Top of the Cake, work in progress, Q. Cassetti, 2011, pen and ink, digitalHere is the top of the cake. I am beginning to work in the details and didnt have much to share with you, so I figured I would slice off the top just to say, “its coming!”
I am revelling on where this can go, and remembering that yes, indeed, I love every part of the illustration process from the thinking to the doing—its all fun, fun, fun. I like the palette. It is feeling a lot like Pushpin…so I am pretending I am a member of the Push Pin Studio and asking myself, what I would be doing if I was part of the Pushpin Studios. The cake and candles will be on a white field, but I am thinking of tinting the corners and of course, putting bees in (as this is a sweet cake for a sweet sixteen. How could I not resist?
Last night, we went to Atkins Farm (Amherst, MA) and look at the cakes prior to taking Kitty and a friend out to our favorite Mexican place in Hadley, Mi Tierra. Atkins Farms was filled to the brim with everything spring and Easter. They had bunches of pussy willows outside ready to take home along with flowers, elegant candies and the honey for this bee, wooden Easter eggs. So, to my delight, for the second year running, I got some eggs to add to the three from last year….commemorating Kitty’s time at Hampshire. I think I will give them to her after she graduates for her Easter decorating….or maybe not. I do love them. I have a few years to ponder that big idea.
We also oogled the wine, hard cider and beer selection for the design and ideas that are happening in Western/Central Massachusetts. First off, they have a complete area of just growlers available. There are a few ice wines, but apple ice wines offered. I took a bunch of photos and this prompted a conversation about where a future (near) project could be going. There is packaging involved—a logotype, and we need to really think about the positioning as this sort of thing is not happening in our region too much, so we could be a thought leader insofar as our approach. I do not think the rough and ready approach like , The Peoples Pint will work….but using Ommegang, from Cooperstown/Oneonta, might be a good point. Bottle profile, label shape, strong typography, color signals all working together with some little illustrations might be great. Soon.
We got up early in Amherst to get to Cooperstown for Rob. It was a white out, with slushy snow making the trip a little less than fun, but the landscape and the lovely little New York State towns charmed us both. I am sitting in the Cooperstown Public Library waiting and working while Rob has his board meeting up at the New York State Historical Society. The Public Library is a big stone structure on Main Street that is old-fashioned, but neat as a pin…which charms me to no end. I would say the style is georgian, with lost of fancy woodwork and door trim but coupled with functional metal bookcases and heavy oak tables. No Barnes and Noble here…I am in the way back as the nice librarian pointed out their wireless was not working, but one could pick up a signal from a neighbor here. I am catching up on email and thought I would say hi while I had the chance.
Hi there!