Cheers to 2013

Letterpress Season's Greetings hand setting type from Davina farinola on Vimeo.

I did it my way - save the date wedding invitation

I Must confess, if I were to have a wedding right now, this is how I would celebrate! It's just delicious! A crisp blue and neon pink colour scheme with the bright pink envelope and custom printed dotty envelope liner are a match made in heaven. I think its feminine but strong and masculine at the same time! The typeface gives it strength as well as the deep blue, but the pink and spots soften the structure and create a real party theme.

SPECS:
Invitation: 2 colour, printed onto Gmund 300gsm cotton white, 110x155mm
Envelope: pink c6 with digitally custom printed and cut envelope liner.

 

Christmas Candy!

Check out our 2013 Christmas range 'Christmas Candy'
I love these fresh colours. While I know many people prefer a traditional colour scheme, - I just couldn't resist! All cards (and then some) are available at our ETSY store online or if you are in Perth WA, pop in and visit at our new Montage Collective store opening 19th October 2013

Below are my new 2013 additions but please browse through my Look Book or click on the image below. (It may take a few seconds to load)

Uncomplicated love

This design was commissioned by Tania and Tim. Tania had found a style she liked and we worked on it selecting simple fonts and a pretty heart. Its uncomplicated, and elegant. Tania supplied the text which was carefully penned so that it formed a wonderful inverted pyramid. There is a lot of white space but the balance is perfect - modern and classic at the same time! Let me just add that imagine the opposite of 'Bride-zilla' - and that's Tania - such a treat!

Specs:
size - 110x115 (to fit into a c6 envelope)
paper - Gmund 300gsm cotton white.
colour - silver

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Doily bliss wedding invitation

Prepare to swoon...

Specifications
Invitation
600gsm Crane's flouro white
3 colour press - blind impression, pink and cool grey

RSVP
300 gsm Crane's flouro white
2 colour press, pink and cool grey

(note - I have edited out the wedding date! Its there in 'real life'!)

My absolute favorite part of this invitation was this little pink detail!

Gumtree wedding invitation.

Bespoke and beautiful.
Inspired by the beautiful gumtree Alison and Luc were getting married under
'in the gardens beneath the gum tree'

NEW
This gumtree invitation is also available as 110x115 so that it fits into a c6 envelope!

Winter look book #2

Some new designs for Winter!

Retro Guy and Girl

Mother's day new release
I had tremendous fun finding phases for these cards and I do hope you enjoy them too! My favourite this when I am at markets and working at Montage Pop Up as watching people crack up at my cards. It's a relief others share my strange sense of humor!

You will never be lost for words with this card.
Select from 8 different messages.
Each message is printed onto a sticker and placed onto the front of the card.
You can order any phrase from the choices blow.

1. Mum, thanks for letting me live to adulthood…even when it was hard.

2. I love how we don’t even need to say out loud that I’m your favourite child.

3. Mum, thanks for not breast-feeding me past an inappropriate age.

4. Mum. Thank you for providing me with a uterus to gestate in.

5. In retrospect: aren’t you glad you didn’t make Dad wear a condom?

6. Let’s not forget who made you a mother, mother.

7. What else can I give to someone who’s already been gifted such a wonderful child? (Me)

8. Happy Mother’s Day to one of my favourite parents.


SIZE:
Card =148X104mm
Envelope C6 160x112

TO ORDER
Retro Gal click HERE
Retro Guy click HERE

Winter Look Book

New bits 'n' pieces

Some letterpress happiness and recent new products! All products available in my Etsy Shop (except the wedding invitation - that is a unique bespoke invitation and Ill tell you all about that later!)

Willie Wagtail gift tags

Willie Wagtail notelets in Kraft

Willie Wagtail notelets in Cotton white

Release the Hounds 3 colour print card

'Cross my heart hope to die] 2 colour card

Hand set lead type 'Love song lines' Series of 4

Because You're min I walk the Line

You Make me Smile with my Heart

Do you like pina coladas?

You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be

Retro Girl

Retro Guy

This is the beginning of a beautiful lace friendship! (and the start of an amazing wedding invitation!)

Design process of a letterpress invitation

A brief look at all the things that go on to produce an original letterpress invitation... (before I even get to print)

1. The design brief.
We discuss: quantity, colour, size all of the items to be included (rsvp, transport cards envelopes), budget and how to cut costs ie -re use plates, print some parts digitally etc, and theme. In this instance, the couple was getting married 'Beneath a gum tree' and thought it only apt to incorporate this imagery somewhere.
2. The quote.
3. The agreement - Client signs and we all agree to the items and cost.
4. The deposit - a 50% commence work deposit
5. Design - the fun bit!

For me, this involved photographing leaves, surfing the net for images so I could get a shape and flow of gum leaves. did you know there are more than 700 spaecies of Eucalypt? Kings Park has many but the one I like best for shape of leaves and nuts was the Coolibah Eucalyptus Victrix (I think)

Next I draw, trace, redraw, retrace and scan into computer to clean up the image and turn it into vector based artwork. Once I am happy with the graphics, I typeset the text. Sometimes I will offer a client a few options different typefaces, layouts etc.

Part of the design and planning is making the plates re-useable so for the 2 colour jobs, the small gum leaves were used for all of the small cards as well as a belly band. The large gum tree design was also used as an envelope liner. This cuts costs.

6. Once design is set, its off to get plates made. At this stage, its too late to make changes and any errors result in having plates re-made - so I am always very nervous at this point!

7. Once I have them back, its off to cut paper and make a print plan which is a plan of what I will print first, in what order, when to trim etc etc. In this instance, The 'note on gifts' and 'note on transport' were digitally printed onto special coated cotton paper and then the blind impression of the leaves were printed afterwards 3-up and then trimmed; whilst the RSVP cards were letter-pressed in 2 colours so the text was pressed first and then the leaf - 1-up. Without a plan, I would be changing colours and wasting time on clean up not to mention wandering around aimlessly scratching my head wondering what to do next!

8. FINALLY I can print! But that's another story...

For home, from afar

A while back, I had the pleasure and honor of working with Anna from the Etsy shop of Lila Ruby King and Afjewellery.
And wow, what a job of exquisit detail!

swan river colony letterpress print artwork by Anna, printing by Fluid Ink

 Prints available HERE

Anna is a Perth girl working abroad in Greece (lucky thing!) and her artwork reflects the Australian natural flora and fauna beautifully. She has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Visual Arts, majoring in printmaking and with a minor in painting and has since completed a Certificate IV in Jewellery Design and Manufacture. She runs 2 Etsy stores - one for illustrations  Lila Ruby King, and one for her reclaimed gorgeous jewellery Afjewellery.

"I am working towards making my business carbon neutral. My cards are all made with recycled cardstock and the majority of my product packaging is from recycled sources. Many of my materials are chosen in part for their sustainability. Bamboo is a rapidly renewable recourse, and 100% biodegradable. I recycled my own silver so I need to purchase less new silver. Most items in my shop are about half new silver, half recycled. Found objects such as twigs and pebbles I hope enjoy their new life as wearable art. I do not use a chemical pickle which is better for the environment and no doubt my health. My glass beads are batch annealed so that I only run my kiln when it is full.

Every month I purchase carbon credits to offset one tonne of greenhouse gas. I do this through Climate Friendly ( https://climatefriendly.com/ ) Climate Friendly is an organization based in Australia, dedicated to positive, meaningful and real action to address the global greenhouse problem."

These letterpress prints were printed onto 8x10 Cranes 100% cotton Lettra
It was a 2 colour job, grey and pink.
The major difficulty I had was the millimeter accurate registration needed for the stripes on the back of the numbat - very difficult.
This was also the first job I printed on 'The Admiral' His motor wasn't connected so I had to hand turn the fly wheel for each print (his treadle is missing :-(. The grey was also skip printed which means that in between prints, I inked the plates once with out impression (with the throw off leaver off) and then took a print to give a more even ink coverage as it was shadow printing on the solid sections of the leaves.
Besides that, it was a great workout, and gave me a chance to tape the rails on the press perfectly, seat them in and re-tape them to get the roller heights perfect. The press was constantly oiled to account for the lack of oil during its incarceration, and slowly - perhaps begrudgingly- was worked hard for the first time in 50 years!

As you may know from reading my previous ramblings, I am in awe (and a tad jealous) of anyone that can produce fine art and illustrations. Its a time consuming skill that I only wish I had the energy to learn! A brief look of Annas work will demonstrate she has both. Check them out! Lila Ruby King,  Afjewellery. Thank you Anna!

Handmade necklace with sterling silver, porcelain and a found terracotta beach pebble

Form earrings - Stirling silver and found naturally tumbled beach pottery

Wattle birds, original ink and watercolour illustration

Snowy river damask fabric