Summertime

Messing around inspired by Alexander Girard, Q. Cassetti, 2010, digitalReally going deep on a project I have wanted to resolve— and now, I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thought out enough to show—with some ideas roughed out on a grid with black and white to color rollovers, using the standard html font I like the best (Georgia)—a website layout designed to be implemented in Drupal using the grid system that “Blueprint” offers. So, with this gridded approach, my publications background really is holding me in good stead. Not a lot of fancy schmancy, but simple is elegant. This design is a little black dress. I think I may have to be the photographer on this job with my point and shoot…but I enjoy that, so no biggie.

Fixed the Farmers Market graphic from yesterday. tweaked a few things along with adding and subtracting (digital plakat) with the eraser and blob brush. Then. did the little doodle diddle to the left just messing around with those same tools. It was fun, quick and I like how rough it is. Need to work on more rough stuff. I would love to work up a little linoleum block look for fun.

Got Alex rolling and scheduled for the PSAT prep. He is surprising all of us by willingly picking up books and The New Yorker and reading them. Happily. If you wanted to know what I wanted for my birthday, I have already gotten it. I never thought I would see the day that my dear boy would actively engage in reading willingly…and happily. Now, as his reading coach and librarian, I need to put my head around what is next? John Krakauer’s Into Thin Air? Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential? Albert Goldman’s Elvis? Need to worry this. Any suggestions? Its gotta be good and engaging. He is reading Neverland by Neil Gaiman, a very interesting, simply written, visual book about an alternative world. Love Neil Gaiman. We could try William Gibsons Idoru.

It’s 7:30 and it’s getting darker. Imagine. We are on the downside of the bright side of the year. Rolling into August is just plain shocking. Christmas design work and Christmas presents are on the list of things to do. I am def. going to do a letterpress valentine. I think the Luckystone card is going to be derivative of the Advent calendar work from last December. Likely nutcrackers.

Off to the Pourhouse to buy teeshirts!

to a "T"

Redraw of the Farmers Market Weathervane, inspired by Durand Van Doren’s workBeautiful weather here. The Farmers Market Building moved yesterday from the fairgrounds to the Market Site. We got shots of Durand’s weathervane, and I asked him if I could generate a flat illustration from his work to make a shirt/graphic from. Here is my shot of the thing from his metal illustration. It was kind of cool as I took Rob’s photo of the weathervane against the sky, translated it via photoshop to a high contrast black and white image. I selected the darks and created a workpath that I imported to illustrator to work on. Cool. I think this will be converted into white on black for a teeshirt to give to the guys that worked on the creation of the bandstand during Grassroots. Need to price that one out. Alex’s shirts turned out nicely and inexpensively.

I was given next year’s Hangar’s productions (shhhh) and need to start mulling over what the images need to be for the posters/advertising etc. I would love to have this all in hand by the end of October/first of November. It would really give us the jump on getting in front of this for next year. I also committed to doing the graphics for next year’s Ithaca Triathlon. I didnt do this year as it was getting a bit tedious, so the break gives me a bit fresher look at the design/illustration problem. We will see. That too, has a near and dear expectation too.

Speaking of local projects, look what just arrived today! A tee for the Pourhouse! So, get yourself down toTburg’s very own funspot and get a shirt (guys or gals) to show your civic support. Limited edition.

Someone has posted a request for a Hangar Poster to frame. I am thinking that there might be something in having this stuff early to send out for prints. Also, the new thinking is the $2. gumball art thought. Which is, that people have no problem plunking down a buck or two for a button, a sticker, or a tattoo. They do not even need to think about it. NO problem whatsoever. So, what if I were to create a cool point of purchase, hippie display that gives the person a choice of buttons, stickers, postcards, tattoos…at a good price with the price getting better and better as one nears $10. and $20 a shot. This would be put in places that Q. has relationships with (Grassroots, The Hangar, a gallery, chez Camp, or any of the restaurants etc that I do gratis work for). Build the local brand in a very local way. Adding value  and allowing the individual to take a little bit (bitte ein bit) of Q home with them…priming the pump (?) for an incremental build of sales. That’s today’s thinking.

Just started reading The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo. Delicious summer readling! 

Farmers' Market

Photo montage, 07.26.2010Trumansburg’s Farmers Market got a brand spanking new bandstand today. It was built by a team of wonderful volunteers who donated their time and expertise to design, build and then MOVE this wonderful building from Grassroots (where it served as a play place for kids) to its final home at our new Farmers Market to house the live music we have weekly on Wednesdays.

One more

from 07/25/2010Phew. Its over. Grassroots was wonderful this year with music and friends, and new friends, and music, and dance and delicious food, and big ideas to keep this small head whirring. But too much of a good thing is too much.

I walked over yesterday a bit after noon to find that the clouds and drizzle had cleared and we were to have a perfect blue sky afternoon. Heard the Chokers. Perfect show. A lot of nice new twists to the music, and happier band members made for good music and happy karma for those of us who know a few. We heard Hee Haw Nightmare, didnt love, but the crowd did. Toivo, as Rob said “went electric” with children running in circles and people waltzing and dancing happily in the afternoon. Preston and Keith Frank played the Dance Tent for the Tea Dance segment with the crowd happily dancing and not totally overwhelmed by the heat (like Friday when many of us wanted to lie down and faint from the humidity).

We got home on the early side after just enough and I surfaced that I wanted a scooter, a vespa to be specific. Rob surprisingly perked up about that (and Indian one please as the design was frozen mid seventies with the ferring and design I love). Now the question is which color and could I get vinyl cut to put bumble bees all over it?

I also am going to make a piece of art starting with the new weathervane on our new Tburg bandstand as reference. I think something solid and one color might be a nice thing to have to output on canvas and donate to the events I donate things to, and to create some tees (from my new cheap resource) to give to the men and women who built the bandstand as a thank you for their hard work, determination and wit to make something so outstanding for our little town. We are so so lucky to have such a committed group of people give and give and give to us, to Grassroots, to the general wonder and quality of life I hope none of us take this spirit of giving for granted. My belief in everyone giving a little bit (an hour a week at least) to your closest in community will yield in the Catherine Wheel tradition of bringing back energy to not only yourself but others is constantly proven in this small place of perfection we call home. And the wheel keeps turning and turning and turning.

The puzzle, challenge and amazing opportunity is thinking about the possibilities of what’s next?

Must go now to pick up my stuff at the art barn. Sold buttons and postcards with low expections. Lets see if I am happily delighted?

Link to Sunday’s pix on Flickr>>

Pictures to the left include (at top): Charlotte Senders, actress extrodinaire and cool Tburger, (next row left to right) Peter H., Meryl Young, Rob Cassetti, (Third Row down) The Chicken Chokers performing, (Fourth Row Down) Timmie Dietrich talking to me, (Bottom photo) camping in the center of the racetrack.

Breather

Study, Q. Cassetti, 2010, pen and ink, Adobe lIlustrator.I didnt go to the festival yesterday. Just too much. So, there was a swim, a nap, some cooking (note: whenever they suggest or put “optional” in a recipe, use it), and a bit of reading and thinking (lots of that). The Grassroots experience is, for me, very provocative from the music standpoint, but the sheer energy from the people, the community, the connections and connections to be made from that moment, and the opportunities have my head spinning off my body. It is still a brew of ideas with a few coming more to the fore (which I am pricing or planning) and others I will patiently wait for them to form. Kitty and Alex are on overdrive (coming in around 3 a.m. with Rob and Bruce). We will have our morning recap with the pound of bacon ends I need to put on the griddle before they come down. Maybe pancakes?

I just wanted to weigh in before more coffee, bacon and thoughts. You will hear the ideas as they form, and you know I want your ideas and input before I launch blindly forward. There is the festival today with the beloved Chokers, The Thins, Donna the Buffalo and more. Rob is thrilled about Toivo in the Cabaret (or as Bruce calls it, the Cabernet).

More later. 

[Totally off topic, but to my delight, the Hartford MFA blog that I conceived of, do some of the writing, all of the architecture  and maintain (as a gift to the program) has been recognized by Learn-o-Rama as one of the “Top 50 Blogs by Masters Students”. This stuff does work…just keep it focused and interesting enough that even you, the creator want to visit, More here>>]

Humidifier

Snippets from Grassroots: 07.23.2010, Q. Cassetti, 2010It was wet in the air and hot, and still. Nothing moved except the papers to curl into themselves. None of the puddles dried up. And even in the tents, my glasses fogged up. It was a humidifier all day combined with the amazing Preston Frank and thousands of steaming topless bodies, the sights and heightened smells added to the flavor of Grassroots. Heat was also in the music. So, worth it all the way.

Preston Frank in a big tent with a very appreciative audience was a shot in the arm. Hypercharged Zydeco. We danced a bit until my face was streaming and we needed water. It was great hearing Preston do some of my favorite Boozoo Chavis songs…albeit he did not sing my favorite, “You will look like a Monkey when you get old” (a loving tune about his WIFE).

After that, we heard Mountainheart, an amazing string band that segued into rock and roll covers and back out again, seamlessly. The crowd was electric—so as you can see from the top picture, the band had a throughly good time as well. They have tremendous presence and worked very much as an organic group, one instrument, with all the various musicians handing off to the other either instrumentally or vocally. They also loved the audience, and the audience loved them right back.

We hung out with some old friends and then heard the end of the Sim Redmond Band at the Grandstand. G oodness, the level of production is really up, with the lighting and stage dressing at a far higher, far less shaggy approach that  it was a tremendous show with Sim and group as tight and good as ever.

On the way out, we stopped at the dance tent and were delighted with Jsan and the Analog Sons. High energy, driving reggae, great show, great horns and an amazing keyboardist who we see pop up locally.

We got home around midnight. Alex around 3 a.m. and Kitty spent the night. Another day starts. We will swim the vast Cayuga and feed the cats before going back for more music. The buttons are selling at the Art Barn. I have found my price point. Ideas are hatching as we speak.

Friday: Grassroots week

Zydeco Trail Riders, Main Street, Trumansburg, Q. Cassetti, 2010To the left are the Zydeco Trail Riders. They wanted their picture snapped after their fun performance Wednesday night at the Rongo. So obliged. To see more of the Trail Rider photos>> There is a workable one in there. They were very cute and chatty (as you can see) with Sally laughing and making the boys laugh along with her. They were great, high spirited and fun. Wednesday night was fun with dining and dancing with Kitty and Laura shaking their wild thing like the Drama Club regulars they are.. Rob and Bruce saw Keith Frank on the Commons and the All American Hell Drivers late at Barangus.

Friday at Grassroots (an edited collection of images from yesterday’s fun at Flickr)>>

Grassroots opened to a bluesky wonderful day. I went to the festival around two with Rob and Alex and was presented to our tent, chairs and little encampment surrounded by lots of people I already knew. I wandered over to the Art Barn to take my little things to sell (buttons, stickers, tattoos). I made up two little cigar boxes with nice labels on them for the stuff and put the buttons (as groups) on ribbons.

Then, Rob and I wandered over to see what was happening in the dance tent to find Mac Benford and crew playing stellar old time music. Mac is sort of the gran ddaddy  to the local old time music scene and he and they were def. on their game. Peter was there (designating that this was the place to be) complete with his brand new antique electric tricycle complete with cooler and a yellow fringed awning, prominently visual and the making, for me, of what Grassroots is. Small Town, Community, and the Church of Whats Happening Now. The cloggers were there along with our wonderful Professor Margery, Zydeco dancer to the stars. We wandered over to the new Cabaret Hall to hear Pat Burke, and then back to the  Mac and company.

Top: The Grady Girls, Bottom left, Harley Campbell and Mac Benford, Bottom right top: art barn sign, bottom right bottom, Eric AcetoI volunteered to work at the Art Barn as they needed extra coverage and am happy I did. The people loved the work and it was interesting to take money for my stuff and hear what they said about why that button or sticker. Instant feedback. I am seriously thinking of seeing if I can do a tent and do a “Hodge Podge Lodge” or “Q Brand” for the event. I think it would go…shirts etc. This is different than the Art Trail and for the same investment of time and effort, along with an understanding of what the local market wants to pay for stuff, seems doable. I want to sell penny candy too. There is too much easy stuff out there to do.  It is fascinating because there is a ton of interest in how I do my work along with a different respect for the work being printed on canvas versus framed with glass and mats. Seems more real/more accessible I think. My brain is whirring.

I was enchanted with the Grady Girls, sisters and cousins playing traditional Irish reels, jigs and waltzes along with family members from parents and aunts to little step dancing girls leaping and kicking to their hearts delight. The Girls are lovely in fresh cotton sundresses and the requisite cowboy boots, tight in their music and openly loving being part of this whirl they create. Rob is hopeful to get them for the Saint Patrick’s Day 2300˚—which would be terrific.

Djug Django was sublime with the poetic Eric Aceto leading the music with his violin sound bringing pathos and sweetness to a really amazing group of musicians. I have to say, each of the performances from Hip Hop (GunPoets), to Irish (Grady Girls), to Old Time (Mac Benford) to County/Rockabilly Swing (Kelley and the Cowboys)—everything we heard was top shelf excellent. The smaller groups put the “Big Name” (Merle Haggard) to shame in their ernest professionalism and high quality performances. What an honor to have these artists come to our little Tburg….(and many hail from here!).

It promises thunder today. I do not know how I feel about that and the mud. Time will tell.

IF: Double

Sweet Twins, Q. Cassetti, 2010, pen and ink/digitalInspired by the British portrait of two sisters married on the same day, and bearing children on the same day, The Cholmondeley Ladies (c.1600). My beekeeping sisters live here in Central New York, maintaining their hives, and keeping their world buzzing with activity.

 

The Cholmondeley Ladies
circa 1600-10 
Oil on wood support: 
886 x 1723 mm frame: 
1074 x 1914 x 100 mm painting Presented anonymously 1955 T00069 
Tate Britain, London

24 hours and counting

Lubok Shout, Q. Cassetti,2010 pen and ink, digital, Grassroots eve. Tburg’s alternative Christmas! The music is ramping up. The tents are being pitched. The crowd at Gimme! Coffee has some new faces. Rabbit Run is filling up with the future campers patiently waiting in line to get in. Rob is mustering the teen forces to work more. They limply complain but follow. New friends await.  For Rob, the thrill of working with an onsite sawyer—creating slabs of wood to spec. It was like heaven to get what you want, when you want it, accurately. Old technology is wonderful.

And Rob performed magic at the end of the workday by buying the ultimate deal ($9. for a box of 30 iced cream sandwiches at the Byrne) and tossing them to the workers, moms, kids. The candy man! He was thrilled to delight the crowd in such a simple way.

So the riches abound. The Tburg Farmers Market has music, then the Rongo with the Zydeco Trail Riders. After that, Preston Frank down on the Commons. And then, the All American Helldrivers at Barangus to close out the night. Ramped and amped.

I will be shooting pictures all weekend. That is my fun project.

The rooster is a new approach with illustrator brushes and big thick markers. QUUUUIIICCCK. Will be doing some more animals just to learn this approach. Maybe a chinese zodiac? Lots of animals there.

Rob visited wonderful Joe Seppi, owner of Pioneer Printing in Interlaken, and a lead type, letterpress afficianado. I am so taken with Joe’s work (and prices) that I am seriously thinking of doing a single letterpress holiday card. Elegant and many of my illustrations will work for that type of thing. Same for Valentine. I bought a stack of Cranes cards with matching envelopes that he could imprint the address/and the card. Come to think of it, if I do that, I could have them set up type for the message and change it out and offer it to my friend with just a slug change. Could be soooo easy. There’s a thought.

Doing a little more validation searching for my big client. Interesting 4 hour meeting yesterday. I managed to chop up our content and detail it with sketches to drag the monster consulting firm to better understanding the thinking we need to see. This consultant is treating this work topically not fully understanding or searching for the scope of the work and making uneducated dictates ie ” you may not use red”. Huh? Why not? Maybe we need to find the right red? Right?

Whoa. I am sounding like a fogey.

Monkeys on the Brain.

Musical Knights, Q. Cassetti, 2010, pen and ink.Sorry for the delay. I thought I would get to a blog posting yesterday…but, thinking is not doing. So, please forgive me.

Sunday was filled with getting people places and then having a moment to swim and in my case finish the picture to the left. Lubki inspired, three musicians on a horse riding to who knows where. That’s it, plain and simple. I have a rooster to celebrate tomorrow that takes the Lubki idea once step further which is to hand draw the main lines and then scan it into photoshop (b+w at 600 dpi). Then I exported a workpath from photoshop into illustrator and filled it…giving me nice fat objects to work into. From that I have developed (and continue to do so) a series of tapered brushes (art and pattern brushes) that I use to make up the pattern and texture I have to restrain myself from doing. However, it comes up with a very interesting and energetic effect that I think I am on to something. You can judge for yourself tomorrow.

Speaking of Lubki, hear me out on this one. Just to set the stage, Lubok or Lubki (plural) is a Russian illustration style that depicts Russian folk tales and mythology (as one of the channels of how the work is carved up). Okay. Point two, I love that wild work that the Russian artist did with Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings etc. Right?

I love popular culture, the wierder the better. And, to take that out a bit further, that becomes, to some degree, another type of current mythology storytelling that we, and the New York Post seem to glom onto. So, with that in mind, I am thinking of doing a few lubok illustrations around “The Tales of Travis, a Connecticut Monkey”. Remember Travis? The chardonnay swilling, lawnmower driving chimp who seemed to be game for anything? Xanax? Sleeping in beds? Working the television? Hot tub soaking? Plant watering? Teeth Brushing? Wearing clothes? Car Driving?  Being a child to a lonely woman who needed a special friend. Travis was for me, one of the Red Rose Tea Monkeys come to life! And HE LIVED IN CONNECTICUT! Not the forests? Not the zoos? No. Suburbia. Bliss! Now, play that through the Russian Folklore lens…and you get the idea. Fun! Unfortunately the Travis story ends sadly…which I do not think I will touch…but the description of this chimp and his owner is enough to make a few pictures to test the waters.

Grassroots in in full swing. Rob and Alex have been wielding hammers while Kitty was pressganged into helping decorate the new Cabaret Hall. Surprisingly, everyone is happy and very engaged. Rob just took two of my pieces down for the Art Barn (my beehive valentine/big, and the Forever Valentine (smaller) as we think that might make someone happy. They are for sale— and we will see if anyone comes to the table on them . I doubt it as they are priced to replace the printing and a little more but the Grassrootsers are not there to buy art. They are there to buy CDs, iced tea and eat. But we will see. You never know who might be needing to decorate their tents?

Beautful clear day. Hope the trend continues.

a lovely long morning.

http://nnm.ru/blogs/redfox11/andrej_kuznecov_lubki_na_sovremennye_syuzhety/There is an amazingly funny and skilled illustrator working in the lubki style and fusing it with modern folklore, just as his lubki predecessors used tales to make their russian stories. I am still puzzling over translation programs, but if you want to see a body of work and his interpretation of these modern folktales (yes, from films like Harry Potter, Spiderman, and Frodo/Golum from the Lord of the Rings) you might want to click over here>> Doesnt this guy totally nail it? and he hasnt gone overboard with the shading etc. Need to puzzle over this. The cats encourage overebellishent, but these little comicbook frames demand less to tell their snapshot stories. Hmm.

The picnic yesterday was fun. We met all sorts of new people, new ideas and a request for my bee art at a local shop. Maybe some bee tote bags? 
And some preframed gliclees. I need to darken their door to figure this one out. The dish to pass table groaned with the clutter of dishes. And you know, I brought a wooden salad bowl filled with tabouli and a heaping platter of this wierd but great watermelon salad (watermelon, salt, pepper, onion and mint). And dang, if it wasnt vacuumed up in no time. And I swore, last year that I would bring enough. Need to think this one out. Something portioned (like a golf ball shape)—falafel? So you can make a heap of whatever—but maybe vacuum is what happens…and I just need to make MORE of the stuff I am bringing and call it a day. Simpler is better actually.

I had a nice chat with Tracy Craig who runs the Nonesuch Radio, a museum writer and the producer of Rutabega Boogie Productions (bringing musical acts to town) about her world, her adorable dog, and the potential of “what ifs”. Inspired and inspiring. I would like to get to know her better. Some lovely art people I know want to hang out. I need to make that happen. What is it about the Ithaca Trumansburg people that make me feel so embraced and included? I am so so lucky.

Shady Grove made friends with big and little. Kitty found her circle. And Rob was mixing up like crazy—and making ideas and contacts real. The sky was painted in golds and blue with clouds that Maxfield Parrish would have quivered over. We scooted when the electricity in the sky threatened. Off to the Pourhouse to hear the Rocking Steady Family Band…which was delightful. All in all a very fun day complete with swimming in beautiful Cayuga. Maybe some swimming today—but from my breezy perch surrounded by sleeping pets with their fur ruffled by the wind, it might have to be pretty convincing.

 

Salad Days

The Fellows Derring-Do and Good Fighters Too is just an illustration of a popular “open” wrestling match in which the winner gets a prize: two soft-boiled eggs. Such matches often took place during the celebrations of Maslenitsa (Shrovetide) and Semik. New cat illustration up in the Atelier “Lubki Inspired” section. Not great illo but inspiring. I built it using the blob brush and building individual brushes in illustrator. With all the antics trying to do a Lubki Cat with all the texture that is dug into those pictures, it really gave me a better shot at looking at artistic brushes versus pattern brushes (which make borders and corners and the like). These artistic brushes really have got the calligrapher in me excited…and learning how to freehand draw the vectors versus point and drag which is my safe go to…is great.

However, learning to make and use these tapered brushes (on both ends) and seeing what happens when the splines/ paths get longer or shorter, and the  power of these brushes to save time and, when thought out, present something that is still “handmade” in look and feel. I am doing to do a few roosters or chickens to accompany the big cats before I try a few silly people pictures. I am going to draw the lines in my book, maybe do the complete rough in ink, and embellish the drawing with these tapered and textured brushes. Too, too, cool. The other thing I keep doing which takes time, but is worth it, is converting the brushes to paths and merging them all together as a single layer of color. This technique should be interesting in the next go round of the work for the Hangar as the images may be more hand drawn next season. Maybe. the vector images really did work this season. And big! You know how I feel about large scale vector work!

Everyone went out with friends last night but me. I came up to the breezy lake and sat on the porch and did something novel—I streamed “play now” movies on R’s iPad which was amazing. It was so fast, no hiccups, good overall. I watched two indy movies, one in the mode of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” only it was Jewish/Muslim and the other, a documentary called “Jesus Camp”—startling and yet, believable. It was really nice. The fridge decided to die again…so there wasnt much fun with that.

This morning, Kit and I went up to Sauders for semolina (read, more spinach and feta pizzas), bulgar wheat (tabouli) and other odds and ends including my favorite present—full sized gummy fried eggs and full sized gummy chicken feet. Who wouldnt be thrilled with that sort of gift. This afternoon is a dish to pass at the “Annual Mammal Roast” extravaganza. I have salads to make (tabouli and a minted watermelon salad) which should be fun. Alex is working. Kitty is engaged with friends. Bruce, Rob and I will have dinner at the Pourhouse to hear the “Rockin’ Steady” Family Band (Reidys and Stockings). Such a creative group…it will be amazing. 

Grassroots is four days and counting. The tents are being put up. The portapotties are dotting the landscape. The portable stage has arrived. There are some campers on the site. Great excitement in the Burg over this holiday of sorts for the community. They are building the wall of beer. Nuf said.

Cat Alert

Lubok Cat, Q. Cassetti, 2010, digitalHarumph. Working away at branding stuff. Was quite pleased during the conversation with the consultant that my work (self propelled) was put out there for the consultant to review as how to take a concept further. Also pleased that the due diligence on the palettes were also referenced for them as well. I would have done the work for my client if I were in the hot seat for this branding stuff, but these guys definitely march to a different drummer than I do. Different motivations, bigger teams, bigger billings and from that (from my ant’s eye view) higher expectations from the client…but this is the element of the equation that goes south. It is an interesting process that I have chosen to act as a design advocate for my clients versus the self proclaimed victim of something that was imposed on me waiting for someone else to throw the first hammer at the proposed work. And so it goes.

The cat is done in illustrator/ working with the new and wonderful blob brush. The blob brush (shift b) is a brush that creates a shape (not a vector that looks like a shape) that you can grow or erase out of…more intuitive than the pen. To my thinking, its working with a speedball round pen. Wonderful tool…just trying to get my way with it. am working the sloppy color as the Lubki prints are random…and using some brights just to see where they can go. I am jazzed as its vector immediately so scaleable etc. etc. Trying to get a handle on some techniques as the going big with the Hangar posters really did a lot of teaching re what works for this challenge of illustration/and to some degree identifying the theatre. I will be working this way for a bit, just to see where it takes me.

It is lunch time already. I ordered Alex’s Sausage fest shirts online (cheap) at cheaptees.org yesterday and am thinking holiday thoughts in advance of our meeting. Gotta go.

smell the roses.

Rose sketches/new style, Q. Cassetti, 2008, pen and ink.Alex and pals smoked meat all day yesterday.  This morning, he went out and gathered up a bunch of old apple wood branches, and started another fire in a nice, neat smoker—placing two chickens he marinated last night (all by himself), and a big piece of pork to make shredded, pulled pork. His buddies came over and they were very clannish. All good.

Am mulling over illustration a bit. Not a problem, but a puzzle in my head. More later as it resolves itself. Need to get some trace in my notebook.

Have a great meeting planned for this p.m. to come up with a strategy with my clients on how to manage this branding process, branding consultants and the due diligence  that I did with the proposals they put forth. The question becomes how directive and prescriptive we need to be as the consultant is very much in a “take no prisoners” approach—they are right/we are wrong…So its very much picking the devil or the deep blue sea. There is no middle ground and both approaches have issues. Surprisingly, the whimiscal, more fun approach is a freaking bear to apply. I mean, how can you overlay a fresh and fun look and feel when your company deals in life and death details of people’s lives? I mean, for employee communications and for more lively topics, this is fine—but when you are talking to the financial community, do you want to be considered whimsical and fun? or solid and trustworthy. There is a real hiccup in this thinking.

New resource: Ka-Blam, digital printing for comics and manga. They have cheap comic book formats along with taking that a bit further with a squareback/perfect binding option. They also offer preprinted art boards (their spec or ours) using a nice Strathmore inking paper for the creation of comics (or in my case inked drawings). So, I am looking at using the small sized Manga book 5” x 7.5” to create a small holiday book of my advent calendar pix for a limited group of friends. I am going to do a card for everyone—but then this book will be for the special folks. I may print CMYK all black unless there is color work…And, as with LULU you can order one as a sample before you go further…

Gotta go check on the progress of the smoker, lunch and work. Just wanted to say that I was still up and ticking.

Summer Song

Goldfish, Q. Cassetti, Pen and Ink, 2008Yesterday was restful. There was swimming, pizza making, drawing and new revelations. I needed a day or two to make my brain stop…(I cannot sing the praises of clear thinking after a nap…so much so I would love to have an hour everyday as it has been producing eureka moments). Did a little drawing…lubki style and was reflecting on an approach I was working with two years ago with the childrens book project I did sketches with the Lewins (see goldfish to the side).

I am going to do some drawings/ constructions along this line as its an idea worth developing and offers me a few more tricks. After thinking about that….I thought about how Arnold Bank would teach us calligraphic “hands”. There was a distinct process to test one’s knowledge and mastery/design with these letterforms.

We would learn the letterforms from the measure and scale of the letters based on the pen or tool width, and stroke. We would create letter necklaces with pen exercises to drive consistency and accurate line and letterspacing. Once we had the letterforms and variations internalized, we had to create a large, medium and small application of single letters, phrases/mottos, with and without illustration. We also had to do a small book/or document with more than 20 lines of text size lettering. It took between 4-6 months just to do this work…Poppy, Q. Cassetti, Pen and Ink, 2008but once it was done, it was understood, committed to memory and hand, integrated into one’s personal design approach. If we took this discipline and applied it to the various illustration “hands” or styles—working small, medium and large, portraits, landscapes, animals, likenesses, patterns =then this approach is best integrated into my thinking.

So, this simple, graphic approach is something I am going to pick up the pen and work up some illustrations in this mode.  Positive and negative, big fields of flat color. Keeping it linear and shapes. Maybe not matching up…Worth taking this around the block. I did something for the Cayuga Blue Notes and though its okay, I am not loving it. I am liking this applied to the Bass Box, Guitar, Slide Guitar and Harmonica…Could feel fresh and difference. We’ll see.

the tribe grows restless

Looking for pig reference for a new illustrationThe beat for Grassroots begins. Grassroots is the local music event in Trumansburg which starts a week from this Thursday through Sunday. However, for the locals—the planning, and music starts at least two weeks in advance. Jackie Merwin is playing cuts from some of the musicians CDs on her radio show along with reading the schedule and pointing out acts she likes and why. The Rongo, Pourhouse and Felicias program with Grassroots in mind along with special prefestival concerts and performancessktchy hop that Keith Frank will play Wednesday night before the Festival. Families are coming into town and gathering, a Christmas in July, camp, to play and make  music together before the big event. People have pre festival parties to introduce old friends to new ones, playing cuts of the music they hope to hear. There is a huge picnic next week as part of the warmup. Dish to pass— and what to bring? Last year it was a salad bowl of tabouli which was consumed immediately—so def. that…and I was thinking of a couple of deep dish pizzas seeing that I can make the crusts in advance to I would just fill and bake off before the event? Spinach and feta sounds good.

We will really know its that time of the year, that Grassroots time of the year when they construct the famous (at least for all 600 of us that live in the village) “THE WALL OF BEER”. I am going to put something in the art barn at Roots…and am thinking that maybe the beehive valentine biggie will go….looks good. Looks big. And then there is the prefestival volunteer work where the locals build the festival, pitching tents, decorating and some even build new structures that are for the kids. But this year, there is a bandstand for our new farmers’ market which is on the roster

The pig is here to remind me to get the move on for Alex’s second annual “Sausage Fest”. This event was held last year for Alex and the Cross Country team (as a birthday party—without saying birthday). We had a wall of Lady Gaga (which the crew loved…big output from the Epson). We had teeshirts with Sausage Fest on it…and its become somewhat legendary amongst the bro attendees. So, if it worked once, it will work twice. Alex has told me that it needs to be a pale pink shirt (it was salmon last time) and we are working out the image/saying. All pretty funny…the guys will love it. Now, the Gaga theme came together with Kitty and me at the computer and printer…and hanging it as a surprise. Now the boys have ideas…it may have to do with “My Life as Bro” or as “Jersey Shore”—we will see. All I can say is that there will be a pig on the shirt (like last year) done by yours truly. Pen and Ink or Scratchboard? I am doing a faux scratchboard technique of putting black down and working into it with my pentel correction fluid pen. Maybe I should just use the tools? What is holding me back…fear of failure? maybe…

Need to cut loose with the illos. Feeling like I have pencilled myself into a corner that is a bit tight. Now…I just need to start moving the new brush to see what evolves. Sounds like a pigpict.

diddlie nothings

Just back from a little walkabout on the back forty and the new Nigel Yard. Its curious when one gets rid of a layer of shrubbery and blackcap wands, the weeds and the detrius that springs up uninvited, that a whole need image appears of paths, of new places of new vistas. So, we are almost a year in with a new bit of property, and we just have begun to peel back the wildness to see new things. The apple tree I discovered in the side yard and we liberated a bit, has apples (unsprayed) that are quite noticable and nice. I think we may take down one of the giant uninvited walnuts down to give the apple trees (discovered another) a bit more of a chance to flourish.

Man of LaMancha at the Hangar was great. Some creative stuff with the staging, use of abstractions in props and costumes to make the audience do a little work. And I had missed what a sixties show it was, but clever Peter Flynn did not and leaned on those buttons pretty hard. Made for another charming summer night in Ithaca.

The heat broke a bit to all of our pleasure.  Alex is working today. Kitty has a party and I think I will be inking and laking. I am a bit fired up with the receipt of my samples from Spoonflower (still trying to understand how to get you to a page of just my work). I ordered swatches of a bunch of stuff just to see the fine-ness, and the different weight and quality of fabrics. I am itching to design some fabric to cover these two backed benches we have that have faded dull fabric. Something snappy, something black and white maybe? with yellow? or green? So maybe some squares will be drawn just for this purpose. Bruce is here working on stuff on his computer.

I should break to get some lunch going. More later. need to talk branding…