Fly in under the radar for a sneak peek at the latest goings-on here at Angel Bomb and inside my crowded cranium. You might find photos of a killer project about to hit the press, a rant about the state of design in the digital age, the inside scoop on an upcoming art opening, a recipe for succulent beef tenderloin in port-rosemary sauce, or something completely different.
The Blog is updated on a predictably unpredictable basis, so check back often to see what’s bubbling up to the surface.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Jolly ol’ England
Here we have an invite for a true Anglophile who’s celebrating her 70th birthday. And what better way to pay homage to the Brits than to play off one of their sayings? A nice simple invite with British colors and little bit of spunk. The birthday gal may be 70, but she can still celebrate in style.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Wisconsin Wedding!
I finally got to work with long-time friend and fellow designer Kelly at Farmhouse Design Studio in ‘Sconi. She designed up a beautiful and extensive wedding invitation you can see here. Since the system had eight pieces, only a few of them were actually printed letterpress and the rest were done offset. Like many invitations, the client wants a paper with some tooth to it, a little class, you might say, and these were not an exception. Printed on Crane Lettra 110#, they’re soft and velvety, making you feel lucky to receive one in the mail.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Plantable Invitations
It may seem like Angel Bomb has been quiet for lack of recent posts, but that’s certainly not the case! I’ve been hustling like mad this summer and am just now getting the chance to post. Some images from great projects will be rearing their heads here soon, declassified and suitable for public viewing, so stay tuned. Until then, take a look at these great invitations designed by Lauren Addy and printed on seed paper made by the great people at Porridge Papers. They offer lots of different colors of handmade paper impregnated with all sorts of seeds. The client wanted wildflowers to sprout from her invitations, but if you were so inclined, Porridge also makes herb paper and does custom mixes too! Pretty darn cool. I planted some, but it hasn’t sprouted yet. The paper was a little messy with fibers and seeds getting all over the press, but since the sheet was soft, it took a great impression. For an artisanal paper that has the added benefit of growing before your very eyes, I’d highly recommend using this for your special day.
Friday, June 04, 2010
Now that’s a card!
Recently I got the opportunity to work with Ribbons of Red out in Cincinnati, Ohio and print their business cards. They wanted beefy stock to retain a nice deep impression and so we used Crane Lettra 220lb and punched it plenty hard. RoR uses a gritty texture in their identity and they wanted to have a textured back to the card. Instead of having to print an artificially made texture, we let the press do it on it’s own by printing a flood coat without a great deal of pressure. What you’re seeing is the natural ‘salting’ that occurs when paper fibers show through the ink coverage. This was exactly what the client was looking for. One caveat is that with such a large area of ink coverage, you need to give it a hit of varnish to prevent offsetting. Photos courtesy of Ribbons of Red.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Mmmmmm….chocolate!
Colin Gasko, Minneapolis’ own Rogue Chocolatier, recently acquired four bags of organic, single source cacoa beans from Peru to make a special edition bar. And here at Angel Bomb, I letterpressed the package and insert for it. The design is subdued to let the tactile nature of letterpress drive the packaging and it’s a nice clean, two color design you’re going to want to hold onto when the contents are gone. When Colin first came over to discuss the job, he brought me a couple chocolate bars and I’m happy to say that this fellow knows his beans! Chocolate can be real finicky to work with but Colin’s elevated it to an art form. Get out there and find these beauties, they’re in numerous shops about town and beyond. I wish good things for this guy and hope you do too. People who do things differently (he’s had to create some of his own machinery) to realize their dream are a rare breed and deserve our patronage. And besides, who doesn’t like an underdog? You can see some more photos just uploaded on the Rogue Chocolatier Blog.
Friday, May 07, 2010
Go Nordeast
Just in time for Art A Whirl, which arrives next Friday, May 14th at 5:00pm and continues through Sunday, May 16th at 5:00 is the brand new collaboration between illustrious Minneapolis illustrator Adam Turman and Angel Bomb, with each of us contributing what we do best. We created this piece together and it was letterpress printed right here at Angel Bomb. It’s bright and springy and celebrates all that makes the Northeast neighborhood of Minneapolis such a great place. Look for your favorite Nordeast landmark hammered into the voluptuous paper with care and crushing force. They’re limited, so get ‘em before they’re gone!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Hmmm, where can I set my beer?
It’s nearly quittin’ time in the studio and about time to crack a beer. It’s a good thing I printed up a whole heapin’ slew of these Letterpress Union Local 271 coasters! Following fast in the wake of the t-shirts come matching coasters. They possess the same cool illustration of a Chandler and Price 8×12 so detailed you can almost hear it clinking and clanking away. Letterpress Union members in good standing always set their beers on an appropriate coaster. We can’t have any condensation rings forming on the workbench, dontcha know. They’re also suitable for glasses containing rye, vodka, and even kool-aid. Stop on by during Art A Whirl in May and pick some up.
Friday, April 02, 2010
Promotional Folder
Recently, Stephanie Hynes, a great young fashion photographer, came to me with a desire to recreate the mood of vintage photo folders to use as promotional pieces. I followed the general shape and style of vintage folders but sized them up so she could fit 4×6 images in them. Her photography has a timeless elegance to it so I tried to maintain that with the design of the piece.
Using a large texture plate, I printed a light background color that would age the piece and give is some depth, helping it look worn from years of use. Then I designed and printed a great cameo on the front flap along with Stephanie’s contact information on the back. All this then got die cut and scored. Not only can you get beautiful pristine results with letterpress, but with using layers of ink you can also create a worn or aged look as well. The results are really only limited by your imagination.
