dESiGNalogue

A Lesson in Kerning

SARAH

  {right: kerned; left: not so much.}

So, I spent the better part of my afternoon printing with my shiny new silver ink on kraft chipboard.  I have had this idea in my head for so long {think the minute Christmas was over last year} that it felt so good to get it out.  That is, until biggest fan / greatest critic walked into my studio. 

R: The "Y" is bothering me.  I don't like it.  {note: I might be paraphrasing here}.
Me: Okay.
R:  It doesn't look like it is a part of "Merry."
Me: Okaaay. 

Clearly I am annoyed.  1.  I just spent a lot of time printing a lot of postcards.  2.  He is right.  Damn, he is RIGHT!  It is all I could see.  But this was not my fault.  Blame the century-old, wonky wood type.  So what next? 

Away R goes to my giant cabinet of lead type & spacers.  He finds the exact size I need to properly lock the type into the chase & proceeds to space each letter from the other as he sees fit & proportionally correct based upon the space between the "R" & "Y".  Thus he begins his first lesson in kerning.  Now, I am no font/typography geek.  Far from it.  I design something until it is pleasing to my eye.  I have never taken a typography class, though I certainly appreciate a well-designed font.  I recently had a client {a book designer herself} who gently pointed out my not-so-great eye for tracking & it really challenged me, but I was up for it.  

Now, Mr. Attorney-by-day-Typographer-by-night had questioned my kerning skills.  After teaching him how to lock the type & furniture in place, we proceed to print his {well} kerned version.  Damn.  So much better than mine.  I will use them both & print the missing "and" on there in red ink.  Though R suggests a "shimmery blue."  We shall see.  I am off on my MERR Y way now...

    

Wednesday Morning

DEBRA

After just 2-3 days of rain in LA, I was happy to wake up to a little sunshine yesterday. Just a shot of morning coffee in the nook.  Cheers!

Pigments & Pastels

DEBRA

I'm teaching a unit on value, form, and shading with my fourth graders. I just opened a brand new box of Alphacolor Pastels, the 144 piece classroom pack.  I decided they would look much more alluring sorted by color in trays, rather than dealing with them being put back into the large box in pieces and out of any aesthetic order. The simple, natural way these blue pastels collected in the tray, and caught the light was just breathtaking to me.  If that's not inspiring, I can't tell you what is!

DIY Wallpaper

  Before

 

 

  After

(work in progress)

DEBRA

Dom and I decided to spruce up the hallway to the bathroom.  We found the perfect little shelf that we haggled for $5 at a yardsale.  With a little black paint, it was the perfect piece! I decided that I really wanted some interesting wallpaper just in that area to contrast the white walls throughout the apartment.  I thought about the charm and originality of ink drawings, inspired by this pen & ink duvet from Urban http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?itemdescription=true&itemCount=60&startValue=61&selectedProductColor=&sortby=&id=14661565&parentid=A_FURN_BEDDING&sortProperties=+product.marketingPriority,-product.startDate&navCount=174&navAction=poppushpush&color=

I got some giant roll paper and we fooled around w/ different ways to hang.  We decided rubber cement was the best choice since its a vulcanizing adhesive, which means it doesn't sink into porous materials. It also rubs right off of the paint, giving us the temporary solution we needed.

Now we have a fun space to draw on, and whats even better is that its completely renewable everytime I decide on a new theme!

Lemon Basil Salmon

DEBRA

So I thought my favorite fish was had at my friend's Ritz Carlton wedding, but this really rivals the memory of a succulent, fresh and bright fish dish.

1-1.33 lbs salmon

1c fresh basil

1/2 lemon, juiced

2-3 cloves garlic

1/4-1/2c stock/broth (less if you like thicker "sauce")

1/4c olive oil

S&P

Blend all ingredients but Salmon, until pureed. Butter small baking dish and salmon, lay salmon skin-side down. Pour lemon-basil puree on and broil for 4-6 min each side. Spoon over top to serve.

 

Haricots-Vert Italiano Style

(translation: the most delicious string beans you've ever had)

Prepare and steam green beans until desired tenderness is reached.  Drain in colander.

Melt a heaping tablespoon of butter in same saucepan and add 3-5 cloves chopped garlic.  Sautee until just toasted (you may want to add a drizzle of olive oil to extend butter). Add a shot of balsamic vinegar and let evaporate (1 min.)  Add beans back to pan, salt and pepper liberally, toss to coat.

Invite Deb over for dinner.

DIY Furniture

DEBRA

While we were out on Saturday, we were caught in a terriffic thunderstorm.  The kind where you're soaking wet just making the mad dash from the store to your car.  When we got home, it hadn't rained cats and dogs, but did rain Pedestal Tables...as there was one left on the curb in the rain.  This baby was it! Hardwood, fairly sturdy and decent condition. We cleaned it off and carried it inside and took a good 30 minutes figuring out how the hell we were gonna get it up the stairs. 

 

Pondering the physics of stairs...

As beautiful as the top is, and as much as I really admire and respect the craftsmanship that went into creating this fine piece of furniture, I simply cannot cope with oak in any setting (except for flooring).  Plus the photos make it look like its a priceless antique, when really its just going New England Pub-style at best. It looks like it was made from someone's leftover parquet floor.  The need for my dream, satin-black pedestal table among the rest of the black and white interior is what lead us to the small back injuries of getting this baby home.  But you gotta admit, for $20 worth of paint and a buttload of elbow grease, it was well worth saving the $999 from the likes of Pottery Barn!

 Before

Round = space saver

 After

(1st coat of black)