singing in the rain umbrella

This week has been overcast and drizzly which reminds me of the movie, "Singin' in the Rain." I love Gene Kelly. In honor of the movie and because the weather inspired it I thought I'd transform a plain red umbrella into something more personalized and unique. 

First thing I had to do was remove the branding on the umbrella. Luckily there wasn't too much to remove and it all peeled nicely off the nylon. 

Next, I wrote a short portion from the "Singin' in the Rain" song lyrics and repeated it around the bottom portion of the umbrella using black permanent marker.

Last, I drew raindrops on the top portion of the umbrella using metallic silver permanent marker. That was it!

monday sketchbook illustration

Illustration by Hannah Yoon
Lamy Safari fountain pen with 1.1 nib
Waterman ink in Serenity Blue

you are my wild

For adorable, beautiful, and inspiring photos of kids check out, You Are My Wild.  You Are My Wild is a weekly portrait project that brings together 14 photographers to document how they see their children.

fountain pen

I love fountain pens. I have limited knowledge concerning them but with my recent purchase I have learned a lot about the world of fountain pens. I think I was first introduced to them by my father who has several consumer fountain pens. He only buys affordable pens but unless you have a lot of expendable income (which I do not) there is no reason to buy expensive fountain pens. I appreciate the tactile relationship between pen and writer. It's a relationship that needs to be nurtured otherwise your investment will go to ruin. As in, you'll ruin the pen and will need to buy a new one.

In the past I had only used pens that had modern disposable ink cartridges that need to be refilled with a syringe or replaced. My newest fountain pen, a Lamy Safari (Lamy is the brand and Safari is the model type), can be outfitted with a converter that is a self-contained refillable ink cartridge (see below). The converter has a red end that when twisted becomes a piston that can push out or pull in ink/water into the chamber. This is wonderful option and in my opinion is the only way to go. However, the converter must be purchased separately.  The converter makes cleaning and filling the cartridge a breeze. Oh, and this also means you need to buy a bottle of ink.  ;P

When I bought my Lamy Safari pen online it said that it was coming with a 1.5mm Calligraphy nib (the nib is the tip of the pen where the ink actually comes out). I wasn't sure what kind of line the calligraphy nib would produce. There are so many different styles of calligraphy, you know? Well, I can tell you now that I have received my pen that a "calligraphy or italic nib" is the kind of nib that is used to produce the Italic, Blackletter, Gothic, Roman, or Unical style calligraphy (think Renaissance or old style English taverns), see below.

The calligraphy nib for a fountain pen will not produce the flourished, flowy Copperplate style that is so popular now (think calligraphy used for weddings nowadays). I know, I should've made the connection between Italic nib and Italic calligraphy but my mind is slow.

For many fountain pens the nib is a part that can be removed and interchanged with different nibs to produce a different style line. This is a great feature for a pen and is the case with the Lamy Safari. My pen came with a 1.5mm Calligraphy nib (it doesn't always come with this nib) but I bought a Steel Extra-Fine (EF) nib separately for regular writing purposes. The Extra-Fine nib is great, it produces a line that resembles something between a normal .5mm–.7mm pen might give depending on how much pressure the nib is given. The 1.5mm Calligraphy nib is also great but a little on the thick side for me. The 1.1mm Calligraphy nib will probably be my next purchase in the future.

If you're interested in fountain pens the The Goulet Pen Company is a wonderful resource. I love this site! Their interactive "Nib Nook" is awesome for comparing different nibs and their site also has a wonderful "Swab Shop" to compare different inks.

Here are some other links that were helpful to me in this educational process:
Lamy Safari Fountain Pen Review
Inks: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Fountain Pen Care & Maintenance

art lessons on life : erasing

So last November I started apprenticing for a beautiful woman who has been teaching fine art to kids and teenagers for the past 30 years. During my interview she was not impressed with my fine art skills (mainly because I have none) but she felt that I had potential to learn and liked me personally well enough to take me on in spite of my short comings. I always wanted to improve my fine art techniques (things like drawing, painting, etc.) because it really is the basic foundation of graphic design or anything artistic for that matter so the perk of getting private art lessons seemed like such a dream come true. However, I quickly remembered that wanting and accomplishing something are two very different things.

In the midst of emotional and physical struggles to move from "wanting" to "accomplishing" I've been reminded that art and life share common lessons that benefit the artist if time is taken to reflect and make the connection. I am just beginning my journey in the world of fine art but in some ways I feel like it is also helping a truer form of myself to come to life as well. As I learn some of these lessons I wanted to share them on this blog as a way to journal this time of growth but also to share them with others. I would like to specify that when I say "learn" I do not mean to say that I am any sort of authority on anything nor that I have mastered anything in art or life.

One lesson that I've learned from my mentor is the importance of erasing. While nothing can be created without making a mark on paper there is also value in knowing when and what to erase. In art, sometimes the touch of an erase can benefit a piece more than adding another mark with a pencil. This sort of editing can be small but other times it is necessary to count your losses and start again. Anyone can pick up an eraser and know how to use it but what needs to be developed is an eye, a sensitivity, to see what needs to be removed and what is profitable to remain. Of course, the step that could prevent erasing is to not the mistake to begin with but that is another lesson in of itself.

This sort of reminds me of those Special K commercials: "What will you gain when you lose?" It is certainly an advertising strategy but on the other hand there could be some truth behind the idea. For me personally, I've realized that one of the things that I need to erase in my life are negative thoughts about myself. As humans, we are always our own worst critic and I honestly do believe that there is a time and place for critique but there is also a difference between self-critique and self-contempt. I think learning the art of erasing the negative can allow me to dream bigger, have more clarity, and be a better me. But like all valuable things it's easier said than done but I think it's definitely worth the try.

what i'm working on : uncommon, update

Here's an update on a previous post. During my hiatus the hubby and I changed phone services so I got an iPhone. I must say I do miss my BlackBerry's physical keyboard. It fit the hand so well and was easy to type. But still, on to the dark side I have come. One good thing was that I was finally able to order one of the iPhone cases that I had designed for Uncommon for myself. I got the iPhone 5 Deflector case with my Woodland Friends design. I think if I could do it over I would have gotten the Black Bezel Deflector case to match the black bezel around the camera area. But whatever.

Another fun update on my cases is that four of them have been picked up by Apple Europe! The four below are sold on Apple Europe websites and I assume in stores as well. If you live by an Apple store in Europe check for me! I'm really excited about it and I hope they sell well.

what i'm working on : uncommon

So I've been patiently waiting to share this with you but I have sold 6 of my designs to Uncommon which is a company that sells custom and designer iPhone and iPad cases! Order online here! Haha I'm just kidding (unless you really are in the market for a new case).  Big thanks to my friend A who works at Uncommon and opened the door for me to send in some designs.

I hope they sell well so I will be asked to submit more work ... oh, and get paid.  LOL!

new sharpees

Am I the only one that hasn't seen these new Sharpie pens?? C'mon, if you're a student then the highlighter Sharpees are a must and if you are like me and can't resist buying Sharpees in all their forms then these new brush tip Sharpees are killer. The best of both fine point and ultra fine point worlds. but wait there's more, there are new Stained Sharpees that are fabric markers also with the brush tip. Perfect for summer projects for kids and adults. Although, I do fear for parents who may have these just laying around. I can just imagine kids trying to do painting projects at home on their own with these when their parents aren't looking. :\ Stock up on Mr. Clean Magic Erasers! If you're specifically looking for any of these sold individually then I'd definitely check your local art supply store (buy local!) but I also saw them individually at Target.

i won't give up

Jason Mraz definitely has a knack for writing love songs. I think almost every wedding I went to in 2011 had "Lucky" playing at one point (including mine!). My prediction is that "I Won't Give Up" will be the "it" song for 2012. Almost more than Jason himself I am mesmerized by the woman accompanying him in this video. I mean, how many different instruments can one person play? Keep an eye on her foot when she lifts and drops a tambourine off the ground with only her foot while keeping time. Crazy.  

moonrise kingdom!

via www.http://focusfeatures.com/moonrise_kingdom

Finally! Moonrise Kingdom will we opening (in select theaters) this Friday! Unfortunately, for me the closest theater that is showing it is an hour+ away. But maybe you'll be luckier than me (especially if you live in CA, sheesh). Find a theater near you, here. You can listen to an interview with the director, Wes Anderson, interviewed by Terry Gross from Fresh Air on NPR, here.

what i'm working on

So it's been a year since I got married and moved to IL and a year of being graphic design-jobless. It has been hard not being in a workplace environment. Albeit, I really don't miss the drama. LOL! I guess I miss being paid to design haha but I hope to be back working. Above is another pattern from the same family of designs from a previous post, here. I love foxes ....

And the two below have been created from some doodles made in my dusty sketchbook. 

Anyone looking to take a risk and hire a young designer? ;P

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : choose the right font

Snippet & Ink recently posted her 50 favorite fonts for creating an expensive and custom look for weddings. I definitely don't have the expendable income that I used to so I can't buy all the beautiful fonts that I would love to buy but I definitely downloaded the free fonts that I didn't already have! On a side note if you don't already know about Lost Type Co-Op then do your font toolbox a favor and download all their fonts ... for free! Unless you have money then definitely donate what you can ;D 

orchid show

Orchids have a special place in our hearts for both Mark and me.  Both of our parents are avid growers and collectors of orchids ever since we can remember. Today we went to visit the Hausermann Orchid Show in Villa Park, IL. The show is going on this weekend and next weekend. Seriously, it's amazing how many different varieties of orchids they have and the sheer quantity of them too. It was little overwhelming. I particularly like the spotted orchids that looked like ink had bled on their pure white petals. Mark rented a macro lens for the occasion from Calumet and we experimented using it for the first time at the show. After we came home I realized that some of the shots came out blurry but I was able to get a couple shots that I was happy with.

brought to you by pinterest

via www.pinterest.com

This poster is not designed by me.  I saw this on Pinterest, here, and thought, "Sigh, how true.  How very true." Unfortunately for me I've been stuck at the title, "How Would You Like Your Graphic Design?" since I moved to IL 8 months ago (still no graphic design leads).  I miss ALL my old co-workers at Me and My Big Ideas!  Hope you guys are having a great showing at CHA this year!  Make that paper (pun intended)!

anticipating wes anderson : moonrise kingdom

Oh the loveliness of the costumes and colors.  Oh the quirkiness of the plot.  Oh the subtle comedy.  Oh Wes Anderson.  Can't wait to see this.

what i'm working on

After a relatively long time of transitioning and adjusting to life here in IL I've finally started to design again.  I know the Native American look is all the rage right now in fashion and I guess it kind of got me thinking about some Native American pottery that my friend Anderson (woot woot!) and I saw.  I'm still seeing stuff through the lens of the craft industry, hence the cutesy feel, but it feels good to create again.

weekend movie suggestion

If you consider yourself interested in fashion or self-expression and haven't seen Bill Cunningham New York yet then do yourself a favor and watch it this weekend with a nice glass of wine.  If you have Netflix you'll be able to stream it online.  For a CA girl it was a really interesting look in the NY fashion scene and for a creative person it was incredibly inspiring to learn about Bill Cunningham's passion and dedication to what he does.

pantone color of the year : 2012

2012 has been dubbed the year of Tangerine Tango by Pantone.  I think the color is more orange and less red than what the swatch looks like in the press release (above).

Here are a few things that I pulled on Polyvore to get a feel for Tangerine Tango.  Remember that lighter shades can be drawn from the color to get a more creamy orange (reminds me of Orange Bang!) or keep it as a saturated almost tropical orange color.  Is it bad that I'm ready for spring now?

mary blair (1911-1978)

Mary Blair's birthday is today.  She was the genius behind so many dearly loved Disney creations including the original 'It's a Small World' at Disneyland (they should never had changed it) among other things.  She's my hero.

etsy love : ilovedoodle

Check out these cool, smart, witty, and cute prints from the ilovedoodle store on etsy.com.  Here are a few of my favorites:

[1] Woody Allen  

[2] Ballet of Mustache  

[3] All we need is... love  

[4] The Choir of Antartica  

[5] Happy Ever After