I'm obsessed with letterpress.
Those of you who know me well know that I love everything about the written word, typeface, fonts, color, printing, and imagery. Letterpress is the one medium that combines all of those things in an organic way that is unlike anything else I've seen. Maybe it's because I learned to type on an actual typewriter and not a computer, but I love the feel of paper, I like ink, I adore the uniqueness that is only obtained by doing something by hand.
I've been dabbling in computer graphics for a couple of years now, self-taught in Photoshop Elements, and I enjoy it quite a bit, but there is nothing like paper and ink. A year ago, I drew an image for the ScrapFest! t-shirts and I hadn't had that much fun working on a project in years. I love a Papermate Felt-tip Flair pen in a multitude of colors, they make me happy.
Over the past week I've been looking for inspiration for the new ScrapFest! print materials we send to our vendors and I'm tired of the over-worked look I see so much in posters lately. A few years ago, I saw a feature on Hatch Show Print, a letterpress shop in Nashville, on the Martha Stewart show and I Googled them. I knew I liked the look of letterpress, but I was blown away with the work they've done and decided I needed to pare down and do something in the vain of Hatch Show Print.
Here's a great little documentary on Hatch Show, so you'll see what I'm talking about. Their work is a who's who of country and rock music, and they do custom work for weddings and all kinds of cool stuff. Take a look.
In the words of Liz Lemon from 30 Rock: I want to go to there. I was in Nashville a couple of years ago and SO wish I would have gone to Hatch Show Print. I need one of those monoprints. Need. I think a trip to Nashville is in order, who wants to come?
So, all this digital work I do is great and all, but there's nothing like touching the stuff. That's why I'm getting this little letterpress for myself. Yeah, I'm getting it.
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