Blog - Cotton & Flax

Inspiration

Studio Tour – Pinball Publishing

I was lucky to get a small tour of the Pinball Publishing studios while I was in Portland a few weeks ago. They make tons of amazing work using both offset lithography and letterpress, including their famous Scout Books (my boyfriend loves the 33 Bottles of Beer Journal!)

I really admire this print shop, both for their awesome creative team, and their dedication to making awesome things in a sustainable way. A little about Pinball, in their own words:

Pinball is a Creative Publishing Company.

Our Portland, Oregon headquarters include an integrated printing plant, design studio, editorial offices, and a book manufacturing facility. Within its walls, we combine craft and ingenuity to produce results of the highest quality.

Fueled by a passion for ink, paper, and collaboration, Pinball powers a growing web of interconnected projects, including Scout Books, Print Pinball, and Bangback. With all of these endeavors, we use 100% recycled papers, vegetable-based inks, and renewable energy sources.

Even more awesome: they are super kind to animals! Some of the employees bring their pets to work, like this awesome pup who was acting as shop mascot the day I visited.

I have been dreaming about their insane ink storage area ever since my visit… can you imagine having so much ink?! I wish my studio was even a fraction as awesome as the one at Pinball.

*All photos borrowed from the Pinball Publishing website, except the final two photos, which are my own.

Snail Mail Saturday – Summer Vacation Nostalgia

I am seriously nostalgic for my summer vacation right now. I was lucky enough to take a few short trips to visit friends and family this summer: one to San Francisco, one to Arizona, and one to Portland. I didn’t manage to grab any touristy postcards during my travels, but I am loving these snail mail supplies that feature some of my favorite vacation spots.

1. Earthscapes USPS Stamps (reminds me of the view from an airplane!) 2. Portland Bingo Postcard from Bishop Lennon and Amy Ruppel 3. I Left my Heart Postcard from Paper Pastries 4. Arizona USPS Stamp 5. Hawthorne Bridge Postcard from Red Bat Press 6. San Francisco Rubber Stamp Kit from Yellow Owl Workshop

Print of the Week – Linotype: The Film

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/15032988 w=500&h=281]

For fans of printmaking, this may be old news (like, a year after it’s initial release old news…) but I thought it would still be fun to feature here. Linotype: The Film is a feature-length documentary about one of the coolest printing machines ever invented, and it’s about to be released to DVD and digital download (on October 16th!). The Linotype type casting machine was called the “Eighth Wonder of the World” by Thomas Edison, and it revolutionized printing and society. Watch the trailer above to see how this cool, old machine works!

Inspiring Patterns

I’ve been spotting some amazing patterns online recently. Have you seen my Patterns Pinterest board? It’s out of control. Over 900 pins, and I’m not stopping anytime soon.
These four images inspired me this week: (clockwise from top left) Marimekko / Beautiful Tile (frustratingly unattributed) / Chladni Plates (Exquisite patterns emerge from salt scattered on a metal plate which is stroked with a bass fiddle bow, illustrating two dimensional vibration) / Ray Eames with her Dot pattern (also frustratingly unattributed, c’mon internet! Get it together!)

Print of the Week – Etching by Tara Donovan

This print astounds me. Tara Donovan’s softly patterned etching was created using a ferric chloride solution (an etching corrosive), combined with liquid bubble soap. According to Greg Kucera gallery, which represents Donovan:

“[she] used a straw to blow air into this mixture, making different size bubbles that she carefully picked up with a plastic spoon and laid on the aquatinted plates. The bubbles were left on the plates until they popped or dissolved, allowing the ferric chloride to etch the surface of the plate.When Tara completed the process of applying bubbles to each plate, the acid residue and rosin were cleaned off the plate and then printed. The variety of dark to light bubble images was achieved by controlling the saturation of liquid in each bubble.”

Donovan’s process blows my mind, and I find the imagery to be very appealing as well. Learn more about her work at Pace Prints, or Greg Kucera Gallery.