ell

so the lack of posting can mostly be attributed to this latest commission. oil on canvas. a photo reference was provided. i've been planning out a new tracy jordan inspired illustration so back to that i go. perhaps i will post progress but most likely it'll all come out in one post. depends on my lazy factor, ha ha.

african elephant

another entry for the bestiary. these guys have four and three toenails on their front and hind feet, respectively. that's one less on each foot than with other species of elephants. they also have rounder ears, a longer and lower jawbone, and straighter, more downward and smaller tusks. their molars (four usually) weigh over 10 lbs! what i really didn't know is that females have tusks as well. loxodonta africana in moleskine.

what type of print?

so i've been reading elements of typographic style by robert bringhurst. it's quite technical and thorough and i'm really enjoying it. honestly i wasn't sure if i should get it when i first came upon it in the bookstore but the endorsement in armin vit and bryony gomez-palacio's book, graphic design referenced, along with a strong recommendation from a friend convinced me. check it out if you've any interest in typography.

i'm not completely through it but i came across a line that gives me hope for print. i love printed posters, illustration, design, etc. and it seems like there's this huge forecasting of the death of print. in the case of wall hangings, it doesn't make sense to me since people seem to love to have nice art on their walls but they say it's too expensive. get a nice print! i think it's great that there's a contingent of people out there keeping it alive, especially since i feel like i'm joining the party (uninvited?) so late.

bringhurst's words were:

"because the Web, like the subway, is not a destination. Printing is still what type is for."

what's funny / ironic to me is that this is the exact punctuation on the page (209). although, the text before this is:

"Now that type is principally a digital commodity, printed type specimens are quickly disappearing. Yet they remain an invaluable resource. because the Web, ..."

perhaps the original quotation is not a complete thought then. either way, the grammatical error might've made this stand out but i like the statement. i should say that i don't completely agree with his sentiment though. i'm sure many people would love to see proper typography on more, if not all, websites (which i do see as digital analogues to printed matter - the web is merely the ether) but i do like the encouragement to keep on printing. i would guess that because of the inaccessibility to use nice type and apply one's preferences in support of it, bringhurst believed this to be true at the time he wrote this. maybe he still does. even apple still haven't fully gotten type right (exhibit a) and maybe that's a good thing.

crystal castles

i'm not typically into techno/electronic type music but crystal castles is one duo i do like. i find it hilarious that they're named after a she-ra reference. their new album seems a bit more poppy but it's still pretty decent. i guess i'd call it a bit more ambient. anyway, check them out if haven't already. alice glass and ethan kath in moleskine.

the genius of design

a great first episode of the bbc's genius of design show. check out out the first episode:

The Genius of Design ep1 from Genius of Design 1 on Vimeo.

cle

lots of randomness observed while waiting at cleveland hopkins international airport. haven't been doodling as much as of late - just too much on the go. be prepared for more randomness from my trip to supplement, ha ha. actually, i need to post more inspiration type stuff too. i'll get on that soon...hopefully.