a gramercy park wedding : invitation design & illustration

I’m happy to share this invitation designed and illustrated by Paperfinger for some great New Yorkers, Ana and Frederick who were married at the Gramercy Park Hotel this past June. Yesterday, it was featured on Oh So Beautiful Paper and thanks to Jen Huang Photography, I have some new photos of it to share as well.

The invitation is a clean black and white letterpress design and the reply card was formatted as a postcard. As I shared with OSBP, using the wedding location as the basis for the design is often a great way to capture the style and spirit of the couple.  This hotel is situated on a beau­tiful block facing Gramercy Park, so I made that view the focus of the invitation while using a clean, modern calligra­phy style that was a perfect match for Ana and Frederick.

I had a lot of fun zooming into Google Maps street-level view to find details for the drawing. The technology is amazing and makes this kind of distance illustration so much easier. From the comfort of my studio, I can get just the right angle on the street or zoom in to see what the park fence is actually like up close.

See more photos and the Oh So Beautiful Paper post here.

(All photography by Jen Huang Photography)

paperfinger calligraphy featured : in brides magazine september issue

The current issue of Brides Magazine features two samples of Paperfinger calligraphy! They’re back-to-back in the Buzz section, beginning page 75.

Above, the Jane Austen lettering to complement the stack of books — yet another creative way to do table names. Below, my chalk calligraphy on photo booth signs. You’ll see I saved a silly shot of me with one of the signs while I was working on them…

snapshots from the paperfinger desk : cape cod wedding escort cards & table signs

i just signed up for the sketchbook project : and you should too

Here’s how The Sketchbook Project works:

Anyone can sign up (until October 31st) and for $25, you receive a blank moleskin sketchbook with a bar code and a particular assigned theme. You have until January 15th to fill it with doodles, drawings, paintings, collages, whatever you want. Then you send it back and all the sketchbooks go on tour across the country in galleries and museums!

You can track where your book is at all times and even view it on display at one of the above scheduled tour locations. At the end of the tour, the books will all be cataloged as a permanent collection at The Brooklyn Art Library. For an extra twenty bucks, they will scan and digitize your book so that you can have an electronic record of all your hard work.

This is the first I’m hearing about it, thanks to The Donut Project, but Art House Co-op has been running this for five years now.

I am excited to get started! Join my sketchbook on tour and sign up here.

fall wedding calligraphy : menu, place and escort cards

New photographs from the Water Mill reception for Stacey and Jim’s wedding!  I posted about this wedding in October and am finally sharing some professional photos courtesy of photographer, Shawn Connell. It’s a feast of rich colors.

philipp keel’s : simple diary

My friend Amanda brought me this amazing journal, Keel’s Simple Diary, as a gift this week. It’s clever, funny, thought provoking and unique. Some pages excerpted below will give you a sense of why this diary is like no other. It’s amazing. I’m smitten.

For purchase from Taschen for $15.

www.simplediary.com

ingo giezendanner : baku & back

Ingo Giezendanner, a painter and installation artist from Zurich, traveled by land from Zurich to Baku, Azerbaijan. His illustrative journal drawn with pen and ink, Baku & Back, documents that journey.

Ingo’s statement:

“The drawings capture the gradual change of scenes from Switzerland through the former Yugoslavian states, Bulgaria, Turkey and Georgia before finally arriving in Azerbaijan (to travel back again just see the book backwards). This is my statement to go out, see the world and avoid airplanes. Take your time and enjoy the view on your train ride.”

It is astounding. You can purchase a copy online for $28 from the publisher, Nieves.

(*via {paper & type})

snapshots from the paperfinger desk : spilled ink

I accidentally tipped the bottle of ink over on this one. But I like the results!

a beautiful summer wedding concoction : poppies & posies + paperfinger

Brooklyn Bride featured this shoot on Monday, orchestrated and created by Poppies & Posies — the floral and event design duo that I’ve worked with before (remember the oyster bar menu?) — along with calligraphy by yours truly, Stuart & Welch catering, Sarah Seven bridal gowns, all captured by photographer Jen Huang. The models were Jasmine Johnson of BridalBod and Davraam.

The theme: chemistry!

I created a periodic table of elements-esque table sign along with whimsically written place cards for the shoot. The floral display here is gorgeous — Sierra and Jen of Poppies & Posies made it work so elegantly with the old science test tubes and vintage medicinal glass bottles. Read about their process and selections in greater detail on the Brooklyn Bride post.

Some of my favorite shots by Jen are included here. Enjoy!

(All images by Jen Huang Photography)

snapshots from the paperfinger desk : day five