Wiggly shapes, PDFs and a bike ride
Five things from this week
1: Blobs and lines
I tried making some shapes wiggle this week.
I like how the colors look inverted (right side) and how the white paper transforms into a nice black texture.
This animation isn’t as smooth as I would like, but this is the first time I’ve created an animation without a plan. I drew it frame by frame, scanned the spread when I was done with each color and then stitched it together using the “create frame animation” feature in Photoshop.
I also made one using lines instead of blobs. I think it’s a little smoother:
These animations were drawn with Pentel Pocket Brush Pens on a calendar. I used
’s recipe to make CMYK brushes and I love them.The way these blobs and lines move reminds me of drawn-on-film animation. Artists would paint, scribble and collage directly onto film. Here’s some of their work: Dots by Norman McLaren (he also created the lovely stop-motion short film Neighbors), Mothlight by Stan Brakhage, and A Colour Box by Len Lye.
2: Learning
Last week I shared my Type Size Zine and said, “I’ll send one to the first 10 people who email or message me an address.” I learned a couple things…
People outside of the U.S. read my newsletter. I had no idea! I started poking around and found out that my newsletter is read in 44 different countries. That’s so cool! Thanks for being here!
When I said “send” quite a few people thought I meant “send an email with a PDF” instead of “send an envelope with a printed zine inside” which totally makes sense and that’s on me.
Y’all are super nice. I already knew this was true but a lot of you included little notes or compliments when you responded to my last email. It meant a lot, thank you. Also the people in New Zealand, Italy and Argentina were so kind when they responded and said, “Not sure you thought this through… it’s going to cost you an arm and a leg to send that little scrap of paper to the other side of the planet… maybe just send a PDF?” So that’s what I’ll do!
👉 Click this link to download Type Size Zine 👈
The link will take you to a website where you can select how much you would like to pay (put “0” to get it for free). Print the PDF and give copies to friends, students, children, strangers, whoever. I would love to see pictures of it in action!
And just for fun…
👉 Click this link to download The ‘How to Make a Zine’ Zine 👈
Want to know how to cut and fold your freshly printed zine? Watch this video by Carolyn Yoo!
I’m better with ideas than logistics. Thanks for your patience as I learn how to do this.
3: Spend it all every time
Whenever I think, “I should save this for next week’s newsletter,” I’m reminded of a quote from Annie Dillard’s The Writing Life that Austin Kleon shared last year:
One of the few things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book, or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now. The impulse to save something good for a better place later is the signal to spend it now. Something more will arise for later, something better. These things fill from behind, from beneath, like well water.
So, I’m spending it all. Here’s another downloadable thing. Another? Yes! Another.
I’m calling it Nice Weather Paperweight and it magically reduces any handheld device into a hunk of metal and glass. Now you’re free to go outside and enjoy your life! Available in multiple colors.
👉 Click this link to download Nice Weather Paperweight 👈
4: Bike ride
Knox and I took our first bike ride of the year. It was great. More to come.
5: Print and Resist Zinefest
Madison’s Print and Resist Zinefest is this week! If you’re in the area come check it out. I’ll be at a table selling zines on Saturday, April 27 from 11 am – 4 pm at the Madison Public Library (Central Branch).
ALSO:
Really great introspective drawings, comics and animations → Gentle Drawings
It isn’t spring, it’s lawn mowing season
These fonts by Otherwhere Collective are SO COOL → Washi & POLY MONO
Someone I met at Multiple Formats brought a couple copies of 10 Rules for Riding a Bike in the Suburbs back to their bike co-op (Thanks for sharing, Neeta!)
“We keep our tummy’s closed so bugs don’t get in.”
Okay but that phone PDF should be made into a permanent ceramic dish. Love it.
I really love this edition of the newsletter. Fellow academic waiving hello this is a much needed boost for the last week of classes. I think I might give my students copies of the paperweight.