Fashion Design Meets Social Media

I have to admit a deep dark secret – possibly my most favorite part of awards shows are the dresses (sometimes, I refer to them as costumes because "dress" seems a little far fetched). There are so many interesting textures, colors, and shapes – inspiring for any artist. This year's Grammy awards was no exception. I was blown away to realize one of the dresses was a "Twitter Dress".

Artist Imogen Heap wore a dress created in part by its own Twitter feed using the hashtag #twitdress. Not only did she allow her fans the opportunity to join her on stage, she shared their Twitter photos with the viewing world.

Don't believe me? Read about it here: http://mashable.com/2010/01/31/grammys-imogen-heap-twitdress

Welcome to the 21st century – where new trends blend fashion design and social media.

Inspiration Everywhere

Incredible finds in a beautiful nod to absolute trust in humanity – Bart's Books Ojai, CA.

Nestled just slightly off the beaten path is a gorgeous little gem. Bart's Books is a treasure trove of well worn books with a unusual home – an outdoor book mart. How it's possible, I have no idea.

I loved getting lost in all of the rooms and could easily have spent hours photographing spines of books, flipping pages to reveal incredible illustrations, and breathing in the nostalgic smell of old books. In awe, I moved from shelf to shelf examining the old typography – type used to have such a place of honor and respect in book design, it's so rare to see that attention to detail now. The well worn spines beckoned to me and begged to be gently pulled down and flipped through. I can't begin to explain the spell I was under.

Book lovers, typographers, photographers – I urge you to visit.

Plum Ducky

I have a huge fondness for creating marks & logos. I find them challenging, intriguing and a pure delight to work on. Lately, the demand for a wide range of marks has kept me on my toes. I've painted plum after plum in the attempt to find the right combination of texture and shape to communicate a certain elegance. My favorite is the middle bottom – just enough information to get the point across but little enough to challenge your imagination. What do you like?

HOW Conference

I have the most exciting opportunity to attend the HOW Design Conference in Austin this year.

Day one of pre-conference workshops started bright and early Wednesday morning followed by two full days of inspiration and learning – all wrapped up on Saturday with a great Color session and closing speaker. I loved every minute of it!

I can't wait to incorporate into what I do.

Excitement in the air

…over a ruling pen!

I've been challenged to create two unique, distinctly different from one another, marks for my friend's company. I've done some experimenting with brushes and calligraphy pens both of which have yielded great results but don't quite have the personality I'm trying to achieve.

When in doubt, do a little research right? In case you were wondering, the world of hand lettering is – well – endless and impressing and maybe, perhaps slightly overwhelming. All of which I am prepared to embrace and forge through.

I had the opportunity in October to take a calligraphy class from a fabulously talented, wonderfully patient teacher – Bonnie – at McManus Morgan* courtesy of my boss. She opened my eyes to so many different styles and practices of lettering. We only learned two hands in our month long class – barely scratching the surface of possibility. I'd pour through Bonnie's books whenever we had the chance to look through them. I was amazed, intrigued, and delighted by what I saw. I wanted (still want) to do it all, learn it all, to simply play.

I'm going to try to letter my friend's marks with the following:

ruling pen
charcoal
sumi brush
watercolor brush
calligraphy pens
paper plate
soda can
…and anything else I might come across in additional research.

Wish me luck!

*McManus Morgan is a downtown LA treasure and a must see.

Delight

Every so often, I'm given the opportunity to delight in my work. Even less often I'm given complete creative freedom with simply a hint of direction. Today, I was given both. And I can't wait to play. Thanks Kat!

Grilled Cheese Invitational

Who knew people would show up in droves for the most classic of sammich grilling competitions?



Certainly not me. I had no idea when I woke up to a beautiful Southern California Saturday morning that I would be standing in line for hours simply for the chance to vote on the best Grilled Cheese sammich ever. I stood among thousands of Angelenos willing to walk into the cage of toasty cheese, butter and bread – to revel in the fanatics striving for the perfect toast-iness, the right combination of chees-iness, and the complete satisfaction of watching people enjoy their sumptuous feast – all to win the coveted cheesy trophy.





I walked away from this fabulous event in awe of the many chefs and their amazing concoctions, and a little more crispy (having outlasted my sunscreen).