Strawberryluna

Sisters Red, by Jackson Pearce & my book cover design

My ARC jacket design for Jackson Pearce's awesome new book "Sisters Red"

Well, OK, this post was a LONG time coming. I’ve been working on a bunch of really fun designs since the summer and haven’t posted many of them here on my blog. In part because for a few, like this one that I am SUPER excited about, I had to wait until everything was final and a full on GO.

And here we go! I got the chance and had the supreme pleasure of working with Little, Brown, & Co. on the book jacket design for Jackson Pearce, and really lovely and talented writer, on her newest book Sisters Red, which will be published to the public in June 2010.  Jackson Pearce describes the plot best, so I won’t bother to butcher it for you:

Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris– the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She’s determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts fiercely alongside her. Now Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves and finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax– but loving him means betraying her sister and has the potential to destroy all they’ve worked for.

A little publishing world insider information: What you see above is the final design for the ARC Cover, aka the Advanced Reading Copy, this is a near-final copy of a book that is sent out for reviews, but that may still have final revisions before the actual publication date. ARC covers are typically not the complete or final design, though sometimes they are very close. (As we think in this case…don’t you?)

Naturally having read a manuscript copy of Jackson’s book Sisters Red I can tell you that it’s super awesome and that you should certainly find a copy next year when it’s out (I’ll post a reminder, don’t worry) because it’s quite good. But, in the meantime Jackson is hosting a giveaway of a few of her personal copies of her ARCs on her website here with a super fun video of “Things You Can’t Have” (including her adorable puppy and some of my prints eeeee!) and then happily “Things You CAN Have” too, so check it out.

The main problem that this designed needed to solve was to be eye-catching and to be something that would attract you from across a room, say at a bookstore. Fun challenge for sure. So, I hope that you like it.

Double thanks to Tracy & Little, Brown & Co. and Jackson!

Book publishers, see anything you like 🙂 Feel free to contact us for book jacket design, we love doing them!

New art print released: Fall 2009, in 2 colorways!

Hand screenprinted, 4-color love letter to fall. Clock for more details or to purchase.

Hand screenprinted, 4-color love letter to fall. Click for more details or to purchase.

Fall & Autumn, my favorite 2 seasons. So, I’m not at all surprised that while in the process of hand printing this art print, I decided to do two colorways of the same print. This is the fourth print in series of seasonal, limited edition prints that I’ve been doing all year. That’s right, they fit the number of seasons, crazy right?!

Anyhoo, here you see both colorways, the above as planned 4-color design with metallic gold leaves, (edition of 75) and the below with frosty, nay, ghostly white negative space leaves. A harbinger of things to come (a smaller edition of just 25). The leaf shapes are from leaves that I gathered on a dog walk and scanned in at home a couple of years ago. I love their shape and definition.

Click either image for more details or to purchase, cause those clicks will take you right to my website.

Hand screenprinted, 3-color love letter to fall. Click for more details or to purchase.

Hand screenprinted, 3-color love letter to fall. Click for more details or to purchase.

And, here are a few cruddy phone-photographs of the print in progress while on press:

First color, orange, being printed.

First color, orange, being printed.

2 colors completed, things are shaping up!

2 colors completed, things are shaping up!

3rd color, the brown of the tree. This is where I started thinking about splitting the edition in two.

3rd color, the brown of the tree. This is where I started thinking about splitting the edition in two.

The final 4-color print, on press and all done.

The final 4-color print, on press and all done.

Side by sidesies.

Side by sidesies.

Some new strawberryluna releases!…?…!

Ok, I won’t lie. This summer and well, now early fall have been breakneck speed work, travel to several shows all over the country (Chicago Flatstock, Seattle Flatstock & Chicago Renegade, to name a few), packing orders (with many prints and posters now sold out) and more work for me here at strawberryluna World Wide HQ. So much so that I seem to have forgotten to update my ol’  bloggery here with a few “new” prints and posters. Whoopsie daisy Maisy!

So, without further chit chat, I bring you some “new” releases! Ooooohhhhh…

First up, POSTERS:

Hey, remember Joe Cocker? The man was and IS a rock’n’roll animal to the core. And, he’s been touring pretty much non-stop since the John Belushi SNL skit days, (too young to know what I’m talking about? Weren’t watching SNL as a little kid like I was? Learn here whippersnapper.) Anyway, I had the supreme honor of doing a poster for his show at the Delta Classic Chastain Park Ampitheater in Atlanta, GA.

Offset printed, 4-color, CMYK poster for the incomparable Joe Cocker.

Offset printed, 4-color, CMYK poster for the incomparable Joe Cocker. Click to purchase or for more info!

Next up, is my rainy day homage to one of my favorite US cities: Seattle! For one of the premier rock poster shows, Flatstock, designers & poster artists have free range to produce a poster for each Flatstock and it’s super fun to do. This year for Seattle’s Flatstock, which happens during the Bumbershoot Music Festival, I made a little play on Seattle & Pittsburgh’s similarity – rain. This poster is based on an illustration that I’ve had floating around for about a year and that I really wanted to use, so I added some musical notes and textures and a lil mod-city in the background to finish the layout. Hope that you dig.

Hand screenprinted, 3-color poster for Flatstock Seattle, 2009 & Bumbershoot Music Festival. Click to purchase or for more information!

Hand screenprinted, 3-color poster for Flatstock Seattle, 2009 & Bumbershoot Music Festival. Click to purchase or for more information!

And next, let’s get caught up with strawberryluna Art Prints:

And, just in time for autumn, I’d like to premier my Summer 2009 art print, the next new print in my Seasons series. Oh yeah! On time like a bus on a sleeting Christmas Sunday. And not a hair too soon before my Fall 2009 print is done and ready. Ho, ho ho. Loads of overprints dominate this hand screenprinted breezy summer lovin’ expression.

Hand screenprinted, 7-color art print, Summer 2009. Available at my website now. Click to purchase or for more information.

And lo & behold,  last but not least, my most recent art print, the newest colorway of my super popular Going To See My Baby print, this time is fall-ready orange.  Hence the name, Going To See My Baby Orange. Tricky! I know. Who doesn’t love love?

New colorway of my 5-color, hand screenprinted art print, Going To See My Baby Orange. Available on my website now. Click to purchase or for more information!

New colorway of my 5-color, hand screenprinted art print, Going To See My Baby Orange. Available on my website now. Click to purchase or for more information!

Ok then, I think that we’re all caught up. Bye summer!

Flintstock! Art & Rock show in Flint, MI

Click for more information about Flintstock

Click for more information about Flintstock

You probably think of lots of things when you hear the name “Flint, Michigan” right? Rock’n’Roll and an amazing past & contemporary poster show should now be among them. Flintstock is a new music and poster show happening in Flint, MI at the Flint Institute of the Arts (FIA) on Saturday September 26, 2009 and you should totally GO check it out. Flintstock comprises of 7 legendary bands and TWO poster art shows, so it’s kind of a blowout. In fact, Paste Magazine wrote a nice little piece about the show here!

I will have 10 posters in the “Graphic Beauty: Contemporary Rock and Roll Posters” show during Flintstock, as well as posters by a rad array of contemporary working poster artists from around the US, and there is also a super retrospective on display called “Flashback: Posters from the Golden Age of Rock and Roll”, all on view at the Flint Institute of the Arts. And, to make things even crazier, Mike Budai will be on hand in person at Flintstock to sell and chat posters. Yes way! The 2 concurrent poster shows will be up for viewing from September 26th through November 8th.

More Information is below, from the Flint Institute of the Arts:

Ten hours of Art, Love and Rock & Roll: from NOON to 10 p.m. Saturday September 26, 2009. Located on the FIA grounds.

The FIA will host a celebration of Rock and Roll, featuring 7 live, legendary bands throughout the day. Meet contemporary poster artists featured in the exhibition, who will have their original artworks available for purchase. Enjoy food and refreshments from one of our many food vendors or our beer tent. Shop the wares of local handmade artists and visit the museum shop for authentic Rock and Roll memorabilia. Admission for this event is $5 per person.

Band Lineup:

  • Question Mark and the Mysterians
  • The Larry McCray Band
  • Frijid Pink
  • Sprout
  • Kinetic Stereokids
  • South Bay Bessie
  • Morseville Bridge For more information visit the FIA website or the Flintstock MySpace site.
  • Some of my posters featured in the wild on Apartment Therapy!

    The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart & Bishop Allen posters, hangin in Sarah & Hilarys awesome pad

    The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart & Bishop Allen posters, hangin in Sarah & Hilary's awesome pad

    And here comes the case for “maximalist” living. What’s that? Why, the very opposite of minimalist, silly.

    This study of maximalism comes from the fantastic design & lifestyle blog Apartment Therapy, when two roomates from Pawtucket, Rhode Island opened their home to Apartment Therapy. How could they refuse? Their home is absolutely beautiful, cool, chic, warm and anything but the austere minimalist vibe that’s been overwhelming in vogue for quite some time.

    I just want to sit here all day.

    I just want to sit here all day.

    What I love best about their style, is that they use and clearly love the mid-century look and design, but refuse to let the more recent empty aesthetic run roughshod over their personal tastes and attractions.

    For the full tour of Srah & Hilary’s place, click here. Thanks so much for showing off some of my work in your super bitchin’ pad too ladies!

    Such a fun and organized space!

    Such a fun and organized space!

    Norwegian wood – The Oya Fest’s poster show

    Posters in the wild at the Oya Festival poster show in Oslo, Norway

    Posters in the wild at the Oya Festival poster show in Oslo, Norway.

    Oslo, Norway is home to one of the coolest and largest music festivals in Europe, the Oya Festival. For the past few years Norwegian designer and poster artist Are Kleivan has been organizing a poster show to coincide with the Festival’s various events and I’m pleased as punch to be a part of the Oya Fest Poster Show for the 2nd year in a row. Proceeds from the sales at the show this year went to Gigposters.com. Hey, double awesome!

    Above and below are some photographs from the opening (August 11th) and closing (August 18th) days of the show. And in answer to the question, are they any ugly people in Norway? The answer is undoubtedly, no. None. For more photos, check out the thread on Gigposters.com and these from German poster artists Lars P. Krause’s visit to Oslo, the Oya Fest, the show, and Norway here on his Flickr page.

    Posters!

    Posters hanging out while people hang out in Oslo, Norway.

    New poster released: Magnolia Electric Co.

    3-color, all hand screenprinted poster for Magnolia Electric Co.'s show on 7/15/09.

    3-color, all hand screenprinted poster for Magnolia Electric Co.'s show on 7/15/09.

    Heartbreakers. In a great way. That’s what Jason Molina’s band,  Magnolia Electric Co. are, and they’re amazing. I’m pleased as puch to be a part of the summer 2009 Magnolia Electric Co. tour series of posters, (a different limited edition, hand screenprinted poster was produced by artists from all over the country, one poster for each night of the tour) and had such a fun time at the show last night at The Andy Warhol Museum seeing MEC and the super cool Sand Diego band, The Donkeys. Thanks so much again!

    Sometimes something beautiful goes wrong, in a beautiful way. KABOOM! This is my all hand screenprinted poster for the heartbreakingly lovely Magnolia Electric Co. It’s a 3-color, print with heart red, alarm-orange and midnight black inks. The orange ink is swirled into the red throughout the bombs and the text so that each print is unique and different. (Just like you Butterfly.) Edition of just 85, so they’ll go quick. Size: 16w x 22h inches. Paper: acid-free & archival Cougar 100 lb White, cover weight.

    * This poster is now available on my website here, and also on tour with Magnolia Electric Co. this summer! *

    New poster released: Wilco!

    3-color

    3-color hand screenprinted poster for Wilco at The Fox Theater in Pomona, CA on June 26th, 2009.

    I’m super thrilled to be working with Wilco, one of the most supportive and pro-screenprinted poster bands around. This poster is for Wilco’s SOLD OUT show on Saturday, June 26th at The Fox Theater in Pomona, CA.

    It’s a 3-color, all hand screenprinted poster with fire-truck red, sky-blue and midnight black inks. Edition of 200, with 180 copies going to the band on tour. NOTE: I only have 20 copies of this limited edition Wilco poster available, so they will be going fast. Size: 16x 22 inches (40.6 cm x 55.9 cm). Paper: acid-free & archival Cougar, 100lb White, cover weight.

    For more info, or to purchase, visit my website here!

    I also took a few photos of the printing process, with a few below and more are on my Flickr page too. Enjoy!

    This is what 4 inches of posters looks like on press.

    This is what 4 inches of posters looks like on press.

    2nd color (red) flooded in the screen and ready to print.

    2nd color (red) flooded in the screen and ready to print.

    5 posters to a shelf, whew! 200+ Wilco posters printed and drying on the rack.

    5 posters to a shelf, whew! 200+ Wilco posters printed and drying on the rack.

    New poster released: The Detroit Cobras!

    Don’t mess with these badass ladies. Just, effin’ don’t.

    2-color, hand screenprinted poster for The Detroit Cobras.

    2-color, hand screenprinted poster for The Detroit Cobras.

    Yeah! Kitty kitty. This is my all hand screenprinted poster for the awesome, kickass band The Detroit Cobras‘ show with Dex Romweber Duo on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at Mr. Small’s Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA. I got to catch the show last night and they were fantastic! Even with singer Rachel Nagy admitting to feeling under the weather, the band was hot and ON. We loved it. Thank you Detroit Cobras! They are still on tour, so do catch a set if they are in your town.

    So excited to once again do a poster for some of the most kickass ladies of ROCK, the awesome Detroit Cobras. This feline of a poster is a 2-color, multi-layered print with blood red and midnight black inks. The black is slightly transparent, allowing repetition of awesomeness to show through. See it? Yeah, that’s right pal. Edition of just 80. Size: 16w x 22h inches. Paper: acid-free & archival Cougar 100 lb White, cover weight.

    Here are a few process photos of this poster as I printed, with more over on my Flickr page too.

    1st color, red, flooded and ready to go.

    1st color, red, flooded and ready to go.

    First color red, bloody red, flooded in the screen and ready to print (pull). “Flooding” is a lighter pressure pass of ink with a squeegee across the stencil and is the way to get enough ink across the screen to fill the stencil and allow for one perfect print pull with the squeegee.

    1st color, red red red, printed, down and done.

    1st color, red red red, printed, down and done.

    Below is a close up of a freshly printed Detroit Cobras poster showing the red underprinting a slightly transparent black, allowing the red to show through.

    Close up and angular to show underprinting.

    Close up and angular to show underprinting.

    This limited edition Detroit Cobras poster is trimmed, editioned, signed and ready to go. Look for these (and many other awesome posters for the band) on the rest of their tour this summer, and also at my website here.

    “Naïve: Modernism and Folklore in Contemporary Graphic Design”, aka I can’t believe I’m in this book (!)

    This year is rich with books celebrating and exploring current graphic design, screenprinting and the vibrant hands-on design processes. The newest book that I’m beyond in love with is Naive:  Modernism and Folklore in Contemporary Graphic Design. And I am thrilled and honored to have a selection of my posters in this book with an amazing collection of ridiculously talented artists from around the globe.

    Published by the German art & design publishing & curration house Gestalten, they describe this beautiful book best:

    “Naïve documents the extraordinary renaissance of Classic Modernism, from the 1940s to 1960s, in contemporary graphic design. This compilation introduces a new wave of young designers who are rediscovering the stylistic elements reminiscent of classic graphic design such as silkscreen printing, classical typography, hand lettering, woodcutting and folk art and integrating them into their work. Inspired by 20th Century American legends such as Saul Bass, Charley Harper and Alexander Girard, the burgeoning designers and their work showcased this in this book are inspiring, ranging from illustrations, poster art, editorials, book covers and record sleeves to stationary and textiles.”

    Naïve is a seriously stunning book filled with jaw-dropping illustration and design work at every turn of the page. No foolin’. Naïve is available at Gestalten’s website, or Amazon, and book sellers near you.

    New art print released: Coffee, Thee & Me

    Do you love coffee?

    new 3-color, hand screenprinted art print, "Coffee, Thee, & Me"

    New hand screenprinted, 3-color art print "Coffee, Thee, & Me"

    Do  you love things that good, sweet, fair and even? What about best friends and love? You better! Otherwise where’s the fun in life?

    This is my all hand screenprinted art print done for a traveling print show and Fair Trade coffee benefit organized by Mugshots Coffeehouse* in Philadelphia. These bestest buddies are my all hand screen printed art print with sun-orange, warm red-brown and elephant grey, hand mixed and non-toxic water based inks. Hi friend! Edition of 80. Size: 16 x20 inches (40.6 cm x 50.8 cm.) Paper: acid free & archival Cougar, White 100lb cover weight.

    Freshly printed and available on my website here.

    _________________________________________________________________________

    Beans & Screens, screenprinted art print Coffee Show 2009 Important Details:

    *Mugshots Coffehouse in Philadelphia is a part of the Independents Coffee Cooperative, both working collectively to raise $16,000 for the Peruvian farmers who grow the coffee sold as their house coffee (Independents Peruvian Select). The farmers are undertaking an ambitious project to build a solar powered drying facility (to dry the beans after they are harvested). This will allow for the farmers to improve both the quality and quantity of the coffee they grow, by protecting it from the frequent rains in the region. 100% of the profits made through the show at Mugshots will go to Cooperativa San Fernando, a farmer-owned organic coffee cooperative located high in the Andes Mountains near Cusco, Peru.

    Beans & Screens traveling show dates in Philadelphia, PA:

    Opening June 26th 2009 – Green Line on Locust – Green Line Cafe

    August 2 2009 – Kaffa Crossing – Home Page

    October 4 2009 – Metropolitan – Metropolitan Bakery : The Art of Old World Baking

    November 1 2009 – Mugshots Coffeehouse, Manayunk – Mugshots CoffeeHouse & Caf :: Homepage

    December 6 2009 – High Point Café @ the Allens Lane Train Station – High Point Cafe

    Januray 31 2010 – InFusion Coffee & Tea – InFusion Coffee & Tea

    February 7 2010 – Mugshots Coffeehouse, Fairmount – Mugshots CoffeeHouse & Caf :: Homepage

    All 25+ artists’ prints will available through Mugshots online when the show opens at: the Mugshots Coffeehouse  website here.


    Gig Posters Volume 1: Rock Show Art of the 21st Century, new book!

    It has finally arrived!

    Gig Posters Vol. I book, chock full of 101 poster artists

    Gig Posters Vol. I book, chock full of 101 poster artists

    Freshly published and totally incredible. I’m so proud to be a part of this rad book, as is taken from the imaginations of, and containing the work and words of 101 working, contemporary and kickass rock poster artists from around the globe. All compiled into a nifty book format. Just for you! Each poster artist talks about their work, influences and process as well as providing a full page format, perforated page tear-out poster. It’s a lot of awesome, and not just because I’m in it. In fact, I would venture to say despite the fact that I’m in this book.

    Published just this May, you can now find this fantastic book at booksellers everywhere. Or, you can order a copy from the following websites:

    Directly from me, at my website here, NOTE: personalized and autographed by me, just for you, with a bonus set of stickers, over 15 designs in all.

    Directly from the author at Gigposters.com here. NOTE: BONUS ART PRINTS (While Supplies Last!!):
    Order now from GigPosters.com and receive an exclusive limited edition screenprinted art print by Jay Ryan! Jay has created 3 different 10″x13″ art prints for the book release. The first 900 orders get free art prints! (300 of each) *Order the 3-pack to assure you get one of each art print!*

    Directly from the publisher, at Quirk Books here.

    Directly from the publisher, at Chronicle Books here.

    Publisher’s description: 11×14 inches, paperback, 208 pages.

    Since 2001 Gigposters.com has been the Internet’s first and best resource for rock-show poster art; their massive online database showcases more than 90 000 posters from 7 000 different designers including all of today’s top poster studios. Gig Posters Volume I highlights the 700+ best examples in their collection including 101 perforated and ready-to-hang posters for bands such as Radiohead Wilco the Decemberists the Shins Arcade Fire Sleater-Kinney and TONS more. Packaged in an oversized 11-by-14-inch paperback, Gig Posters Volume I is a spectacular compilation of rock show art (and one hell of a cheap way to decorate a dorm room or apartment). Author Clay Hayes is the founder and proprietor of Gigposters.com. He lives in Alberta, Canada.

    Designers included in Volume I:

    3d Glasses, Adam Turman, Aesthetic Apparatus, Alan Forbes, Allen Jaeger, Amy Jo, Andrio Abero, Andy Vastagh, Beyond The Pale, Billy Perkins, Bobby Dixon, Bongout, Brad Klausen, Brian Ewing, Budai, Burlesque of North America, Casey Burns, Cricket Press, Crosshair, Dale Flattum, Dan Grzeca, Dan McCarthy, Dan Stiles, Daniel Danger, Delicious, Denny Schmickle, Diana Sudyka, Dirk Fowler, Drew Millward, Drowning Creek Studio, DWITT, Eleanor Grosch, Emek, Engine House 13, FarmBarn Art Co., Firehouse, Furturtle Printworks, Gary Houston, Gregg Gordon, Guy Burwell, Hero Design Studio, Invisible Creature, Ironforgepress, James Rheem Davis, Jamie Ward, Jared Connor, Jason Goad, Jay Ryan, Jay Vollmar, Jeph, Jermaine Rogers, Joanna Wecht, Johnny Crap, Jon Smith, Josh Rickun, Judge, Justin Hampton, Justin Kamerer, Largemammal Print, Leia Bell, Lil Tuffy, Little Jacket, Lonny Hurley, Lonny Unitus, Luke Drozd, Lure Design, Malleus, Mark Pedini, Mat Daly, Methane Studios, Micah Smith, Michael Michael Motorcycle, Mig Kokinda, Mike King, Nate Duval, Patent Pending, Powerhouse Factories, Powerslide Design Co., Print Mafia, Rob Jones, Ron Liberti, Ryan Nole, Sasha Barr, Scrojo, Seripop, Squad 19, Stainboy, Steve Walters, strawberryluna, Tanxxx, Tara McPherson, The Decoder Ring Design Concern, The Heads Of State, The Little Friends Of Printmaking, The Small Stakes, Thomas Scott, Tim Gough, Todd Slater, Vahalla Studios, Zach Hobbs, Zeloot

    Thoughful oversized, yet lap-fitting dimensions of the new Gig Posters Vol. I book.

    Thoughful oversized, yet conveniently lap-fitting dimensions of the new Gig Posters Vol. I book by Clay Hayes.

    New poster released: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart

    Hand screenprinted, 3-color poster for The Pains Of Being Pure At Hearts show in Wallingford, CT.

    Hand screenprinted, 3-color poster for The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart's show in Wallingford, CT.

    So sweet they could wilt a flower. And on tour now, so check them out.

    New poster out today! This is my all hand screenprinted, 3-color poster for The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart‘s show on April Friday 24, 2009 with Stephen Brodsky and The Inclined Plane at The Wallingford American Legion, Wallingford, CT.

    This poster is a 3-color fella with warm orange, bright red and black inks. Edition of just 88 with 25 going to the venue & the band. Size: 16w x 22h inches. Paper: acid-free & archival Cougar 100 lb White, cover weight. Now freshly available on my website here. As always, there are a few process photos in my Flickr account here for you.