Looking back, moving forward

As in previous years (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018), here is my annual recap of how my year unfolded.

In January, I was featured in UPPERCASE Magazine's beautiful new book, The Encyclopedia of Inspiration: Ephemera.

After months of preparation, I revealed a new look for my personal brand in February. Posts here, here and here.

In March, I hand-painted some signs for The Theatre Centre, and painted the windows at Type Books. I also offered hand-letter cards at She Matters, a fundraising brunch in support of the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic, which offers legal representation, professional counselling and multilingual interpretation to women who have experienced violence.

Village Juicery generously displayed some of my collection for the month of April. I also had the privilege of painting the windows at the new Wonder Pens Clinton St. location. And I checked one thing off my bucket list: I played my first-ever ukulele recital!

In May, I had fun painting a special pantry sign.

June was a busy month! I offered my first sign painting workshop, in partnership with Above Ground Art Supplies. I designed a super fun t-shirt for the Stratford Festival production of Little Shop of Horrors. I designed the poster and graphics for the Vintage Taps' production of The Laundry List. I did some fun sign painting for LeTao and Kilogram. And I got a chance to help out the 519 with some huge hand-painted pride protest signs.

In August, I had the privilege to do a sign painting treatment on the cover of Chatelaine Magazine.
I also did a fun sign painting / pop art homage.

In October, I did some custom lettering for Tafelmusik's Haus Musik series in Toronto. I was the feature artist at Italic Press. And my sign painting article was featured in Issue 43 of UPPERCASE Magazine.

November was a big month. I had new work at the Buddies in Bad Times Art Attack auction. I had fun painting the window at the new Craig's Cookies on Church Street. And I also got to paint a lovely Joni Mitchell lyric for the holiday window at Type Books. But the biggest news on the month (and year) was being part of the One of a Kind winter show. Months of preparation all led up to joining 850+ vendors for 117 hours over 11 days at Toronto’s biggest gathering of local makers. I feel privileged that was included in this world-class event, and thankful for every single person I’ve met during this experience.

This year would not have been possible without the support of everyone.
I wish you all the best in 2020.

CR

Looking back, moving forward

My mantra for 2018 was balance. After a hectic previous year, I made a goal to focus on work/life balance, which is always a struggle for freelancers. While I am very satisfied with (and grateful for) the work accomplished this year, I am most proud of my commitment to self-care throughout the process.  As in previous years (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017), here is my annual recap of how my year unfolded.

January started at a slower pace, allowing time to get the studio in order. I received my Communication Arts award in the mail, which was such an honour. (Turns out, it's really heavy!) You might know that I am obsessed with daytimers and calendars, so I released a new perpetual wall calendar - it makes planning out the year fun and easy. Biggest news of the year: I started taking tap dancing lessons!

In February, I participated in City of Craft's Made for Love Valentine's Day pop-up at the Workroom. I also had lettering work featured in Today's Parent magazine (yay for daydrinking!) I also had some downtime to start researching sign painting at the Toronto Archives.

In March, I was invited to offer hand-lettered cards and prints at She Matters, a fundraising brunch in support of the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic, which offers legal representation, professional counselling and multilingual interpretation to women who have experienced violence. I also shared some new custom lettering work for President's Choice + Sid Lee. New hand-lettering also got full page coverage in the West End Phoenix.

As the days started to get longer, April brought a new feature on chromatic type in UPPERCASE Magazine. Warmer temperatures also allowed me to do some window painting: Craig's Cookies (my first in One Shot enamel paint!) and The Theatre Centre. I also completed a huge custom chalkboard for Boxcar Social. And what a pleasant surprise: my article on custom signs feature in the May/June/July issue of Cottage Life magazine!

In May, I completed some hand-painted signage for Will O'Hare's photography show (part of the Contact Photography Festival), as well as a huge custom chalkboard for a real estate staging. Spring was in the air, so a new custom sign for Sweet Gale Gardens. I also completed a fun Pollock-inspired mural for Craig's Cookies. And the tapping continued!

After five months of research, I started a new project in June called #chrispaintssigns, using traditional sign painting techniques to explore letterform proportions. As we prepared for our latest instalment of Pixel & Bristle at the Drake Hotel, I launched a new series called Dishonest Signs. Also, my ABC250 monograph turned one!

In July, I shared a large scale window painting project for Michael Johnston Music School - four windows hand-painted with One Shot enamel paint. I got to do a cute birth announcement for Nicole & James at Type Books. More window painting at The Theatre Centre, and a quick sign for Gloria Cafe. Then I wrapped up my #chrispaintssigns project, and jumped on a plane...

I was away in Italy (!) for most of August, but did have time to prep something for the TypeCon silent auction, which happened in Portland.

September was quiet, but I did zip over to Calgary to offer a brush lettering workshop at UPPERCASE Magazine. My most popular Instagram post of the year was about the least popular Ontario politician in recent years...

Part of October was spent visiting family in Saskatchewan. I also prepared some graphics for my favourite wartime gal, Pearle Harbour.

In November, I partnered up with Wonder Pens to offer a special brush lettering workshop at their new Clinton Street store. Along with two special pieces for the Buddies Art Attack auction, I released some new work for the holidays, including an alphabet print, a GLOW-IN-THE-DARK Toronto signs print, and some coupon-inspired holidays cards. A couple of these prints were featured in the annual Swash & Serif typography show. And I also shared some new explosive lettering on pimple popping (!) for Chatelaine Magazine.

And then suddenly, it was December! Another round of Pixel & Bristle at the Drake Hotel, plus my first studio sale, and a pop-up at Gloria Cafe. I snuck in one more launch: a new ABC book published my the Harvest Commission. A quick custom window for Type Books. But my favourite and most meaningful project of the year: a special typographic portrait to celebrate the 80th birthday of Roberta, gifted from her four children: David, Jenny, Rebekah and Heidi. The piece is comprised of over sixty individually typeset words, names, phrases, places, artists, songs and events that have filled Roberta’s rich life.

This year would not have been possible without the support of YOU – those who purchased a print from my shop, liked one of my Instagram photos, or visited my studio. I am grateful to continue doing work that I love. THANK YOU!

I wish you all the best in this new year.

CR

Looking back, moving forward

I've been struggling to find a word to sum up 2017. Marathonic? This year, I am particularly grateful to friends, family and the creative community for their unending support. As in previous years (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016), here is my annual recap of how my year unfolded.

January started at a slower pace, getting things lined up for the year. I took some time to archive my Alphabet-a-Day project. I also created a meaningful and memorable sign for the Women's March.

In February, things went from a jog to a sprint. I released a new screen-printed Valentine cards. I zipped over to Regina to teach a Ligatures brush lettering workshop. Then, I was invited to speak at Creative Mornings Toronto; you can listen to the talk here. I completed my largest mural to date for Chocolats Favoris in Aurora, ON. I also had a super fun time doing a Ligatures sign painting workshop at Honest Ed's for Toronto for Everyone!

In March, I painted two charming signs for Sweet Gale Gardens, lettered a book cover for Shawn Hitchins, and created a new hand-lettered wordmark for UPPERCASE Magazine’s Make it Worthwhile project.

On April 1st, I invited my first intern to the studio. Chloe Develle joined me from Paris, France, where she is studying graphic design at l'École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Appliqués et des Métiers d'Art. Chloe used the studio to practice her lettering, and help me with a few cool projects (more in June…) I was also interviewed by TFO, a publicly funded French language educational television station and media organization, serving the province of Ontario. You can view the interview here. We had a quick set of Ligatures brush lettering workshops at C Studio. I also shared a new hand-lettered wordmark for Bay Street Bull.

In May, we took Pixel & Bristle to the Drake Devonshire in Prince Edward County.
I also did some branding for CdnStudio & Spider Web Show Performance. I was also a judge at the Adobe Creative Jam at OCADU.

June was exceptionally jam-packed. The highlight of the month (and the year!) was the launch of my first monograph, ABC250, in conjunction with a companion art show and book launch at Black Cat Artspace in Toronto. And for extra fun, I also unveiled my new 2017/2018 collection, which included dozens of new prints, postcards, greeting cards, apparel, and a special collaboration with SIGG water bottles. I also had a booth at Roncy Rocks!

In July, I co-curated and participated in Pixel & Bristle at The Drake Hotel, designed a logo for Cookie Dough Stand in Calgary, and completed my second mural of the year: an optimistic message in Toronto laneway. I also shared hand-lettering for a tasty new book, Brad Long on Butter.

August was surprisingly busy this year. I had the privilege of designing three cups for Sorry Coffee in Toronto. I shared my final mural of the year: an epic 3D mural for Cutler & Gross on Queen Street. But the biggest event of the month was attending my first TypeCon in Boston, where I had a table of offerings at the Marketplace, and a live lettering demonstration. So fun!

In September, I started a series of 12 new Toronto the Great prints, starting with Queen Street West.
I released a new print each Monday for 12 weeks; you can see them all here. Then, I headed to Montreal for ATypI (Association Typographique Internationale), where I taught a digital lettering workshop, and then presented a new talk called "From stroke to screen"; you can view the full talk here. On Sept. 23-24, I participated in the Queen West Art Crawl, one of Toronto's largest outdoor art markets. I also refreshed the store front of Telegramme Prints & Framing on Ossington.

In October, I took a couple moments to breathe. A new UPPERCASE magazine hit the stands, featuring a fun abecedary that I wrote and illustrated. I also revealed a companion print.

November began with a big announcement. My art had been selected for City of Toronto's King Street Pilot project. (#major) My work was also featured at the Buddies in Bad Times annual Art Attack auction, which raised money for Canada's most exciting LGBT theatre. I also shared my first lettering project for La Maison Simons, one of Quebec's finest department stores. The month wrapped up with the annual Pixel & Bristle holiday market at The Drake Hotel, where I unveiled my showcard-inspired sign painted holiday cards.

December was the most wonderful time of the year, with pop-ups at Gloria cafe, holiday deliveries a-plenty, and then Toronto's favourite market, City of Craft. It was a perfect way to bookend the year.

As you can see, this year was epic. It most certainly would NOT have been possible without the support of YOU – those who purchased a print from my shop, liked one of my Instagram photos, attended a talk, or visited my live lettering booth. I am grateful to continue doing work that I love. THANK YOU!

I wish you all the best in this new year.

CR

New products for Ligatures

I'm thrilled to share some new products I designed for Ligatures, Toronto's favourite typography club! All of the designs are based on my hand-lettered alphabets.



1) Brush Alphabet T-shirt

2) Brush Alphabet Notebook

3) Brush Alphabet Print

Please help support Ligatures and stop by the shop today! Lots more photos over on the Ligatures blog.

Letter by letter

I'm thrilled to be sharing my passion for lettering at two sold out Ligatures brush pen workshops this weekend in Toronto.

Lots of exciting things brewing for the fall. Please stay tuned!

Calgary brush pen workshop

I'm thrilled to announce that I will be co-instructing a special brush pen workshop in Calgary next month!

This is a full-day workshop, sponsored by GDC and Uppercase Magazine, will be held Sunday, July 12 from 9am – 5pm at Uppercase in the Devinish building (908 – 17th Avenue SW, Suite 201 B, Calgary, AB). There will be a one hour break for lunch.

Here are the details & registration link:
http://bit.ly/brushtypeYYC

If you are interested in participating, please sign up asap - there are only 16 spaces available!

Thanks for your support!

Swash & Serif

Proud to be one of the co-curators for the first annual Swash & Serif group typography show. Opening reception 7:00 tonight at Black Cat Gallery (2186 Dundas St. W.)

See you there!

Sign Painters: The Movie

I am proud to share the poster I design for the Toronto premiere of Sign Painters: The Movie, hosted by Ligatures. This is our biggest event yet, and it's selling out fast. Three hours after our announcement, we were already at 75% capacity!

If you're in Toronto and would like to attend, please sign up ASAP:
http://ligatures.ca/

Sneak peek

Sorry for the lack of blogging these days. I've been busy preparing for the next big Ligatures event, which is being announced this Monday. Above is a little hint...

Have a great weekend!

The making of "We Totes Love Type"

Yesterday, Ligatures type club launched their online shop with their first product, the official "We Totes Love Type" tote bag. I have been working on this project for months, and it was so exciting to see everything come together in the last couple weeks.

I wanted to design a tote bag that 1) people would use, and 2) people would be proud to show off. I settled on "We Totes Love Type" for the front (a fun play on words!) and a pattern of "Totes" lettering on the back. Below is one of the original sketches.

I whipped out my brush pens and did a lot of lettering until I came up with the perfect "Totes" text. The "love" text was based on some previous lettering I did for Ligatures.  And the word "TYPE" is based on actual wood type, courtesy of Snap + Tumble letterpress. Thanks, Tanya!


After sourcing several canvas tote bags across Toronto, I finally found one really great source that offered super strong, thick totes at a fair price. I finalized the layout and then got in touch with Paul Dotey, who offered to help out with the screen printing. Leslie & I went to Paul's studio one evening in May for an epic tote printing party! Here are some behind-the-scenes shots.
  
And here are the final totes! We're super happy with the results. You can check out lots more photos on the Ligatures blog.

Please hop on over to the Ligatures shop and pick up your tote today!

Lino printing workshop

I'm super excited to be co-hosting Ligatures first lino printing workshop with my talented friend Tanya Roberts on Sunday, March 23. We are so grateful to be holding the event at Coach House Press, surrounded by beautiful paper stock, colourful inks, and historic printing presses. If you sign up, you may even have the opportunity to print your proofs on a Vandercook press!

Cost to participate is $25, and space for this event is limited.
Please sign up today!

Linotype: The Film

I'm so exciting about Ligatures' screening of the Linotype film, happening one week from today at Coach House Books. RSVP on the Ligatures blog.

Much thanks to Tanya Roberts and Paul Dotey for helping make this event poster come to life!

Ligatures Meeting Nº4

The next Ligatures type club meeting is happening next Thursday at SOMA Chocolatemaker. Yum!

Please RSVP on our new and improved website: ligatures.ca


(Poster design & banner lettering by yours truly.)

Ligatures Meeting Nº3

Just a reminder that Ligatures Meeting Nº3 is happening tonight at Coach House Books.

Please RSVP at ligatures.ca.

(Lettering above is by the talented Kyle Gallant!)

Ligatures

Back in July, I was fortunate enough to attend the first meeting of pointypo, a Paris-based group of letterers and type designers who gather monthly, enjoy a beverage together, and share their work. The tone of the meeting was ideal: no nonsense, no pretence, no egos - just a welcoming space for designers, artists, letterers & printers to gather, meet, show, tell, critique, learn & grow. The whole experience was incredibly inspiring.

The closest thing to this group in Toronto is the Toronto Type Club, which sadly, has been inactive since late 2010. I had an idea...

I met with two very talented friends – Kyle & Leslie – back in August to discuss the idea of a new type appreciation group in Toronto. They were both very enthusiastic about starting up something like this in Toronto.

And this is how Ligatures was born.


 From our new website:

Ligatures is a destination. It’s where the creative and the obsessed intersect. It’s where innovation and initiative come together. It’s where the desire to learn comes to life. It’s a place to go. It’s a place to get things done. 

Ligatures welcomes you to a space for typographic-obsessed individuals whose devotion to all-things-type knows no bounds. Graphic designers, type designers and type lovers are invited to join our creative forum to discuss their work and receive feedback from their peers. Ligatures is built on creating a sense of community amongst its YYZ creatives through the sharing of information and resources. Embracing the art of conversation, Ligatures members meet in Toronto each month to discuss current projects, and have an opportunity to ‘show & tell’ their work. All skills levels and interests are welcome.

We are happy to announce our first meeting, happening next month:

Ligatures Meeting Nº 1
Date: Monday, November 4, 2013
Time: 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Location: Trajectory & RyanEdward's Studio, 36 Distillery Lane (in the Distillery)

Space is limited, so please contact us if you're interested in attending.

Let's get this party started! Check out our website, and please follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram for all the latest Ligatures developments. We have lots of awesome stuff planned for the coming months, so please stay tuned!

And if you're in Toronto, use the hashtag #ligaturesyyz to share all of your typographic finds, including interesting YYZ signage, lettering, and of course, your own work.

We look forward to connecting with you!

Ligatures make me smile

Lovely ligatures around town.

In love with ligatures