The types of artists and designers that I truly enjoy the most are the ones that create things you don’t see with your two eyes. J.K. Rowling, Lisa Frank, Alex Katz, Betsey Johnson. And Mackenzie Childs.
Art
Italy Travels: We Came, We Rome-d, We Conquered – Part I
I failed to mention this in my last post. We trip-journal. I’d definitely recommend it. At the end of every day we each record the events of that day from our own recollections. It’s funny to see what we each remember differently. Plus, 12 days of vacation can turn into a giant blur if you don’t write it down each day!
When in Rome. All roads lead to Rome. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
There’s a reason Rome is a natural part of our vernacular.
DIY Subway Art
Oh Chicago
Appreciating Alex Katz: An Art Exhibit for Summer
How to Frame and Mat Custom-Size Artwork.
Until you have artwork on the walls, a house will never feel like a home.
At least in my book.
Friday Inspiration: They Draw and Cook
Happy Friday!
Looking for a little weekend inspiration? Check out They Draw & Cook, a website of illustrated recipes.
This site is amazing! It inspires me to draw AND cook!
Art Stalking: Dana Tanamachi
Holy Moly Art
FIRST, Happy Labor Day Weekend!!
I hope your weekend is filled with lots of non-laborious activities.
(Also, Happy Birthday Dad!)
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After seeing some greeting cards based on a similar premise, this idea of pushpin (or thumbtack if you prefer) art was born.
During a major session of magazine reading, I came across a pictures of a woman’s office. She had a poster on her wall that said “Ode to the Joy of Life” on it. I ripped it out and saved it (as we all did in the pre-Pinterest days). I’ve been saving it for years, but as soon as I was thinking about my pushpin idea I knew I wanted to use that phrase. And a project was born.
To start, I put together the letters in Adobe Illustrator. I knew I wanted a font with accentuated fat and thin sections to emphasize the pin holes (this is RiotSquad, for any other typophiles out there). I reversed the text and turned the opacity levels down to 10% (or you could just print a light gray color). I printed it on white cardstock.
(Sorry for the wonky shadows. It’s that pesky dining room chandelier again.)
Then I grabbed a…. wait for it… pushpin.
You may not recognize it. It’s a highly unusual and expensive tool.
To begin, I used the complicated technique of poking through the paper. I outlined the letter first and then filled the inside.
It took a little while to determine the proper depth as the pinhole grows in size in accordance to the pin.
And that’s all there is to it. I wouldn’t plan on finishing this project in one night. Your hands start to cramp. It’s a good leave-near-the-tv-and-work-on-it-aimlessly kind of project.
My only advice?
1. Be gentle. You can tear through the paper in the delicate parts.
2. Don’t use a death grip on the paper. You will wrinkle it. (If I was to do this again, I might put a piece of cardboard underneath so I wasn’t holding it so tightly and the pin could push through into the cardboard.)
Now I just need to decide how to display it.
It could be cool with a bright colored paper behind it. It’s also fun to hold it up to a light and let all the light come through the holes.
Only time with tell.
Project Cost: I will round up to 5 cents.
Have you tried pushpin art before? Can you think of a less expensive project tool?
Kat Carlson Design 
