Typography, Mate! and other things near and dear to my heart

Last night as Hub and I were waiting for our 10:15 Dark Knight movie time, we went over to Borders and I picked up Computer Arts Projects, a creative trade journal published in the UK.  This issue was about typography, which is an entire creative entity all by itself.  It features the work of some famous type designers, including Marian Bantjes from Canada.  Her work is incredible and edgy.  She created a design for Saks Fifth Avenue's Want It campaign that featured calligraphy-inspired type and background filled with swirls that gave the feeling of echoes of the type.  As an added bonus, the magazine comes with a cd full of fonts and some other goodies.  Now, I once tried calligraphy, and I am not going to lie to you....it did not go well.  It was one of those do-it-yourself bride adventures, where I planned to write each guests name on a card that I would hang from a tree.  In the end, my poor little momma had to write out all the names!  But I did make all my bridesmaids their own jewlery, so my do-it-yourself adventure wasn't a total bust.  Anyway, Marian Bantjes work has inspired me to give calligraphy and typography a shot.  It can only improve my designs.  I've added her to my blog list...she has a ton of amazing projects on there.

So I entered Dark Knight feeling good.  I left feeling a bit creeped out, 

honestly.  But it was a very well done movie.  I've been a Christian Bale fan since Newsies....yup, Newsies.   Haven't seen it?  I'm sorry.  That's probably because it was a Disney musical movie that I saw on a free preview when I was a kid.  It features Christian Bale as a rebellious orphan who led a strike to earn rights for the Newsies.  At the time, I didn't have a crush on Christian Bale, but I did have a slight infatuation, ok huge, with Gabriel Damon.  Not sure who he is, check him out.  This picture was in 1992, mind you.  He was Spot Conlin, the guy from Brooklyn who shot people with a slingshot and was sort of a scrappy guy.  And I wanted to take up a slingshot, put on a newsies' cap and join his gange.   If I weren't going to have a busy day filled with brunch, a friend's wedding dress fitting, and a cake decorating lesson, I would totally dig out the old VHS and have a Newsies afternoon.  I love Newsies.  I didn't love Dark Knight, but it was pretty good.  I had actually been hoping to catch Mama Mia, but I didn't particularly feel like torturing my husband on date night.  Oh yes, so back to the subject at hand, the other things near and dear....I have to put in a plug for my favorite artist, Stephen Huneck.  I have one print, "Love is Give and Take", which Hub gave me for Christmas, and every morning I drink out of the "Networking" mug.  Take a look at his work at dogmt (dot) com.  It will be worth it.  Right now he has a special edition print called "Chase Away K9 Cancer", which is a lovely fundraising print.  He has a gallery that you can bring your pets into, except that I couldn't bring McGuzzio in there, he'd probably try to "mark" one of Huneck's brilliant wood carvings.  Yikes!