Type Camp Pointed Pen 2015

On Friday, May 15, I joined master calligrapher Xandra Zamora at the Type Directors Club in New York City to teach a Pointed Pen workshop for Type Camp. This was my second time visiting NYC and my first time at the TDC office – it was the perfect space to inspire young typographers and letterers, surrounded by vintage comic book designs and case of type.



We were greeted by executive director Carol Wahler, who helped us get the space set up and made sure we had everything we needed for the workshop. She generously set up a coffee station so that we had fuel for the day.

While Xandra beautified each Type Campers sketchbook, I prepared the supply kits, which included handouts, pens, nibs & walnut ink crystals. Participants arrived on time (thank you!) and we began the workshop just after 10:00am.


Xandra and I welcomed the group to Type Camp with our personal introductions, and then we got to meet each of the participants with Type Camp's infamous Name Game; within a few minutes, we all knew each other's names, backgrounds, and were ready to start the workshop.

The day began with a series of exercises related to lettering stroke – pressure & release. Xandra offered her expert knowledge to the class and presented a series of top-notch demos so that each participant felt comfortable with the new techniques. We were available all day to offer one-on-one tips to each camper, and answer any questions that arose.

We took a quick lunch break (yummy Thai food!) and then reconvened to get into pen & ink work. With Xandra's guidance through basic lower case letterforms and the more sophisticated upper case characters, each camper practiced their pointed pen and found their personal style.

Here's a look at Xandra's personal collection of pointed pens. So beautiful!

As the workshop progress, campers made impressive progress in consistency and form. It's amazing what seven hours of practice can do!

And here is a group shot of Xandra, myself, and the proud pointed pen participants of Type Camp NYC 2015.

A huge thanks to Carol at the TDC for her kindness and hospitality. Thank you and congratulations to all of the campers for being so attentive, receptive & enthusiastic. It was a pleasure with working with such an amazing group.

And thanks to Shelley for this amazing opportunity!

RedLab Digital

I'm excited to unveil three special chalkboards I just wrapped up at RedLab Digital, a post-production shop that works with ad agencies and film & TV producers.

Above is the 2' x 6' kitchen menu chalkboard, and below are the large 5' x 7' chalkboards in two meeting rooms.

Thanks again to Breanne for this great opportunity, and to everyone at RedLab for making me feel at home.

Happy Mother's Day!

Church Street Espresso

Here's a new menu chalkboard I created for Church Street Espresso, located at 585 Church St. Toronto (at Isabella). Stop by for a delicious affogato, or enjoy some fresh gelato!

A few more photos below.

#SL10K 2015

One month from today (exactly!) I will be participating in the Sporting Life 10k Run. On Sunday, May 10, I'll be running down Yonge Street to help kids with cancer go to camp. Last year, through the generosity of family and friends (old and new), I raised an astounding $1065. I am still amazed, and immensely grateful. Let's see if we can do even better this year!

If you can spare a few dollars, please donate what you can on this fundraising page:

http://www.ooch.org/sl2015/ChristopherRouleau

And if money is tight, I will gladly accept all donations of encouragement - I'm going to need it.

Thank you in advance. Have a great weekend!

Happy Easter

Hope you all had a great holiday. Lots of exciting stuff to share in the coming weeks - please stay tuned!

F**k Status Quotes

Check out some new lettering I created for F**k Status Quotes. From their website:

Introducing “F**k Status Quotes”, a not-for-profit project that celebrates people who dare to be different in their life and their career....every minute, every hour, every day. Each of those people were asked what “Fuck status quo” means to them, and in turn, a collective of Sid Lee creatives and other local artists have visually interpreted these quotes, bringing them to life in stunning ways. These one of a kind, inspirational art pieces will be sold at a launch party on March 11th. All proceeds will be donated to YYZ, a Toronto based creative hub that exists to give artists space and support to take risks and create freely.

Thanks again to Marie R. for this amazing opportunity. Below is some process work.

Emoji update part 2

More great coverage of my Emoji Alphabet Project this past week, including online posts from Barbour Design, Design Taxi, Paste Magazine, and a Twitter mention from AIGA!

Emoji update

Great news: my Emoji Alphabet Project was featured on Quipsologies and Fast Company this week!

The Body Shop

Here is a new chalkboard I created for The Body Shop, located at 528 Church Street in Toronto. Please stop by sometime to take a closer look.

Here's a peek at one of the process sketches:



Thank you Jayme for this opportunity!

Valentine's at Hanks

A special Valentine's chalkboard for my friends at Hanks.

#emojialphabetproject – the results

Here are all 26 letters I create my #emojialphabetproject Instagram project.

Have a great weekend!

#emojialphabetproject

Love emoji? Check out my new Instagram lettering project, #emojialphabetproject

Looking back, moving forward

2014 was a jam-packed, fast-paced year, filled with many challenges and opportunities, many of which I could have never predicted. As in previous years (2011, 2012, 2013), here is my annual recap of how my year unfolded.

• I started January by releasing my hand-lettered lessons in the form of colourful, downloadable wallpapers. I also launched my 12 Months of Type project, where I set out to get messy and make lots and lots of letters each month with different mediums. You can check out the full progress of the project here.

• At the beginning of February, I launched my year-long lino printing project, Two-word truths. All twelve prints are now completed and available for purchase in my shop – check them out here! Also, due to popular demand, I released my Toy block alphabet print, based on a typographic experiment from my Instagram feed. I closed the month by dabbling in some sign painting.

• March was huge! I started the month with the release of 4 hand-painted signs, created for 12 Months of Type. These signs, available for purchase in my shop, were featured in Quipsologies, and later in UC Quarterly. I created a fun spring chalkboard for my friends at Hanks. I worked a special hand-painted anniversary commission for two dear friends. My poster advocating better cell phone etiquette on public transit was published in Spacing Magazine. And I managed to refresh my portfolio, with the help of my pal, Chris Roberts.

• In April, I was proud to unveil two pieces of hand-lettering for Influence Magazine. I also completed a special lino-printed birthday commission. And I got to go to Type Camp!

• On May 11, I completed the Sporting Life 10K in just over 56 minutes (a personal best!) and raised over $1000 to help kids with cancer go to camp. And at the end of May, I went to New York for the first time – you can see my complete adventure on my travel blog, NYChristopher.

• I had been plenty busy with my typography club, Ligatures, all year, organizing at least one event each month. But in June, we launched our first retail item, the "We Totes Love Type" tote bag, designed by yours truly. I was also blessed with a beautiful email from a teacher in Connecticut. World Pride hit Toronto at the end of the month, and it was amazing! Lots of photos here.

• July was relatively quiet. I did celebrate my 32nd birthday.

• For the August long weekend, I attended the centennial celebration of my hometown in Ponteix, Saskatchewan – check out some photos here. I also did a custom chalkboard commission for two new homeowners. With Ligatures, we hosted our biggest event of the year: a double screening of "Sign Painters: The Movie." So much fun!

• September was a busy month for client work, but I continued with 12 Months of Type and Two-word Truths.

• The most exciting part of October was the unveiling of my Honest Ed's interview for Uppercase Magazine. It was such an honour to profile Mr. Wayne Reuben and to work with photographer Becca Gilgan.

• Just in time for the holidays, I launched my winter collection in early November. The work included my new 2014 holiday cards, a special screen print created for the Buddies in Bad Times Art Attack auction, and some new metallic, lino-printed Thanks cards. I was also honoured to attend RGD's annual Design Thinkers conference on behalf of Uppercase Magazine. You can check out my recaps here and here. And finally, I completed my largest chalkboard project to date – 4 huge chalkboards for a new Toronto restaurant, Loaded Pierogi.

• And all of a sudden, it was December! For the second year in a row, I was selected as a vendor for Toronto's favourite winter market, City of Craft, which ran December 12-14 at The Theatre Centre. This year's event was exceptionally fun – you can see a full recap here.

I have several more projects which were completed in 2014 but I can't reveal them until later this year. Please stay tuned to my blog and Instagram for the exciting updates.

This year wouldn't have been possible without the unending support from family, friends, clients & patrons. Thanks to everyone who purchased holiday cards (now sold out!), donated to my 10K run, commented on my Instagram photos, attended a Ligatures event, or visited my booth at City of Craft. Your generosity & kindness inspires me. I am truly blessed to be able follow my passion and do work I love each day.

I wish you all a safe, happy & healthy 2015.

CR

12 Months of Type recap

After 365 days of exciting typographic experiments, here is a compilation of all the work and mediums I created for 12 Months of Type

I started the project back in January, with a few goals in mind:

• to create more art 
• to practice, practice, practice my lettering 
• to get away from my computer 
• to try techniques and materials I've never used before 
• to get messy!

As with every project, there are always things I would change if I could do it again. And I am very sad that I did not get to complete as much work in the final two months of the year because of other commitments. But on the whole, I am very happy with everything I learned this year.

You can see the full month-to-month evolution of the project here.

Watch for a new lettering project coming soon!

Happy New Year

Thanks to everyone who made this year most memorable. For those of you who are hungry for a new hand-lettered calendar, please watch for updates in early 2015. (Hint: it's the last calendar you will ever need.) Happy New Year to you and yours!

Happy holidays!

Cheers to a New Year!

A new chalkboard for a New Year at Hank's.

City of Craft 2014 recap

The masses converged at Toronto's magnificent new Theatre Centre on Friday evening to feast in this year's offerings at City of Craft. With over 60 vendors on two floors, it truly was the best place to check out Toronto's finest crafters and get a head start on holiday shopping. Below are some photos of my booth, as well as the excellent installations created by the talented Kalpna Patel.



I would like to thank Becky, Michelle, Kalpna, all of the CoC volunteers, and well as the staff at the Theatre Centre for making this year's event magical and memorable. But above all, I must thank each and every one of you who stopped by my table to say hi, share their love for lettering and purchase some of my work. This support from the community is the best holiday gift I could have ever asked for.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

CR

City of Craft 2014

Come find my booth this weekend at Toronto's favourite winter market, City of Craft.

December 12, 13 & 14, 2014 
Friday 6pm-10pm
Saturday 11am-6pm
Sunday 11am-5pm

The Theatre Centre 
1115 Queen Street West
(one block west of Queen and Dovercourt)

$2 (Kids 12 & Under FREE)

See you there!