october 21, 2012 - MOHAI printing done!

my good friend laura reiter assisted me for my last MOHAI print run and it was very exciting. partly because i hadn't seen her in far too long (well over a year) and also because she loves the smell of ink as much as i do. then we went to her house and her children crawled all over me for the rest of the day, which was nice because children have special powers to see into your soul. like cats. so if laura's kids like me then i must be okay.

october 18, 2012 - print hero

so many great print nerd drawings to choose from this week, but i chose this one because i like the image of me on top pointing with authority. at work we printed a job for a new client, a client i would like to keep, and i noticed the color wasn't quite right. it's a 12-page booklet and those are the three signatures on the left - one big pile for each sheet of the booklet. like a print nerd comic book hero, i say, "stop! that color! it is not right! we must reprint!" then in the next drawing i have a big HERO ribbon. i did not actually receive a hero ribbon, but really i should have.

october 9, 2012 - snarkiness

i'm kind of funny. and kind of sarcastic. it is a delicate balance to amuse the audience without angering the audience. it worked well when i was writing papers in school. here i am being overly snarky in class. i shouldn't be so snarky. those are my students on the right - they are sticks with circles on top.

october 1, 20012 - an unfortunate drawing

hello? sorry it's been so long. i've been very busy and then it just got out of control. i'm back with posts for all the weeks i've missed.

1. new guy started at work. i had a dream that he had two left hands and in the dream i thought it was a really bad idea to hire a guy with two left hands because that would freak out customers. in real life he hides it somehow.

2. i was very productive at work. this makes me happy when i have tangible evidence that i worked hard. compared to the days when i have to search for things, answer lots of questions on the phone, email people back and forth, and i end up feeling like i did absolutely nothing.

3. this is the unfortunate drawing because it ended up a mess. i was contacted by david cornell, who is working on a film about old-timey things. the shots i saw are gorgeous, so i expect the entire film to be gorgeous. in the drawing i'm on the right (recognizable by my printer apron), the press is next to me, and then a bright light that is hot like the sun, and then one guy is crouching with the camera and the other guy is working the sun light. ACTION!

september 22, 2012 - printing for MOHAI

i started working on the larger woodblocks for the MOHAI project i'm working on and was so glad i brought an assistant with me. the largest woodblock is 27.5" x 40" and i'm printing all 7 of the larger pieces on 34" x 48" sheets. that is like 2 feet by 3 feet. think about how large that is. too large to print by myself. it was pretty freaking exciting.

september 19, 2012 - scribble day

sometimes i fall asleep as i'm trying to make my drawing, which makes sense because i stay up way too late. sometimes when this happens i have no idea what i was even trying to draw. i think this says, "sebleber 22. hen" and then maybe i tried to draw the year better?

september 9, 2012 - letterpress studio day

i'm working on a project for MOHAI to print a collection of old theater signs that are HUGE. it was a good printing day. then i spent a fair bit of time setting type for my 40th birthday party at teatro zinzanni - it's a fancy place so it has to be a fancy invitation.

september 4, 2012 - a very hectic week

i am so busy. work is so busy so i usually stay a little late to catch up. i also have a ton of other things going on; i have to apply for crafty shows, send work down to portland for a show i'm in (oops, was i suppposed to frame that?), print things for several different clients, plus eat and sleep a little. so many things that i forget one or two things. i am not complaining, just commenting that i am not good at time management and it makes me crazy - see lower right drawing. 

august 25 & 29, 2012 - late post = double drawings

holiday weekend, so i'm posting two drawings two days late.

august 25: wayzgoose

i went to the svc wayzgoose in seattle. this is the first year sky shipley of skyline type foundry participated. he had a table full of shiny, brand-new type and i was pretty freaking excited, so i gave him nearly all my money before the wayzgoose even started (ie, before i made any money selling my work). so here's the drawing in 3 parts:

1. standing in front of table full of type (see how each little box says, "type" on it?) with my eyes bugging out of my head.

2. i have selected two fonts (one border font and one pretty, pretty set of 24pt glyptic, in case you're interested) and the words say, "yay type! i must have you!"

3. (on the left) a customer hands me money and says, "i would like to buy this thing to support your type habit." i am on the right with my giant smile a foot in front of my face.

august 29: i am a complete idiot sometimes

long story, but this is the first day in months i have had the freaking house to myself. this is another 3 part drawing:

1. i arrive home to a wonderfully empty house. 

2. i go out for my daily walk/run.

3. as i am returning home i suddenly realize i stupidly forgot to bring my house key with me. (those are my eyes bugging out of my head, which they seem to do fairly often in these drawings)

i sat on the porch for an hour watching maru videos on youtube on my phone while waiting for the locksmith to show up, getting colder as it got later. finally got into my house at 10:00 and was finally able to make dinner. cold and hungry lisa = unhappy lisa.

august 19, 2012 - nothing interesting here

trying to think of something interesting to draw. this drawing just about sums up the drawings for the entire last week.

august 14, 2012 - letterpresss nerd

this won't make too much sense if you aren't a letterpress printer, so if you aren't, just focus on how happy i look in my little apron. i get excited about using math in letterpress. i used to hate math; i thought i wouldn't need it because i'm an artist, but i use it all the time. and it's so exciting when i use it to solve puzzles. letterpress is a puzzle. the rectangles above my head are a mixture of furniture and spacing. and also a 6 pt slug on the bottom. imagine it all in a composing stick. ahhhh....

august 15, 2012 - special post

after a long battle with cancer sharon radt passed on this day. i have known her for 13 years, i am a friend of the family, her nephew's best friend. she was at peace, with her beloved sister at her side, when she passed.

august 5, 2012 - awesome panel presentation

here i am giving the most amazing presentation ever about letterpress (see platen press slide to my right). the audience is going crazy with my awesomeness and my fan is holding up a sign with my name on it. except you can't see it from this view because it's on the other side of the sign so i can read it. 

august 1, 2012 - 14 hour trip from seattle to asheville

i waited too late to buy a ticket and wound up with a 3-stop flight, including a 7-hour layover in atlanta. don't wait too late to buy airline tickets.

july 26, 2012 - i am a fried rice master

cooking my special fried rice for work bbq - 3 pan's worth. the left is vegetarian and the two on the right have bacon. see, it's bacon in the pan.

july 16, 2012 - clouds

working on editioning a book in 3 days with lots and lots of clouds.

july 11, 2012 - a new beginning

this is me. i am lying in bed with my eyes closed, making this drawing.