UPPERCASE issue 35

U PPE RCASE for the CREATIVE and CURIOUS

LETTER L OV E

35

F R E S H

UPPERCASE

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BOTANICA

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BEAUTIFUL PAGES Flowers and plants have long been a muse of artists and craftspeople.

Botanica collects a veritable mixed bouquet of inspiring art, illustration, pattern designs, floral-inspired projects and botanically inclined lifestyles.

Succulents and cacti and the simple potted plant are an of-the-moment trend, but this volume also goes back to historical sources and botanical ephemera, illustrating that creatives have an evergreen fascination with all things floral. encyclopediaofinspiration.com uppercasemagazine.com/botanica

FA BRIC

IN STORE THIS NOVEMBER

The UPPERCASE Volume 2 fabric collection uses the magazine’s masthead and spine patterns as the starting point of beautiful fabric designs. Repeated motifs of dots, dashes and diamonds make up this pretty graphic collection—with a little vintage feed sack inspiration thrown in as well!

DOWNLOAD THE LOOKBOOK AND ACCESS FREE PATTERNS

windhamfabrics.com uppercasemagazine.com/fabric

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK J A N I N E VA N G O O L

Dear Reader, In our busy lives, there are two things that we all experience on a daily basis: type and time. Whether we’re handwriting a grocery list, minding traffic signs on the drive to work, typing an email, scrolling through our phone or reading a book, there are messages for us to create or interpret at seemingly every waking moment. In turn, it feels like time is passing ever more quickly and that there is never enough of it.

Let’s slow it down. Let’s spend some time appreciating the beauty of a single letterform: the curve of an “s” or the simple geometry of an “o”.

In this issue, we’ll see what inspires designers to create a typeface and what drives artists to become alphabetically obsessed.

Let’s also capture those fleeting moments by capturing the data created by the minutiae of our lives. Let’s record the details of what makes us unique, let’s be invested in our time here——to make sure that we use it well.

J A N I N E VA N G O O L

publisher, editor, designer

Join my newsletter for free content, bonus articles and behind-the-scenes peeks at the magazine:

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LET’S BE SOCIAL Tweet or Instagram @uppercasemag and use the hashtag #uppercaselove.

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Contents

IS S U E 3 5

4

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U P P E R C A S E

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2017

W EL C O M E

CR A F T

EDITOR’S LET TER . . . . . . . . . . . 3

PA RTICIPATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Data, Time and Typographic Projects by UPPERCASE readers

CONTRIBUTORS . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

SU BSCRIPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 SNIPPETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

TOOL S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Measuring Up with Rulers

by Joy Deneen

TREND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 FRESH TA LENT . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Joan Garcia

NOTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Perfecting Your Planner

by Kerrie More AB ECEDARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Typography

by Christopher Rouleau

B EG INNINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Sparks of Learning Text by Melanie Falick Art by Andrea D’Aquino

FINE PRINT LIB R A RY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Words on Letters

BOOK REPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Robert Bringhurst’s The Elements of Typographic Style by Carolyn Fraser

BUSINES S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 How to Value Your Time as a Business Owner by Arianne Foulks

A R T & D ESI G N SK ETCHBOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Chris Raschka: An Illustrator’s Documentation of Family, Career and Everything Else

by Lydie Raschka

K AY PORTMESS ||| “Ebb and Flow of Life” is my hand-sewn daily words journal. I choose the words and phrases based on the happenings of the day to remind me of the events.

The words are sewn on 100% cotton Osnaburg muslin fabric using embroidery silks. ||| instagram.com/ kayantoinettep

UPPERCASE

Annie Vought

by Laura Tarrish

RECOLLEC TION . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Typeface Memories by Janine Vangool, Lauren Beltramo, Mog Fry, Shelley Gruendler and Iskra Johnson DISCOVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 From Inspiration to Font T Y PE DESIGN . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Riley Cran: The Inheritance of the Design Generation

by Andrea Marván DESIGN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

ST Y L E S T Y LIS T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Rachel Castle

by Emily Orpin S TITCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Unisex Fashion

by Stronger Wiser Everyday

HOB BY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Jolie Bird: A Stitch at a Time

by Brendan Harrison

COLL AGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Typographically inspired collages and paintings by Kelly Bryant GA LLERY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Diagram Your Life

by UPPERCASE readers

Love IS

MADE WITH

A RTIS T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

House Industries: The Process is the Inspiration ARTWORK BY

COLLEC TION . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Advertising Blotters and Rulers from the collection of Beth Carroll-Horrocks

M IS C RE A DER S TU DIOS . . . . . . . . . 110

Yuka Kishi Teju Reval

SH A RES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 PEEPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 COV E T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Handwritten Devotion

by Andrea Jenkins

FA B RIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 UPPERCASE Volume 2: Dots, Dashes and Diamonds

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UPPERCASE IS AN INDEPENDENT MAGAZINE.

THERE ARE NO PAID ADVERTISEMENTS IN THE MAGAZINE. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT BY PURCHASING A SUBSCRIPTION (AND TELL A FRIEND!).

THANKS TO THE SUPPORT OF SUBSCRIBERS, UPPERCASE HAS BEEN PUBLISHING SINCE 2009. |||

SUBSCRIBE T O D AY

Thank You

UPPERCASE 201B –908, 17th Avenue SW Calgary, Alberta Canada T2T 0A3 F E AT U R E D C O N T R I B U TO R

J OY DEN EEN Joy Deneen has been making marks ever since she could hold a pencil.

She specializes in contemporary calligraphy and event stationery design, and currently serves as president of La Société des calligraphes.

Originally from California, Joy lives in Montreal with her husband and their rescue pup.

GLEN DRESSER customer service shop@uppercasemagazine.com CORREY BALDWIN copyeditor C O R E C O N T R I B U TO R S Jane Audas Correy Baldwin Andrea D’Aquino Melanie Falick Arianne Foulks Carolyn Fraser Joy Deneen Glen Dresser Brendan Harrison Andrea Jenkins Linzee Kull McCray Andrea Marván Emily Orpin Christopher Rouleau Laura Tarrish

||| imaginejoy.com

A D D I T I O N A L C O N T R I B U TO R S Rachel Castle, Lydie Raschka, Kelly Bryant, Beth Carroll-Horrocks, Lauren Beltramo, Mog Fry, Courtney Windham, Shelley Gruendler and Iskra Johnson. Thank you to everyone who submitted their artwork and stories to this issue’s open calls.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE A CONTRIBUTOR?

Printed in Canada by The Prolific Group.

Interior pages are printed on 100% postconsumer recycled Rolland Enviro 100.

BACK ISSUES

Stock up on back issues and you’ll never run out of inspiration.

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U P P E R C A S E

LY D I E R A S C H K A

KERRIE MORE

Lydie Raschka is a writer in New York City. Her essays and op-ed pieces have appeared in The New York Times, Salon and The Horn Book. She lives on the Upper West Side with her husband, Chris Raschka. Their son is a budding animator in California. She writes about habits, art, writing and life at habitsofanartist.com.

Kerrie More is a school librarian struggling with too many creative interests as well as a stack of books she most likely will never finish.

Writing articles for U P P E R C A S E satisfies her compulsions for both researching and storytelling.

If she’s not working on her next project, she’s probably exploring nature through the lens of her camera.

||| habitsofanartist.com

||| kerriemore.com

We publish timeless articles about creative and curious people and topics. If you’re interested in working with us, the best place to start is by perusing the back issues to see what we’ve covered and to get a sense of the u p p e r c a s e style.

If you’re an artist, designer or crafter interested in being profiled, please submit your portfolio by following the instructions: ||| uppercase magazine.com/ participate

P PH HO OT TO O SS B BY Y LL II SS A A R RE EN NA AU U LT LT

J A N I N E VA N G O O L publisher, editor, designer janine@uppercasemagazine.com

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S U B S C R I B E R S

Subscriber Studios

YUK A KISHI NOTTINGHAM, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM

I’m Yuka Kishi, a textile designer and artist currently based in Nottingham in the United Kingdom. I’m creating playfully coloured and textured designs exploring a multi-sensory approach with quilting, embroidery and digital prints for everyday life products. My whole creation is about creating a playful and colourful environment using textiles that people can enter and interact with.

In my studio, I have one little table and huge walls.

There’s lots of natural sunlight here. My textile samples and objects are put on the wall to light the space up. It might look like a mess but it’s just how it makes me feel comfortable and inspired. I find inspiration in the experience of everyday life, and the enviroment around me definitely influences my work. ||| yukakishi.com

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U P P E R C A S E

TEJU REVAL SECAUCUS, NEW JERSE Y, UNITED STATES

I’m a self-taught charcoal artist. I decided to leave my corporate life behind and embark on a creative journey—the one that I’ve always dreamed of!

Snazzyhues is my effort to take a traditionally messy medium like charcoal and create sophisticated, clean art that exemplifies creativity with tastefully captured ideas from around the world. Having lived on three continents, I take inspiration from my travels and global experience. I am awed by the beauty of nature, people and things that I see, and I try to capture it in my work. I love adding some Indian touch to my art.

I believe in fusion: old and new, colour and black-and-white, charcoal and ink, traditional and modern.

Travel landscapes, architecture, people and patterns are my favourite themes, as they appeal to my sense of colour and creative expression.

My husband and I live in Secaucus, New Jersey, with our two little toddlers. I have a home studio office that is quite cosy and pretty but has space constraints due to the proximity to New York City. So squeezing in my studio and office in a tiny room was challenging but fun. For now I have a sketching table to create art and an office table for operational tasks. I love shutting out the outside completely and transcending to my imaginary dreamland whilst I sit in my beautiful studio, get inspired by the focused energy within and create beautiful art! ||| snazzyhues.com

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S H A R E S

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U P P E R C A S E

PEEPS

Bright beautiful hand-drawn patterns and illustrations!

I’m an artist and DECOUPAGE expert who would love to write a book on creative upcycling techniques.

I run a one-woman studio in beautiful Loveland, Colorado.

Commissions welcomed!

Any publishers interested in talking to an expert?

Courtney Beth Keller

gabrielaszulman.com Express your unique voice with a handmade wooden pen, embellished with gems, crystals, pearls and magick. Save 25% on your first order with UPPERCASE2017 mercurepens.etsy.com |||

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BKHabyLovesUppercase for 10% off. brooklynhaberdashery.com ||| Hello friends!

I invite you to my world of illustrations.

Come say hi & let’s connect! instagram.com/ eddienfriends |||

Just quit my job to make art!

Gouache resist paintings + prints inspired by folk art, nature and patterns everywhere.

Block printed tea towels. kierendutcher.com kierendutcher.etsy.com |||

Hand-printed textiles and home goods.

Brooklyn Mojo

Mmm, mmm, mmm! brooklynmojo.com ||| I make happy & whimsical goodies and would love to give Uppercase readers 10% off (min spend $20) with code UPPERCASE10.

Enjoy, and thank you! whimsymilieu.etsy.com |||

PEEPS ARE FREE! Sign up for a chance to publish yours in the next issue. uppercasemagazine.com/ free

Vintage Japanese yukata cottons for adventuresome sewists and quilters. okanarts.com ||| Build what is “adequate” for your own needs, rather than what is “required” by market forces.

Be inspired—real stories about real owner builders. theownerbuilder.com.au |||

artsyletters®

Gifts with a vintage vibe for readers, writers, poets and dreamers… 10% off in my Etsy shop with Coupon Code UPPERCASE. artsyletters.etsy.com ||| Get mail. Send mail.

We’ve got stationery that starts a conversation, Riddle Me Mail, and a real postcard welcome waiting for you at Postmark1206! postmark1206.com ||| Congratulations! Big hugs to Erin Beckloff and the team at Bayonet Media for creating Pressing On: The Letterpress Film.

It is beautiful, educational and heartwarming. letterpressfilm.com

onelittleprintshop.com

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Craftspeople, artisans, artists, illustrators, designers are welcome to apply to be a Maker-inResidence at Noble Crafthouse: a beautiful, bright studio in Toronto’s vibrant Parkdale neighbourhood.

Need awesome images for screen printing purposes? Check out my Etsy shop for over 100 handdrawn or vintage images created for thermofax screen printing.

noblecrafthouse.com

Greetings, I’m excited to share my surface pattern design and illustration portfolio with you. Stop by and take a peek!

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Creative Every Day!

Stop by and take a peek at my stamps :)

Online Classes in Drawing, Painting, Mixed-Media, Sketchbooks and more! Prices range from $25-$198.

Free classes for kids!

Thank you! -Dawn DawnEstelleDesigns.etsy.com |||

carlasonheim.com

#MindBlown

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Beetles are beautiful!

Imagine: one in four animal species is a beetle.

Time for a ‘paper’-tribute.

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Charlotte instagram.com/ papernerd1 |||

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Attention experimenters, tinkerers and curious people: Learn to carve stamps of your own design! STAMP CAMP online class opens up a world of creative possibility. kimwerker.com/classes ||| If you want something you’ve never had before, you’ve got to do something you’ve never done before.

Believe it can happen and it will.

myLife planners don’t judge your choice of pen, pencil or crayon.

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Save $5 with code PEEPSROCK and minimum $20 order. crystalink.ca/myweek

Have a look if you want.

Craftscapade Creative Retreats for the Modern Gal. Retreat yo’ self! October 5, 6, 7 in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

I make visual poetry combining colourful fabrics, thread, paper and photos, spontaneously, seeking connections that show themselves to me during the making.

purpleworkbench.com I run Mother Rubber Art Stamps and am now selling through Etsy!

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Purple Workbench hosts retreats in a beautiful farmhouse near Cobourg, Ontario. Bring your projects, eat good food, meet creative people.

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HAND LETTERING

by Seta Zakian Lettering design for posters, advertising, editorial, book and magazine covers, packaging and many more applications!

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Thanks so much to all the u p p e r c a s e readers who visited my new storefront in Eureka, California, this summer. Keep exploring! justmytypeletterpress.com |||

Looking for wonderful, fun and colourful SURFACE PATTERN DESIGNS and ILLUSTRATIONS? Contact me, Jackie Tahara, at UnBlink Studio! unblinkstudio.com |||

BLOCK PRINTING FOR BEGINNERS Learn how to draw, carve and create your own blocks for printing.

Check out my online course and free resources. catherineruddell.com uppercasemagazine.com

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COVET

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HANDWRITTEN DEVOTION

PHOTO AND STORY BY

M

UPPERCASE

Andrea Jenkins

y fondest memories of early elementary school are of learning how to write—the careful, repetitive printing of each letter of the alphabet, the slight, soft sound of lead pushing across paper, the looping of the pencil, each written letter improving, each a smoother, more certain version of the one before. While other kids seemed to hate the practice, I loved it. I looked forward to the worksheets, my progress steadily fuelled by the thought that eventually I would be able to put those letters together to form words that would make up sentences capable of communicating real ideas—my own ideas. To this day, when I see handwriting worksheets, my fingers tingle. I want to write.

B

keep track of everything—lists, notes, ideas, drafts—by typing it all out online. I told myself the time I saved could be used for working on creative projects I struggled to finish. I worked in this way for about a year before I realized the flaw in it. A conversation with a good friend (and fellow handwriting enthusiast) made me realize that I felt more scattered than ever. I was having trouble remembering things, even though I had organized everything perfectly online. After our conE A toUthe T Idaily F Upractice L versation, I committed, onceBagain, of handwriting. Almost at once, I felt a tangible shift in mindset.

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PAGES

This morning, I took out a fresh piece of paper, grabbed a pencil from the tin cup on my desk and wrote down everything swirling around in my brain: birthday cake ingredients, broken sandals, undeveloped My love for (and devotion to) handwriting stayed with me for years.

Flowers and plants have long been a muse of artists and craftspeople. film; egg noodles, vacuum cleaners, library books and so on. The It found its way onto the pages of diaries with little brass locks, love Botanica collects a veritable mixed ofaninspiring art, illustration, wholebouquet thing read like unsolved puzzle—all odd pieces; nothing fit. notes, life lists, short stories and essays written on college-ruled When I finished, I read back through it, added lifestyles. a few things, crossed pattern designs, floral-inspired and botanically inclined notebook paper. In high school, I taught myself calligraphy and made projects lines through others, mentally rearranged the order and started extra money hand-lettering wedding invitations and diplomas.

In Succulents and cacti and the simple potted plant are an of-the-moment trend, college, I found that if I rewrote my notes after each class, I would again. This time, I wrote with a favourite black ink pen—in the jourbut Ithis volume also goes back to historical sources andtime, botanical ephemera, more profoundly retain what had learned.

While I was methodicalnal with the good paper. This I was intentional about the order, ly reprinting notes, my brain was organizing reorganizing, pro-an the illustrating thatand creatives have evergreen fascination withthe allletters. things spacing. I took my time, printing I letfloral. the ritual wash cessing the ideas it had taken in. My friends thought I was crazy but over me—the unscrambling of the contents of my brain, the physical, I know this habit kept me sane during those college years. meditative act of writing by hand. Letters looping, forming; puzzle pieces slowly coming together—hand and mind soulfully connected, In a strange, fairly recent turn of events, I gave up theencyclopediaofinspiration.com practice of if only for a few moments. handwriting. I convinced myself it would be easier (and faster) to

BOTANICA

uppercasemagazine.com/botanica

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U P P E R C A S E

F A B R I C

IN STORE THIS NOVEMBER

The UPPERCASE Volume 2 fabric collection uses the magazine’s masthead and spine patterns as the starting point of beautiful fabric designs. Repeated motifs of dots, dashes and diamonds make up this pretty graphic collection—with a little vintage feed sack inspiration thrown in as well!

DOWNLOAD THE LOOKBOOK AND ACCESS FREE PATTERNS

windhamfabrics.com uppercasemagazine.com/fabric

IN THIS ISSUE:

Castle character diagrams days Vought value rulers raster welding winding papercut passage ON THE COVER ARTWORK BY RACHEL CASTLE

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