Chris Blog: Paris

Showing posts with label Paris. Show all posts

Pointypo

On our sixth day in Paris, we made a visit to La Gaîté Lyrique to check out the inaugural meeting of pointypo – a Paris-based group of letterers and type designers, led by Jérémie Baboukhian, Jean-Baptiste Levée, Yohanna Nguyen, Sandrine Nugue and Pauline Nuñez.

The gathering was super casual, and allowed for anyone to pop in, enjoy a beverage, meet fellow typographers, and share their work.

The whole evening was amazing, and everyone in attendance was very welcoming and encouraging. They were incredibly patient with my French, and happy that I stopped by, all the way from Canada. (Special thanks to especially Sandrine and Jean-Baptiste Levée for their kindness and warm welcome!)

If you love type, be sure to check out their website: pointypo.com and follow on Twitter @pointypo.

Wood type souvenir

On our third day in Paris, we came upon an unplanned flea market happening right along the Canal St-Martin. There happened to be a vendor selling old woodtype and letterpress paraphernalia. When my eyes landed on these, I couldn't resist buying them.

These antique woodtype letters (that are actually carved metal - lead?) measure about 4" x 4" each, and feature a gorgeous, chunky slab serif typeface. Perfection.

The nicks and scratches are incredible - truly making them a piece of printing history.

Fortunately, my dear friend Tanya offered to let me ink them and run them through her press – a Morgan Line-O-Scribe – to see how they looked printed. (Below image credit: Tanya Roberts)

We had to do a bit of padding and adjusting (weirdly enough, they we taller than standard North America letterpress letters), but in the end, the results were stunning. More photos on her blog here.

Thanks again Tanya for letting me print these two pieces that I will treasure forever.

Paris 2013 – Hand-lettered signs, part 2

Hand-lettered signs, part 1 here.

Lettering treasures from Paris

The antique typography ephemera was incredible in Paris - and in abundance. It was hard to decide which souvenirs to bring home (without breaking the bank). These are two charming antique lettering guides I purchased at a beautiful calligraphy store called Melodies Graphiques (10 rue du Pont Louis-Philippe).