on Etsy!

I'm thrilled to be a guest curator today on Etsy's inspiring blog, The Storque. (hmmm curious coincidence with the name, there!) I've selected just a few of my favourites and they're all creative people who have been involved in UPPERCASE magazine in one way or another. Click here to read the full post and to find links to great Etsy sellers! If you're a regular reader of UPPERCASE and have an Etsy shop, please feel free to include a link to your shop in the comments below.

(If you'd like to advertise your Etsy store in the winter issue, we have a full page dedicated to independent sellers. Ads are inexpensive, starting at just $72 Canadian for subscribers. Click here for more details and here to see past ad pages in our magazine.)

Thanks, Etsy, for providing so much inspiration, eye candy, connections and great purchases to us all!

Go Team Eclecto!

This is a special theme song dedicated to Janine & the Eclectonote Team of amazing creatives who are working around the clock to make a big batch of beautiful eclecto notebooks. 

Go team go! 

Abigail Reynolds, folded photographs

I came across these and found the relationship between Francisca Prieta's work and Abigail Reynolds' quite interesting.

"I collect second hand tourist guides. Within the century of printed photographs that they contain, I search for plates that have been printed at similar scale, taken from a similar view point.

When I find a near match between book plates, I cut and fold the pages into a new single surface. The dates written on each work give the publication dates of the books I have used. Whichever has been used as the 'base' image is listed first.

The patterns I use to cut the two book pages into one single surface are such that all of both sheets of paper are preserved. If you were to fold all the flaps in or out, the entirety of each image will be seen. The act of folding one image into the other pushes them out into three dimensions in a bulging time ruffle."

More amazing work from Francisca Prieto

"Fascinated by the delicacy and diversity of the security pattern designs inside envelopes, Francisca created her latest addition to her graphic art collection: Between Folds/Envelopes is the title of the exquisite origami wall hanging artworks." Francisca Prieto will be exhibiting at 40 Medcalf 40, (N. 38-40 Exmouth Market, London EC1R 4QE) between 16 Nov 09 and 24 Dec 09.


{Our previous posts about Francisca's typographically-inspired work: bookends and prints.}

'Wild Things' Inspire

After watching the movie Where the Wild Things Are I was inspired to buy the soundtrack and after a thousand plus listens all I want to do in life is write a song as gloriously simple and affecting as 'Worried Shoes' (track 4 for fellow listeners). I wonder how many others felt the same?

I thought this was the genius of Karen O. (of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) but it turns out that Karen O & the Kids are covering Daniel Johnston. I had long heard of the myth, and the madness, of Daniel Johnston but deliberately shied away on account of the darkness. This is the first time I've encountered the raw beauty of his lyrics. Sold.

So now, thanks to 'WTWTA' I am also inspired to watch 'The Devil and Daniel Johnston' (2006) an acclaimed documentary celebrating Johnston's complex life and art. Click here to watch the film's trailer.

Visual artists have also taken inspiration from Where the Wild Things Are. I spoke to the talented artist, and UPPERCASE magazine contributor, Stefanie Augustine about the film and her personal creation "Wild Things" (pictured above).

"I loved the movie. It felt like a rare gift in the midst of so many bad movies out there -  really beautiful and refreshing. I had the urge to paint after seeing the movie, but even more so I had the urge to build things out of sticks!! (which I didn't actually do), but it makes you feel like, why don't we build things for fun more often?" Good question.

The artwork that Stefanie did make after seeing 'WTWTA' was directly inspired by the film's colors and her curiousity to see how the characters would work in a collage style. Scratchy whimsy are the words I find to describe her unique vision and style. Love it!

To see more of Stefanie Augustine's original creations and her client work, visit her website here. Thanks for sharing Stefanie!

Good Mail Day

Carolee Gilligan Wheeler (UPPERCASE subscriber!) and Jennie Hinchcliff are authors of Good Mail Day, a book all about the joy of making mailable art. The book's photographs are absolutely gorgeous: beautifully styled, full of amazing props and paper goodies, and the details are so sharp! Carolee has uploaded some behind-the-scenes images of the photo styling, which is interesting to see. (A copy of the book is available in our physical store.)

We always like to get interesting mail at UPPERCASE magazine! To find out more, click here. Below are some of the things that Carolee mailed to us which is how we found out about her new book.

Proof...

...that UPPERCASE readers are the GREATEST, most CREATIVE people in the world.

Made my day! Thanks, Donovan!

Happy Halloween!

I wonder how many Wild Things will be out there trick-or-treating tonight?

Brett McDermott, a friend of mine, will be masquerading in the mountains in his homemade Max-inspired wolf suit. I bumped into him a few days ago and was inspired to hear that, on a whim, he had picked up a fleece blanket and some gold buttons from Value Village and decided to sew himself a suit, never having sewn a stitch before!

The results (via cell phone) are pretty fine:

Hope you have a festive Halloween eve in Banff Brett. May you win best costume over all the other men in uniforms. Thanks for sharing!