Erin Smith {A Type of Awe}

I am not going to lie type lovers, I trawl the internet a lot. And I dont mean a lot, as in "I dabble in my lunch break, check my Facebook here or there" type of interwebz trawling. I mean that I check my top 5 blog/design websites every morning, afternoon and night- plus all the mindless (yet definitely fruitful) detours that are involved with that.

 So amongst these hours of scrawling through the design world (and the occasional Olsen picture here of there), I very rarely find myself doing double takes over peoples work. Dont get me wrong, I am all about love at first sight, but it is quite rare to come across a work that literally makes you stop and kind of make your mind explode. Just quietly.

Erin Smith is one of those designers. Today, whilst on one of my regular inspections of Australian INfront, I came across a beautiful illustration of triplet skulls. 

A sucker for anything skeletal and skull-related (I believe they mean good luck), I instantly pined over the image. Lovely....and now move along. But then my eyes skimmed over the caption "Intricate type-based illustration work by Brisbane based artist Erin Smith".

Type-Based?

Yes. All of Erin Smith's work, beautiful, detailed and somewhat morbid- is intricately made up of letters. As if replacing the presence of shading all together with a scattered alphabet, Smith's work captivates viewers on a completely new level. Although unsure whether Smith is providing an intellectual social commentary of the presence of communication within a visual image, to be honest, I don't really care. Her work is beautiful and arresting. The kind of work that makes you really wonder how they did it, how the hell they pulled it off and how long it took to draw those teeny tiny letters. 

Mind blowing? Most definitely. 

All images courtesy of erinsmith.com.au, all rights reserved to the artist. 

Lettering by Boris Pelcer {Type Heroes}

Todays Type Hero was found whilst endlessly procrastinating through the maze that is The Behance Network. If you havent yet had the chance to take a look at this amazing community, by all means, stop what you are doing this very instant and jet on over there.

(Please note, I do not actually expect you to tear your eyes from this ridiculously captivating blog in order to take a peak at The Behance Network. In your own time fair reader, in your own time.)

But alas, Boris Pelcer. Even his name has a vague hint of importance to it, and rightly so. This man is very important. A skilled and talented graphic designer, illustrator and hand-letterer, Pelcer does it all. Boasting a rich and colourful portfolio, Pelcer shows an uncanny skill for mastering composition, line and colour. I often find that a lot of designers (myself included) find their niche and stick to it quite stubbornly.  Not Pelcer, no no. His work spans from clean minimalistic  lettering to detailed galactic illustrations- each piece as good and mesmerising as the next.

What I particularly love about Pelcer's potfolio is his evident command of lines. Perhaps this is what drew me to typography in the first place; a line with purpose, whether curved roundly or pointed sharply, is enough to make get all giddy inside. I am actually not kidding. So, with that in mind, try to  imagine my internal monologue when my eyes gazed over Pelcers work. Yep.

There is something about the way that Pelcer is able to bring nostalgia through a simple title, or evoke specific moods through the mere act of looking at his work. One of my favourite pieces, La Dolce Vita (second image from the top), instantly transports me to hot summer days playing hopscotch in downtown Brooklyn. 

Now dear reader, you may not know me and I may not know you. But let's get one thing straight. 

I have never lived in/been to Brooklyn. 

I have never played hopscotch.

Case and point? Pelcer's typography is actually able to bring forth nostalgic first-hand hallucinations.

Fantastic.

But in all seriousness dear reader, What I am actually trying to express through extended hyperbole is tthis: Boris Pelcer is magical.  If I had all the money in the world and didn't have to support my growing kitten, I would spend thousands on Boris Pelcer prints to line my non-existant hallway with. They would also be framed in rich mahogany.

So do yourself and your eyes a favour and check out his work.

What's that? You're welcome.

All images taken from Boris Pelcer website and are copyrighted to the artist. 

Fontroduction- A tool for designers {Type Tools}

Drawn From Type was originally started with the mindset to bring to light the beauty of the illustrated word. Whilst I am a lover of all things typographic, I must confess- I am a slight if not complete amateur. I am not a trained graphic designer, I studied one class in typography in University and (god help me) I hated it. I don't really know the technical terms used for the 'bodies' of letters and I really would not have a clue about classifying a font. I use Arial a lot in my day job.

But that being said, I do not believe that you have to have this backing of knowledge in order to truly appreciate the beauty of type. Just as you dont have to be a prima ballerina to love watching the ballet. I cant sing to save my life but pen me down for a glee marathon any day. Yes, I am revealing somewhat embarrassing facets of my taste and personality but hopefully you get the point.

The point is this: you dont have to know everything to know you like something. But it sure helps. And Fontroduction is a new tool designed by Ian Obermuller to give type lovers a quick run down with the added bonus of shnazzy design. The website is easy to navigate through and possesses a clean and minimal layout. With fun (yes readers, fun!) details like rolling your mouse over letters to reveal their terminology (stems, counters, bowls oh my), Fontroduction is cool little website that I would definitely reccomend stopping by. There is even a conclusion portion of the site that comes complete with a list of recommended type links to visit and continue your type loving. Don't mind if I do.

The ladies of MaricorMaricar {Type Heroes}

If you have any interest in tactile and unique design, the ladies of Maricor/Maricar are the ones to watch. Since winning the Realize Your Dream 2010 competition last year, the twin studio have won international acclaim and the respect of designers and bloggers alike. Utilizing their love of typography, patterns and tactile embroidery, the sisters Maricor and Maricar stun viewers with their beautiful and breathtaking attention for detail.

Personally, what caught my eye and thus led to the obsession of these twins' work is their organic,colorful and technical approach to typography rarely seen in current design work. The sisters tag team each other when creating their ridiculously detailed pieces; drafting on paper in pencil, experimenting with color schemes in watercolor, and then (what I imagine to be) painfully embroidering onto fabric. The result is almost painterly, with a seamless transition and blend of colors teamed with the natural flow of script type.

Words are illuminated, figures of speech amplified, and plays on words brought to life. Maricor/Maricar are a refreshing design studio that this type enthusiast is happy and proud to claim as a fellow Sydney-sider.

Check out their official website here, and their blog for weekly updates.

All images courtesy of MaricorMaricar from their website and blog. 

firsts

The first blog post is always a strange and slightly awkward one. There is the nudging obligation to spell out in rigid practiced verses of who exactly you are, why you have made this blog and why someone should read it. There are too many purposes for the first post, too many expectations. It is meant to serve as a charming and captivating introduction, but is also somewhat of a ‘birthing’ (excuse the visual) into the World Wide Web.

Yikes.

If only the first blog post could be like the pilot of a tv show. In which case, I would nominate the team behind Breaking Bad to take the cake on that. It has everything you need for firsts. Enough realism to be convincing. Enough quirkiness to be different. Enough of a cliff hanger to keep you hooked. 

I suppose there are little to few similarities between a cancer inflicted school teacher turned drug lord to typography, but still, you get my point.

Does the first post determine your success into the blogsphere? Will it highlight your failures as a writer, your weaknesses to cover interesting news, or even worse,, be so completely boring that your vision crumbles before your eyes?

Goodness! I am getting ahead of myself.

My name is Irene. I am a designer and illustrator in Sydney, Australia.

Drawn from Type is my chronicled obsession for illustration and typography.

Nice to meet you. And remember:

"We dont want to scare your children" Self made type poster. Hand drawn then treated in Photoshop.