We have really, really good news and really sad news this week.
So we will start with the good news. This week, the new edition of the Field Notes Colors Edition was released and we (I mean my husband, Skylab Letterpress and myself) were actively involved in creating. And we had to keep quiet about it for months. Skylab was asked to be involved in the United States of Letterpress just as the COVID-19 pandemic was shutting down the country. It presented some challenges in the production processes. Normally, a large print project would be a “all hands on deck” event with every pressman and -woman in the shop, along with interns and friends pitching in to help. But social distancing made this very difficult. So Bob spent everyday in the month of July in the shop with me, and a couple friends taking turns helping in the shop in shifts.
There are nine amazing covers created by letterpress printers across the country. Each cover is printed on a different colored paper stock with the Field Notes logo litho printed in grey then letterpress printed in process blue and rubine red by each letterpress shop. Skylab printed every slipsheet in every edition of the United States of Letterpress edition in black and light brown.
For full details about the project, watch the Field Notes 12-minute video. I even got a shout-out in the credits for filming the Skylab footage! (Look at what a goof ball my husband is up there in that photo!)
In the sad news, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg passed away last week. Not only was she an inspiration to women everywhere, she was a lefty and was spotted using a Blackwing. My friend Elizabeth Baddeley illustrated the book I Dissent and even got to meet RBG. Though I never got to meet RBG, she still left an idelible mark on me and on so many others. The hope now is that there is not a rush to try to replace her in the Court but I’m sure every effort will be made to further political agendas. It just saddens me that the urgency to fill the vacancy will overshadow the loss of her legacy.
Links of the Week (United States of Letterpress):
- Field Notes Launches New Collection of Letterpress Notebooks Designed by Nine Printers Across the U.S. (via Colossal)
- United States of Letterpress (via Nero’s Notes)
- Field Notes “United States of Letterpress” Edition (via Tools and Toys)
Links of the Week (RBG):
- Parents are Sharing Daughters Dressed in Ruth Bader Ginsburg Costumes (via My Modern Met)
- 25+ Ruth Bader Ginsburg Tribute Art Celebrating the Legendary Justice (via My Modern Met)
- RIP RBG (via Veronica Lawlor)
Pens:
- Egyptomania (via Pen Boutique Blog)
- Oversized and Never Far From Mind: My Look at the Montblanc Meisterstuck 149 (via Penquisition)
- A look at the Sailor 1911 standard fountain pen. (via Fountain pen blog)
- Comparing the Parker Jotter vs Parker Jotter XL (via Write Experience)
- [PfMP] Lamy Al-Star (via dapprman)
- Plenty of passion in the Leonardo Furore Grande (via UK fountain pens)
Ink:
- Kikyou – Sailor Manyo ink (via Inksnibs)
- 1200 Inks! (via Mountain of Ink)
- Papier Plume No. 13 (via Mountain of Ink)
- Monteverde Napa Burgundy (via Mountain of Ink)
- New Sailor Manyo Inks(via Wonder Pens Blog)
- Ink Review: Sailor Ink Studio 140 (via The Gentleman Stationer)
- Graf von Faber-Castell Yozakura Ink: A Review (via The Pen Addict)
- Vinta Inks Collection Blood Dugong Bugshaw Blue 1951 (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist)
- Kobe Ink #53 Kitano Pearl Silver (via Pen and Paper Geek)
- Pent Pen Saijiki Shukei Orange (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist)
Pencils:
- Review: Seed Clear Radar Eraser (via Comfortable Shoes Studio)
- Typography on Pencils. (via Present&Correct)
- Vintage Colored Pencils: BO-FIM Cow Boy (via Fueled by Clouds & Coffee)
Notebooks & Paper:
- Review: Myndology Index Card Pad (via Comfortable Shoes Studio)
- Baron Fig Releases the Limited-Edition ‘Pumpkin’ Confidant Notebook (via Tools and Toys)
- Minimalist Color Coded Weekly spread in the Practical Paper Co Planner (via All About Planners)
- Vintage Marquette Looseleaf Notebook (via Notebook Stories)
Art & Creativity:
- Reasons to love Making Magazine (via Ysolda Ltd)
- Explore Dozens of Drawings by Charles Darwin’s Creative Children (via Open Culture)
- Nine Years of Sketching (and Why I Keep Going) (via Fueled by Clouds & Coffee)
- 5 Drawing Books That Will Help You Render the Human Figure (via My Modern Met)
- 4 Color Theory Exercises That Will Take Your Painting to the Next Level (via My Modern Met)
- Animal Crossing: Oil paintings by Mayuka Yamamoto of enigmatic children dressed as animals (via Creative Boom)
- Book Review: The Complete Urban Sketching Companion (via Parka Blogs)
Other Interesting Things:
- Studio Ghibli Releases 400 Still Images From 8 of Its Iconic Movies (via My Modern Met)
- LEGO Celebrates ‘Star Wars’ Anniversary with New 1267-Piece Set (via My Modern Met)
- Anaïs Michel’s two-tone illustrations depict the “endearing and hopeful” moments of everyday life (via It’s Nice That)
- The Typography of Star Trek (via Kottke.org)
- Awesome Photos of Stephen King Posing With His Beloved Cats From the 1980s (via Design You Trust)
- How to Use Coffee to Write Calligraphy (via The Postman’s Knock)
- Olivetti Valentine typewriter survey (via The Typewriter Revolution blog)
We all need each other. Please support our sponsors and affiliates. They help keep this blog going. Without them, we would not have products to review or a server to house our content. Your patronage of their shops, services and products will let them know you appreciate their support of the pen community. Without them, and without you, we could not continue to do what we do. Thank you!
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death is devastating news. Thank you for the acknowledgement of her passing and all that means. I particularly like the instructions for drawing our own RBG. May I suggest a way to use them? I was watching Rachel Maddow the other night and she was joking around with Lawrence O’Donnell, saying she was going to send him a Flat RBG (like Flat Stanley). I think we all draw Flat RBGs and send them to our senators. I doubt it will effect much change, but maybemaybemaybe we could change a couple minds.
And congratulations on your new career as documentarian!
Ruth
I spotted your name in the credits! This is a truly awesome edition. I hope more letterpress editions are forthcoming from FN.
Oh, I love the RBG book. I am heartbroken and devastated for our country.
The United States of Letterpress movie was really great to watch — I’ve got a love for (but very little knowledge of) old printing methods (my wife’s grandfather used to be an operator on one of the Linotype machines at the New York Times, and I loved to listen to him talk about them), and it was a joy to get to watch the creators at work and hear about what their work means to them. I shared the video with my other typography-minded friends, and they thought it was nifty as well.
Have you seen the Linotype movie? It should be available through Apple iTunes or other services. They filmed some of the last few days at the NYTimes Linotype machines as well as other Linotype machines, history and stories. Great film! Glad you enjoyed the Field Notes film too.