Metal Macaroni...

by Sean Talley, as promised.

also by Sean.

Custom lettering by Emma Sherwood-Forbes. More photos on my flickr set.

Portfolio Day

I've been having major issues with Blogger lately, so apologies for the lack of posts/photos. For a fun explosion of type creativity, check out my latest flickr set photos from my "Intro to Typography" class (spring 2008). Metal macaroni type--enough said.

Hand Lettering

Last week Jeff Canham and Caitlyn Galloway gave an amazing hand lettering workshop for my "Intro to Type" students. Balancing against the mall stick and twirling the brush proved tricky for me, but my students did a wonderful job.

Here we are patiently awaiting Andrew's first stroke of the "T".

You can see more of Jeff and Caitlyn's handiwork at New Bohemia Signs in San Francisco.

Mystery House in Oakland

There is a wonderful wooden house on Claremont Ave in Oakland that is full of mysteries. All the window shades are drawn and a small sign notes a phone number to call for appointments. It's marked only by a hand-wrought metal script that reads, "Clausen".

Each of the windows has a beautiful sculptural guard, a doodle crafted from metal and patience. Poking around the ground flowers and shrubs, you find more whimsical moments of small wooden carvings hidden about.

A back studio space is completely gated off, and at the door to the gate you find this man. I have no idea what goes on behind these gates, but I prefer to imagine something wild and other-worldly. Sure, I could call the number and find out, but that would kill off a bit of the magic, don't you think?

Hand drawn Type

For a bit of type inspiration, here is an amazing video called "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz", created by Job & Roel Wouters and recorded in Amsterdam at studio Xelor in early 2008. I first saw this on a post @ High + Low a few days ago and have been dreaming about it since. On the right is Job Wouters, on the left is his 4 year old nephew Gradus.

I do a similar exercise with my type students on the first day of class to help get them loosened up. It also involves lots of paper, india ink, and big brushes. I'm envisioning recreating this video with my niece, Audrey, and hanging the finished alphabet on her bedroom walls, or in the large stairwell of my home. Now I just need to come across a ream of nice paper that won't yellow in the sun.