Maker Series Archives - Blackwing

Makers Series – Robert Brighton

Andrew Nguyen — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 22:02:06 +0000

Name: Robert Brighton

Pencil Hand: Right

Craft: Author

Location: Northern Virginia

@robertbrightonauthor

robertbrightonauthor.com

Shop Blackwing x Robert Brighton:
robertbrightonauthor.com/shop

“…good books will take readers anywhere they want to go—but great books will take them places they didn’t expect.”

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THE PROCESS

We had the opportunity to chat with Robert Brighton, award-winning author and creator of the Avenging Angel Detective Agency Mysteries and other acclaimed titles. He is an expert on the Gilded Age and avid Blackwing user. We recently teamed up on a Bespoke collection celebrating the release of his book Current of Darkness.

How and when did you decide to become a writer?

Mainly, I think it’s what I always wanted to be—it was a kind of calling, or obsession if you prefer. When I was a kid, books took me to countless places I wanted to go. I suppose as I grew up, I wanted to do for others what all those authors had done for me.

That said, it took many years for me to gain control of this craft of writing (or art, or both) before I was willing to publish a single word. I wanted to set the bar high, because I believe that good books will take readers anywhere they want to go—but great books will take them places they didn’t expect. That was my goal.

What drew you to historical fiction? And why the Gilded Age in particular?

Historical fiction authors can get a little heady about the ‘lessons of history’—and while I do not dismiss thought-provocation as a valuable byproduct of reading historical fiction, to me the author’s primary duty is to tell a good story. And what makes a good story? I tend to think that people read historical fiction to immerse themselves in a different time or place, either as a few hours’ escape from the daily grind or simply because it’s easier to immerse oneself in another era because our modern thoughts about modern life don’t keep intruding on our enjoyment of the story. Thus I feel that a rich and historically sound recreation of the world of the past—with a fictional gloss—provides a very satisfying reading experience. Readers of my books can wander around in the Gilded Age with me for as long as they like, and then come safely home again.

As to the Gilded Age itself, I suppose to me it represents the last gasp of a world now utterly swept away—whether in mindset or simply in the way people lived their lives. In the fifty or so years after the Civil War, most Gilded Age people evolved a belief that the future would be always better than the past. To them, the evil of slavery had been atoned for by the bloodletting of the Civil War; every day brought a new technological or scientific marvel; the last blank corners of the map were being explored. And in only a hundred years since…that sense of optimism has mostly curdled. Humanity cannot turn away from the sinking of the ‘unsinkable ship’, the Titanic; World War I, the Great Depression, the resurgence of the Klan and Jim Crow, World War II, the Holocaust, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot—really, do I have to go on? The short century following the conclusion of the Gilded Age—our century—has been one of nonstop horror. Even all of our modern technical marvels seem only to have deepened the sense of alienation we have from ourselves, our fellow human beings, and from nature itself (I have seen people at the rim of the Grand Canyon spending the whole time on their phones).

As a result, I tend to think that the Gilded Age was a little like those halcyon days of childhood, when we could hardly wait to grow up. Until we found out what growing up means! In the Gilded Age, almost no one could imagine what was just ahead, but man-oh-man were they barreling full-steam toward it! In my own moments of optimism, I like to think that perhaps understanding all that might help us pump the brakes a little. Or not: Human nature hasn’t changed in a mere hundred years, and if there is anything in general about Homo sapiens I can state with confidence, it’s that it is an unusually violent, horny, and greedy species. If this be treason, make the most of it!

What is the Avenging Angel Detective Agency?

The Avenging Angel Detective Agency is a fledgling (fictional) detective agency founded by beautiful young widow Sarah Payne. When Sarah’s intended is murdered at the behest of some very powerful people, the murder is immediately swept under the proverbial rug. Like most of us, Sarah might have gone on with her life with a degree of resignation about ‘the way things are’, but that’s not in her nature. She grew up reading the Sherlock Holmes stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and always thought she’d like to become a detective herself. And so she resolves to do for her dead lover what the justice system could not or would not do—hold the guilty parties to account. To right this kind of wrong, she starts up a detective agency to be a kind of ‘avenging angel’ for people to whom justice has been denied.

Part of what makes Sarah and her detective exploits unusually charming is that, while in deadly earnest about her new profession, she knows absolutely nothing about being a detective—except what she’s read in books. But unlike the unerring, cold precision of her hero Holmes, in her naïveté Sarah makes more than her fair share of mistakes and misjudgments. Even so, and against much opposition, she refuses to abandon her belief in herself, and that women can compete on equal footing with men, which of course was a pretty revolutionary notion at the time. I think all that makes her a very real person, and if there is one word that in my opinion ought to define good historical fiction, it is ‘verisimilitude’. That’s what I aim for; and with Sarah (and her ‘best frenemy’ Alicia Miller) I believe I hit the bullseye. Now there must be truth in advertising, so I must add that while my books do provide a kind of ‘escape’, they are decidedly not nostalgic. They depict the times and the human condition in the way my research has found them to be, warts and all.

You’ve published two books this year. What can you tell us about these novels?

Current of Darkness (published earlier this year) is a story of industrial espionage set in 1903 Niagara Falls, New York, at the dawn of the electric power industry. Mysterious tycoon Charles Kendall depends on the falling waters of Niagara to spin his turbines and make his product. But little by little, his water is going missing—and with it a great deal of profit—and he asks Sarah Payne to come to Niagara Falls to solve this mystery. This brings Sarah into contact with shady union bosses, dangerous anarchists, and people who will stop at nothing to win. And, I don’t mind saying, a few sparks fly between Sarah and Charles . . .

My latest book is called The Phantom of Forest Lawn, and while I won’t give any spoilers away, let us say that it is a novel of love and grave-robbery. Now, those things don’t usually go together, but suffice it to say that they do in this book! I’m very proud of it, and I think anyone who has ever loved or lost—or both—ought to read it.

How did you discover Blackwing?

Many years ago (more than I care to admit), I fell in love with pencils. It may have been as a child, because in those days every classroom had a pencil sharpener next to the blackboard, and I recall so very fondly the sharp tang of ground cedar and graphite that oozed out of it! (The sense of smell, you know, is the one most closely linked to memory.)

As it is in my nature to seek out the best tools for any job, when I started writing in earnest I tried many different vintage pencils—and there are some great ones. But none, I found, wrote and felt like the Eberhard Faber Blackwing 602, which alas was long out of production by the time I discovered it. Yet for a struggling author without much disposable income, a $50 vintage pencil could be only a very occasional splurge! Then quite out of the blue, CalCedar resurrected the Blackwing brand, and while I will admit I was at first skeptical that a modern version could ever live up to the standard of the original 602, boy did I turn out to be wrong. I quickly found that the ‘reimagined’ Blackwings were every bit the pencil that the old ones were. And, by the way, that I could buy a whole dozen of them for less than the cost of a single vintage 602! I guess you could say, then, that I have always used Blackwings—and I’m very grateful (no kissing up here, either) that you guys brought them back into my life, and at a price point that makes them a very affordable luxury.

We hear youʼve written all your novels by hand. Can you explain this part of your creative process?

I’d love to claim credit for such a feat, but even a graphite-head like me couldn’t manage that . . . my fingers would fall off if I had to write and rewrite a hundred-thousand-word novel longhand. I know lots of writers have done just that, but that was before laptops! Now what I do do is to take all of my research notes (and there are a lot of them when one is a historical novelist) in pencil and in Blackwing’s Slate notebooks. When I have story ideas, I work them out first in pencil. Only after I have done all that will I open the laptop to write! So while I may not write my novels out longhand, none of them could have been written at all without the good old pencil.

Do you have a preferred pencil or graphite for drafting your novels?

I have a heavy ‘hand’, whether on the keyboard or on paper, and as a result I tend to favor Blackwing’s Firm or Extra-Firm lead. I don’t have to sharpen nearly so much. (By contrast, my wife is a graphic artist, and she favors Soft or Balanced.) In traditional graphite terminology, I prefer something around a #2 ½. Lots of vintage pencils have curious variations on that theme—2 3/8, 2 5/8, and so on—and if I had to choose a few vintage models (other than the 602), I’d choose the Eagle Diagraph 817 (early 1900s), Dixon’s Mikado/Mirado (circa 1930s and later), and the Richard Best Futura (1950s). It’s fun to see how different pencils perform, but I’ve always come right back to Blackwing. I almost feel like I’m cheating on Blackwing when I use anything else!

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How would you persuade a friend to choose a pencil over other writing tools?

There is something inherently forgiving about the pencil. Its erasable nature eliminates the pressure to be perfect—in fact, pencils encourage trial and error. Furthermore, there is a contemplative aspect to writing in pencil: the feel of the wood and the scent of the graphite as they are warmed by the hand, and the quiet, the uninterrupted flow of ideas without a blank screen staring accusingly back at me. If I can’t think of an idea, I can doodle and let my mind drift, which I cannot do on a laptop. In my opinion, a major cause of the dreaded ‘writer’s block’ is the notion that one can sit down at a laptop and start creating something where nothing has been before. That is daunting.

Also, since I live in Northern Virginia, I spend a great deal of my research time at the nearby Library of Congress, whose collection is unequalled—and guess what? The Library allows only pencils into their reading rooms—because rare manuscripts and books can so easily be ruined by a single errant stroke of a pen. If someone makes a bonehead play and marks up a book with pencil, it is easily erased without doing any lasting damage to something that is itself a piece of history. Pencils are a respectful way to approach valuable research materials.

We collaborated on a set of Blackwing X Robert Brighton pencils and Slate notebooks for your recent book launch. How did you approach the design of these assets?

With considerable excitement, and more than a little fear! Imagine if you will a graphite fiend and Blackwing loyalist like me, being asked to design his very own pencils and notebook collaboration. Blow this, Robert, and you’ll be the laughingstock of Pencil World forever! In all seriousness, though, the principle I followed was to design a pencil and notebook that I would pick up and use before any of the many others squirrelled away in my house. To do that, I thought about what (to me) makes for a perfect writer’s pencil and notebook, and one good enough to share joyfully with others. As it happened, the design came together in more or less the same way my books do. I try to write stories that readers will enjoy, and I tried to design a pencil and notebook that pencil aficionados would enjoy using. (Perhaps even to launch their own writing careers!)

For the pencils, that meant something that looked beautiful and wrote marvelously well. For the barrel I selected a vintage Victorian marble paper design like those used in fine books of a century or more ago, in swirling shades of blue, green, and purple that would never be ‘sharpened away’ like some designs can be. For the lead, I chose Blackwing’s Firm, which as noted I find for a writer (and inveterate doodler!) has the perfect blend of buttery smoothness and durability. I neither find my hand getting fatigued after hours of writing, nor am I required to halt my train of thought for frequent resharpening. The ferrule had to be gold, of course, since my books are set in the Gilded Age . . . and for the eraser, I chose a custom Pantone shade of violet that matched the color of my heroine Sarah Payne’s deep blue eyes.

For the notebook, I have found the Slate A5 Medium to be perfect for its combination of writing space and portability. On its front cover is the cover art from my novel Current of Darkness, showing my Avenging Angels in a tense moment. (My publisher commissioned the incredible Mark Summers, who is simply the world’s finest scratchboard artist, to do the art.) On the rear cover is the logo of the Avenging Angel Detective Agency. Inside, the endpapers are full-bleed versions of the pencil-barrel’s lovely marbled design. A gold marker ribbon and cloth spine complete the package.

When I was done designing the pencils, box and insert, and notebook, I will admit I was pretty nervous about how they’d turn out! Until, that is, I received the first proof samples in the mail. I am here to tell you (and lying is very bad karma) that since then, my entire pencil collection and my stack of black Slate notebooks . . . well, they just sit there glaring at me, because the only pencil and notebook I want to use are my Blackwing collaborations. Frankly, for an author and a pencil-head, it was kind of a dream come true.

What are you working on next?

My next novel is called Winter in the High Sierra, and it’s due out in early Fall 2025. Between now and then, my publisher plans to release one of my short stories each month as a very affordable, e-book-only way to keep my readers interested until Sierra appears. I’ve found writing short stories to be a lot of fun—it’s such a different craft from novel-writing: harder in some ways and easier in others.

The good news for me is that people still love to read books—and more than I ever dreamed possible say that they love reading mine! Now that I’ve hit my stride, I hope to continue doing this for whatever time I have left in my all-too-brief visit to Planet Earth. To be able to do what you love to do every day is a ‘pinch me’ kind of thing. And knowing I can now do that thing with my very own Blackwing pencils and notebooks gives me enormous pride and pleasure!

SHOW US YOUR WORK

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Makers Series – Marbled Paper Studio

Andrew Nguyen — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 04:09:01 +0000

VANESSA REYNOSO

Name: Vanessa Reynoso

Brand: Marbled Paper Studio

Craft: Paper Marbling

Location: California

@mabledpaperstudio

marbledpaperstudio.com

“You have to surrender yourself to the elements and embrace the unpredictability because it is all part of the process.”

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THE PROCESS

We had the pleasure of chatting with Vanessa Reynoso of Marbled Paper Studio. She shares about the intricate craft of paper marbling, its history dating back to the 12th century & much more.

What is paper marbling?

I get this question a lot! It is a form of decorative paper design. The process is a delicate balance of floating paint on thickened water. Paint is built up in layers and can be manipulated into intricate and precise patterns with various tools. Once a pattern is created you carefully lay down a piece of paper on the surface of the water to capture the image. The result is a one-of-a-kind work of art. If you need multiple sheets of one design, you can create designs that are consistent in terms of color and pattern but they will never be identical.

What inspired you to pursue marbling?

My husband and I love to travel and I was captivated by the marbled patterns we saw in museums and paper shops throughout our trips to Italy. I am a traditionalist at heart and have an affinity for beautiful stationery products. I began to experiment with the process enabling me to recreate marbled patterns on my own in more contemporary color palettes.

Can you tell us a little about the history of paper marbling?

Marbling has a very rich history. The earliest form of marbling was seen in Japan during the 12^th century in a style known as “Suminagashi”, which translates to “floating ink”. These patterns are generally characterized by a series of concentric rings. They often served as an ornamental background for poems and other calligraphic arts for nobility. In the 15^th century, we began to see Turkish and Persian forms of marbling known as “Ebru”, which means “cloud painting”. This highly decorative form of marbling typically incorporated illustrative patterns such as flowers. In the 16^th century, we began to see paper marbling make its way into Europe through the import trade. This beautiful marbled paper eventually caught the eye of bookbinders who used marbled designs to create highly decorative books. Then, in the 17^th century, marbling arrived in the United States when European settlers brought the technique with them.

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Examples of Vanessa’s marbled paper creations

What is marbled paper used for?

Most people are familiar with marbled paper through its use in the book arts, where marbled designs have graced book covers and end pages for centuries. However, marbled paper is ideal for various paper goods such as gift wrap, gift tags, greeting cards, bookmarks, and place cards. It is also well suited for home decor projects such as lining drawers, shelves, or the backs of bookcases. Marbled paper looks great as a mat to frame artwork or as standalone wall art, allowing the colors and patterns to be put on display.

What is the Suminagashi technique?

Suminagashi is the simplest form of marbling. Unlike traditional forms of marbling, Suminagashi uses ink instead of paint, and plain water as opposed to thickened water. Designs are typically characterized by a series of organic concentric rings, similar to the growth rings found on trees.

Suminagashi is a journey of creativity and mindfulness. My approach to Suminagashi is very much a meditative practice with a real connection with the surrounding environment. Earth, air, fire, and water are considered building blocks of our universe and I love combining these elements into my Suminagashi practice to create a real sensory experience. I will often place a lit candle into the water to represent fire and clippings from the garden to represent earth. I have not seen anyone else incorporate earth and fire into their practice so it is quite unique to my studio. I also love introducing gusts of air to the surface of the water and when the weather is nice, which is quite often in California, I’ll often create outdoors. With Suminagashi, you have very little artistic control on the final pattern and even the most subtle shifts in water will influence the design. I like to think of it as “nature’s fingerprint”. You have to surrender yourself to the elements and embrace the unpredictability because it is all part of the process.

Can you talk about some of the tools you use?

A few of the basic marbling tools in my studio include marbling trays in various sizes and a wide assortment of simple combs, rakes, and other “tools” to create various patterns. Marbling is such a niche art form that there aren’t any modern-day manufacturers producing tools at a large scale for the professional marbler. Many of the tools used by marblers today, including myself, are handmade while other items are repurposed. For example, it is not uncommon for me to use skewers, knitting needles, bundled broom-straw, or even toothbrushes to create various effects. Most of my rakes and combs are made from wood with either nails or pins secured in place to create specific designs. Although marbling has been around for centuries, I feel like some of my tools are just as primitive as those used by my marbling predecessors.

Key to the marbling process is a thickened water that fills the marbling tray. The water is thickened with carrageenan, a powder derived from seaweed. This provides a stable surface for paints to float and be manipulated into various patterns. I use acrylic and gouache paints although I would love to start making my own paint in the future.

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Vanessa’s various paper marbling tools

What advice would you give to someone interested in the craft?

Marbling is a magical art form, but most people don’t realize that the preparation is time-consuming and the process can be quite finicky. For someone wanting to learn the art of marbling, my advice would be to embrace the unpredictable and learn to love the process just as much as the end result. Be patient. Recognize that you will not always be in control of the process and sometimes you have to be willing to adapt your water, paints, and your environment to make things work. At times you may even need to step away from the marbling tray for a bit. As long as you recognize and accept this, your experience will be much more enjoyable and rewarding.

Can you tell us about any of your upcoming projects?

I’m excited to be working on a collection of printed papers taken from my original hand-marbled designs. My printed papers will offer a great alternative for those wanting the beauty of marbling in a more accessible format since papers will be ready for immediate shipping. This is particularly convenient for someone who needs multiple sheets of the same design quickly or has a project that doesn’t necessarily require an original design.

I’m also developing a collection of marbled ribbon. I love a beautifully wrapped gift and cherish the fond memories of wrapping gifts with my mother during Christmas time. We would pick a day to tackle wrapping all of the gifts in one sitting. It was wonderful! The new ribbon collection is a direct result of my love for the art of gift wrapping and a nod to the wonderful memories I shared with my mother. I really enjoy presenting gifts in a thoughtful way and the new ribbon collection provides a wonderful embellishment for those wanting to create their own beautifully wrapped gifts or use in other creative ways.

SHOW US YOUR WORK

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Artist Series Interview – Leslie Hung (Comic Artist & Illustrator)

Andrew Nguyen — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 23:06:19 +0000

LINDSAY GARDNER

Name: Lindsay Gardner

Pencil hand: Right

Craft: Illustrator/Author

Location: Michigan

@lindsaygardnerart

whywecookbook.com

“Something I do pretty much every time, no matter what project I’m working on, is slow down and try to notice the minute details of everyday life that are so often overlooked.”

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THE PROCESS

We had the opportunity to sit down with author and illustrator Lindsay Gardner to talk about art, her sources of inspiration, and her new book, “Why We Cook: Women on Food, Identity, and Connection.” Lindsay sketched every original illustration in her book using Blackwing pencils.

How did your art journey begin and what led you to pursue it as a profession?

It’s only been recently that I’ve been able to look back at the last 20 years of my life and be able to put the pieces together. My undergrad experience studying Literature and Studio Art was formative in developing my interest in storytelling. After undergrad, I moved to San Francisco and began working for arts education non-profits. Eventually, I went to graduate school and received my MFA in Painting. When I look back at my time in grad school, I don’t regret it, but it definitely burned me out. I enjoyed what I learned about critical theory and big picture art-making, but in some ways, I feel like it drained my intuition.

After all, was said and done, I felt like I had very little energy left to give to painting in a pure way. I ended up teaching elementary school and had put off painting for nearly two and a half years. During that time, I gave birth to my first daughter and spent a whole year at home with her which helped motivate me to draw and paint again. I remember having a conversation during grad school with an artist that I admired named Rex Ray and he told me, “You go to grad school and you spend all this time studying, and then you spend another 10 years trying to forget everything you learned.” I feel like the more time that passed, I was able to return to art in a compelling and exciting way that felt unburdened which eventually opened the door to me starting my business.

Can you tell us about your current project and what motivated you to take it on?

My latest project is a book that I wrote and illustrated called “Why We Cook: Women on Food, Identity, and Connection.” It is a collection of over a hundred essays, interviews, and recipes from women who are changing the world of food.

Cooking has always been important to me, but as I became a parent and started to adjust to life as a family, my relationship with cooking shifted with it. I began to examine what cooking meant to me, why it’s so important, and how it’s wrapped up in this bigger sense of female identity. I started to see how cooking was an interconnected part of my creative process and it began showing up in a lot of my work. I began having conversations with friends about this topic and it just seemed like so many people in my life had a mutual interest in discussing it. As my interest grew, I searched for a book related to this specific subject and was not able to find any, leading to me ask myself if this was something I could possibly take on. So, I just began to open up the conversation to larger circles — talking to professional chefs and other women in the industry, and things just began to merge. I had always loved doing research so that along with having a concrete reason to reach out to people and interview them helped bring everything together for what is now Why We Cook.

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Original sketch made using Blackwing pencils paired with the final book illustration.

What do you draw on for inspiration?

Something I do pretty much every time, no matter what project I’m working on, is slow down and try to notice the minute details of everyday life that are so often overlooked. That was especially true for this book, as cooking is one of those everyday things. It’s sometimes a ritual that can take on meaning, other times it can feel like a burden. I like dissecting how these snapshots of everyday life are multi-faceted and can take on a deeper meaning.

With the intersection of women, cooking, and art, what do you hope readers take away from reading your book?

I think in a big picture way, I hope it prompts people to ask more questions in their own lives. I think there are just so many things that we can all learn from listening to peoples’ stories and I believe that cooking is an easy avenue for people to connect. Whether at the personal or professional level, women’s stories in food have not been told in the same depth or even at all. I believe that there is a lot of empowerment in just listening to women tell their stories.

Is there a specific story in your book that just completely blew you away?

In talking with all of these women, I was able to find connecting threads in disparate stories. One of the things that particularly blew me away, especially because it is different having it be so different from my own personal experience, is that so many of these stories about food from inspiring voices in the book have to do with migration or immigration, and explore the powerful relationship between geographic movement, food, and memory.

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Original sketch made using Blackwing pencils paired with the final book illustration.

How did you discover Blackwing and how do you use them?

I found out about Blackwing through one of my favorite artists, Carson Ellis. I saw that she was using them and thought to myself, if she uses them, I have to try them. I love the way they feel when they hit the paper, it’s a different texture compared to other pencils — the smoothness and the gradation from light to dark.

Is there a quote or a piece of work that inspires your creative process?

There’s a Joan Didion quote that goes, “We tell ourselves stories in order to live…” For me, it underscores this feeling that there’s an innate human instinct to write down or portray our stories in art. I think it perfectly conveys humanity’s impulse for creativity.

Another quote that inspires me is one by Georgia O’Keefe, “Nobody sees a flower – really – it is so small – we haven’t time – and to see takes time like to have a friend takes time.” This quote resonates with me because I feel like I can often be impatient

with myself and my creative process. Those words bring me comfort reminding me that I am just one person in a gigantic universe. Sometimes I just need to slow down and realize that my work is never really ever done.

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Original sketch made using Blackwing pencils paired with the final book illustration.

Portrait photography by Smeeta Mahanti

Illustrations by Lindsay Gardner

SHOW US YOUR WORK

The post Artist Series Interview – Leslie Hung (Comic Artist & Illustrator) appeared first on Blackwing.

Blackwing Artist Series Notebooks

Andrew Nguyen — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 18:55:55 +0000

We’ve teamed up with award-winning creators and Blackwing Makers, Leslie Hung, Florian Bertmer, Andrea Sorrentino & Jeff Lemire, to create 3 limited-edition Slate Notebooks featuring their original work.

Each of the 3 limited-edition Medium A5 Slate Notebooks also features 160 pages of 100 GSM paper Blank paper and an exclusive Artist Series pencil with our balanced graphite core.

Shop Artist Series Notebooks

Artist Series Notebook – Leslie Hung

Leslie Hung is a comic book artist and co-creator of Image Comic’s Snotgirl. Find out more about Leslie Hung’s works:
@dairyfree on Instagram
@lesliehung on Twitter/X

Artist Series Notebook – Florian Bertmer

Florian Bertmer is a German illustrator from the hardcore punk and metal scene. He’s created pieces for iconic bands, films, and pop-culture institutions. Find out more about Florian Bertmer’s works at:
@florianbertmer on Instagram
florianbertmer.com

Artist Series Notebook – Andrea Sorrentino & Jeff Lemire

Andrea Sorrentino is an Eisner Award-winning comic artist. Jeff Lemire is an Eisner Award-winning comic artist and writer. Together, they’re co-creators of the Bone Orchard Mythos. Find out more about their works at:
Andrea Sorrentino
@andreasorrentinoart on Instagram
@and_sorrentino on Twitter/X

Jeff Lemire
@jefflemire on Instagram
@jefflemire on Twitter/X

Shop all Artist Series Notebooks

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Makers Series – Jason Patterson

Andrew Nguyen — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 01:06:23 +0000

JASON PATTERSON

Name: Jason Patterson

Pencil hand: Left

Craft: Portraiture/Woodworking/
Re-creation of historical documents

Location: Chestertown, Maryland

@jason_patterson

chesapeakeheartland.org

“I believe when I create artwork it’s a special way to keep people interested in that history I’m presenting. The philosophy that drives me is the idea of contributing to society. I think of my work as educational resources that will help all of us better know our past so we can better understand our present.”

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THE PROCESS

We had the opportunity to sit down for a chat with portrait artist, woodworker Jason Patterson. Using historical documents and meticulous research, Jason’s transformative work is centered around telling stories of African American history from his local community on the eastern shore of Maryland and beyond.

How did your art journey begin and what led you to pursue it as a profession?

Can you tell us about your current project and what motivated you to take it on?

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Original sketch made using Blackwing pencils paired with the final book illustration.

What do you draw on for inspiration?

With the intersection of women, cooking, and art, what do you hope readers take away from reading your book?

Is there a specific story in your book that just completely blew you away?

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Original sketch made using Blackwing pencils paired with the final book illustration.

How did you discover Blackwing and how do you use them?

Is there a quote or a piece of work that inspires your creative process?

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Original sketch made using Blackwing pencils paired with the final book illustration.

Portrait photography by Smeeta Mahanti

Illustrations by Lindsay Gardner

SHOW US YOUR WORK

The post Makers Series – Jason Patterson appeared first on Blackwing.

Chalk Creative Partners

Andrew Nguyen — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 15:30:21 +0000

CHALK CREATIVE PARTNERS

Name: Martin Chalk – CEO
Leonardo Lenchig – Art Director

Company: Chalk Creative Partners

Craft: Brand Identity

Location: Brooklyn, NY & Gorizia, Italy

@chalkcreativepartners

chalkcp.com

“Sometimes when you’re sitting in front of your computer for hours at a time, original ideas just don’t flow. When you’re relaxing at lunch with a bowl of pasta and some fine red wine, your mind just begins to ease a little bit and you start doodling, things just seem to get somewhere. I think sometimes when you’re the most relaxed is when you do some of your best work.”

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THE PROCESS

When we first heard about a team of designers were using Blackwing pencils to sketch out projects on parchment paper placemats at an osteria in a small town in Italy, we knew we had to find out more. We then had the pleasure to talk to Martin Chalk and Leonardo Lenchig of Chalk Creative Partners about how their process starts in Brooklyn, New York, travels all the way to Gorizia, Italy, and ends up being seen around the world.

Can you tell us a little about Chalk Creative Partners, your backgrounds, and how your partnership came to be?

Martin Chalk: Chalk Creative Partners does brand identity for products and services — everything from logos to product design to video. Initially, I was running a beverage company and I was trying to find someone to redo all of our packaging. After blowing most of our budget with a handful of well-established companies, we still had not seen anything close to the quality we wanted. While still on the search, I had stumbled on some fruit cup designs on Behance that were made by a small team of guys in Italy. The colors and artwork blew me away so I contacted them. I asked for a quote for 6 beverage SKUs and did not hear back for two weeks. All of a sudden, I get an email back from them asking for just 3 more days, and then they’d give me a quote. 3 days later, they sent me over the entire finished project, 50 pages of the most beautiful artwork with an amazing, well-structured layout. So I started working with them. I was so impressed and enjoyed it so much that we decided to start a company together. I’d be in Brooklyn and they would be in Northern Italy.

Leonardo Lenchig: For me, it was crazy being contacted from America. Initially, I thought it might be some sort of scam. The first project we did with Martin was our biggest project to date. Up until then, we were just doing local branding in our small village. I studied Multimedia Technology and wanted to become an architect, but I didn’t have to patience for it. The process from designing something then having to visit the construction through to completion is just not my speed. I like graphic design because it’s much more instantaneous and I can better visualize something I just created.

What do you think sets your company apart and can you give us a glimpse into your process?

MC: Leonardo, Ettore, and the others in the studio team have learned and can apply traditional art techniques from Medieval and Renaissance Italian art about what works as opposed to what doesn’t. They are able to apply these traditional concepts of spacing and typography to logo and label design. When we work with a client, we want to be able to explain every design decision, getting from A to Z, in a very structured way. In doing this, clients are able to really understand the thinking behind every decision through to the final product. It also allows us to always reverse a step if need be.

LL: Sometimes I just get an idea or hunch when first introduced to a project. I just know immediately if I want straight or round lines. If I’m working on a logo, I like to begin using geometries. Personally, the hardest part for me is keeping in mind all of the marketing stuff and that’s why it’s beneficial to work with Martin since he is knowledgeable in that area. Our approach is very structured and organized. We use a lot of grids and our designs in many ways are both complex, yet appear simple.

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The process of creating their award-winning logo design for the city of Matera. Click the arrows to see the entire process from concept to finished logo.

Can you guys tell us more about those wine-stained parchment paper tablecloth sketches?

CM: I first discovered the story behind the Osteria designs because Leonardo and Ettore kept showing me these drafts hanging in the studio with stains on them. I didn’t realize the significance of the brown paper and that they were actually wine and pasta stains until I visited them in Gorizia and saw their daily routine!

LL: Sometimes when you’re sitting in front of your computer for hours at a time, original ideas just don’t flow. When you’re relaxing at lunch with a bowl of pasta and some fine red wine, your mind just begins to ease a little bit and you start doodling, things just seem to get somewhere. I think sometimes when you’re the most relaxed is when you do some of your best work.

Is this lunch spot somewhere you go every day?

LL: It’s right around the corner from the studio so we go there pretty much every day. It’s a simple but friendly Osteria with only three tables. We are regulars. There’s a lot of people having fun there and a little day drinking taking place. But that’s pretty normal in Italy.

MC: It’s a very nondescript type of place. When I went there, the owner lays down the tablecloth, puts down a carafe of wine and water and there are only really two choices. There’s bread with meat and then there’s a pasta choice. There’s no menu and no bill, it’s just a tab system. On my visit, the owner brings me to the back and showed me a cupboard of Ettore’s sketches. Sometimes he would just exchange drawings for food like the great painters did at La Colombe d’Or. Some of these sketches are now hanging in the Osteria.

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The team sitting down for lunch and sketching with Blackwing pencils at the local Osteria.

Left to Right: Ettore Concetti, Martin Chalk, and Leonardo Lenchig at the Osteria.

Are there any quotes or philosophies that inform your work?

MC: There’s quite a few, but one I’ve been wanting them to hang up in the studio is “Simple is hard.” In design, it’s always easier to overcomplicate. When people see a clean or minimalistic design, they often don’t understand that it’s actually very difficult to achieve that. A lot of the time, we arrive at a design and then we being to strip away at it. We talk about how we can pair it down to convey the same message without being too much in your face.

LL: I agree with Martin, that’s our motto now. I also like “God is in the details” by Mis Van Der Rohe and “The life of a designer is a fight against ugliness.” by Massimo Vignelli. Those are my mantras. I always factor in these as inspiration when I analyze my work. Is it proportionate and is it pleasing to the eye? I also always say “ A good design is timeless” It’s become a personal motto too.

What does analog mean to you, how did you first find out about Blackwing, and how do you use Blackwing products?

MC: Analog is so important to us. I think so much gets lost when you’re on your computer all the time. I feel like I have a more productive time doing everything on paper and then translating it to digital. Growing up, my mother had opened a card shop and my sisters actually started their own greeting card company so I’ve always been a fan of stationery. A shop opened near me in Brooklyn called Yours Truly. That’s where I initially saw the Blackwing Volume 4 about the Mars Rover mission and I read the story and was really impressed. Once I started researching the Volumes program, I began collecting as many as I could find. I started amassing a surplus of pencils and began to send them over to Italy for the studio to use. When I started diving deeper, learning about the Blackwing Foundation and the other programs, I felt like Blackwing was a company we could really identify with and have brand loyalty to. There is a lot of honesty and authenticity with Blackwing as a brand and with the products. Now it’s the only brand we use.

LL: We loved when Martin sent over the Blackwing Pencils and then the Blackwing Colors. The firmness of the cores are very great to use. We were blown away after using them. Sketching with Blackwing pencils is always the first step for me.

What are some pieces of advice you’d give to someone pursuing a creative lifestyle?

LL: I’d say that one should not pursue a creative lifestyle expecting the work to be easy or that you will make a lot of money from it. You have to do it because you love to do it. Your motivation should come from passion. I enjoy the work so much that it becomes just a part of my life. I’d also say to focus on what you’re passionate about and good things will come your way. Also studying and setting a goal of learning something new every day is extremely important.

MC: Learn from criticism. Don’t ignore it as just haters. I think it’s like learning a sport. Criticism is like coaching. You don’t have to accept all of the criticism, but you should be able to hear it from people you respect and treat it as advice and adapt it to your style. People in the creative arts often have a singular inflexible vision, but commercial success comes from following advice. I believe a lot of the greats embraced this. It’s really important to identify coaches early in your career and learn from their successes and mistakes.

Last question, what are some fun things or what is your ideal day in the north of Italy?

LL: Eating a great meal at a good restaurant. I wouldn’t be Italian if I didn’t say that. I also love to visit museums and exhibitions. I love traveling into Venice to see what’s going on. There’s so much beauty in Venice. We also have the Alps close by and lots of beautiful nature which is very relaxing. I think I sometimes take where I live for granted, but I love it here.

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Gorizia, Italy, home of the Italian Chalk Creative Partners team.

Photos provided by Chalk Creative Partners

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Butch Boswell

Andrew Nguyen — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 15:00:55 +0000

BUTCH BOSWELL

Name: Butch Boswell

Pencil hand: Right

Brand: Boswell Guitar

Craft: Luthier/Guitar Maker

Location: Bend, OR

boswellguitars.com

“The failures, combined with sprinklings of success, are what drives all of us. And the failures shouldn’t ever define the life we’re trying to design and build for ourselves and our families.”

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THE PROCESS

We had the pleasure to sit down with guitar maker and craftsman, Butch Boswell, to talk about the intricate processes of his trade, tools he can’t live without, and much more.

How did you get started?

When I was a young kid, about 11 or 12 years old, I just became fascinated with guitars. It was around the time MTV Unplugged started and I just fell in love with guitar music. Any new town that I visited, I would immediately go into the closest guitar shop. Then naturally, I began working in guitar shops. Fast forward to my college years living in San Luis Obispo, I started working at a guitar shop called Blue Note Guitars doing repair work. After a few years, an opportunity presented itself for me to work at a famous guitar shop in New York City called Rudy’s Music. I went on to run his repair shop for a few years, repairing some of the more valuable vintage guitars and I thought to myself, “what was stopping me from opening my own shop?” So, I moved back to San Luis Obispo and opened “Butch’s Guitar and Repair.” I ran that shop for about 11 years before moving to Bend, Oregon.

How did you transition from repairing to building guitars?

People would come into my guitar shop and ask if I was a “luthier.” Technically, I only repaired guitars at the time, so I ventured to build my own and absolutely fell in love with it — all the woods, the materials. After finishing my first one, I instantly had clients asking me to build them guitars and eventually just defaulted into it. However, it was only up until last year that I’ve been able to fully transition my business to solely building guitars and support my family without the extra income from repair work.

What inspires you and what philosophies inform your work?

On the inside of my guitars, there’s a slogan that reads, “Old world craftsmanship, modern-day precision.” I like to take the classic designs and historical aspects from the “golden age” of guitar building during the 1930s and 40s and meld them with the more technical and precise manufacturing that I’ve learned throughout the years. I find that combining those two elements brings out the best of both worlds. What inspires me daily is seeing the dozens of other immensely talented guitar builders on social media. Other builders attempting to do similarly what I am attempting to do comforts me. We’re all trying to make incredible instruments by hand. It’s not easy work, and not everyone will be able to make a career of it. But, at the end of the day, being inspired to make something that ends up being a tool of inspiration for others, is a pretty amazing thing.

What is a quote or idea or piece of work that inspires you/drives your creativity?

“All are architects of fate” is a quote from a Wadsworth Longfellow poem in a book that was given to me shortly after high school. It’s stuck with me all this time. For me, it means that we all control what we make of our lives. I don’t believe this to be true for everyone. In fact, the old notion of “work hard, and you’ll do fine” is just too outdated, especially by today’s measure of social and financial inequality. More artists and creatives are going to fail than succeed. But, that’s what fuels us in the end. The failures, combined with sprinklings of success, are what drives all of us. And the failures shouldn’t ever define the life we’re trying to design and build for ourselves and our families.

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What are some things that you find quintessential to your creative process?

A few shots of espresso. I just find so much inspiration in my shop, most of the time I just step in and begin to work. However, there are certain aspects of the process that are more delicate and precise so I take a little bit of time to drink my coffee, maybe do a little writing just to get into the right headspace to tackle a specific task.

How did you find out about Blackwing?

I’ve always been an absolute tool junkie — hand planes, chisels, etc. so I remember the exact moment. I was always into stationery growing up, mostly writing and marking tools. So, I was looking in Levenger Magazine and saw a starter kit for Blackwing. I read the description and just thought they were so cool. I instantly became enamored. I always had them laying around the shop and when I learned about all of the different kinds, I just fell down the rabbit hole.

How has Blackwing become a part of your creative process?

I use the Blackwing Matte to trace templates because it makes a nice broad, dark line. I always like to have a Blackwing Natural for marking certain things, I basically use all of the different graphite types for specific parts of the process. Some woods react differently to different graphites so I’ll use the pencils accordingly.

What are some other essential tools you can’t live without?

I have so many tools that are so specific, but some of my favorites are my Field Notes journals, my Lie Nielsen bevel edge chisels, and my Bridge City Tools hand planes.

What piece of advice would you give to someone that wants to pursue a creative lifestyle?

I often forget that the pursuit of a creative lifestyle isn’t the same for everyone. For me, I’m very lucky to get to be as creative as I am and to get to make something with my own two hands every day, but at the end of the day, I need to get paid for it. Not every artist is going to bank making a living on their creativity. Some have day jobs that they may like or not, and the art is there to take their minds away from their everyday work, whereas my art is my day-to-day work. So, I guess my advice would be, and sorry to sound perhaps a touch cliché, but do it because you love it. Find what inspires you, and do it simply because you love to do it. You may get paid for it or you may not. You may always have to have that day job to pay your bills and support yourself, but you can, and should, always feed that creative void. An escape from my day-to-day grind is baking sourdough bread. I don’t think about anything else when I’m baking, other than the joy of it all. The payment is the end reward of eating it and seeing the smiles on the faces of my family.

Learn more about the Blackwing x Boswell Guitar – Blackwing Guitar Build

Learn more about Boswell Guitars

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Lindsay Gardner

Andrew Nguyen — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 16:53:23 +0000

LINDSAY GARDNER

Name: Lindsay Gardner

Pencil hand: Right

Craft: Illustrator/Author

Location: Michigan

@lindsaygardnerart

whywecookbook.com

“Something I do pretty much every time, no matter what project I’m working on, is slow down and try to notice the minute details of everyday life that are so often overlooked.”

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THE PROCESS

How did your art journey begin and what led you to pursue it as a profession?

Can you tell us about your current project and what motivated you to take it on?

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Original sketch made using Blackwing pencils paired with the final book illustration.

What do you draw on for inspiration?

With the intersection of women, cooking, and art, what do you hope readers take away from reading your book?

Is there a specific story in your book that just completely blew you away?

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Original sketch made using Blackwing pencils paired with the final book illustration.

How did you discover Blackwing and how do you use them?

Is there a quote or a piece of work that inspires your creative process?

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Original sketch made using Blackwing pencils paired with the final book illustration.

Portrait photography by Smeeta Mahanti

Illustrations by Lindsay Gardner

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Tony Smith

Blackwing — Mon, 06 May 2019 21:44:53 +0000

JARVIS BOARDS

Name: Tony Smith

Pencil hand: Right

Craft: Designers and Craftsman

Brand: Jarvis Boards

Location: Austin, TX

@jarvisboards

jarvisboards.com

“The pencil allows me to sketch out and think through what the board will look like”

THE PROCESS

What do you do?

I design and craft wood paddle boards and surfboards in Austin, TX.

What does your work space look like? Where do you like to create?

My workspace changes depending on the day. Sometimes my work space is in our studio in East Austin, some days it’s at a small table inside a hip coffee shop, and other days it may be as simple as the kitchen table in my house. The inspiration for a new board design can come anywhere but it usually occurs while I’m traveling or sitting at a coffee shop in Austin. Once I finalize the design, I head to our small studio where we bring the design to life.

What role does the pencil play in your process?

The pencil is vital. I keep a journal of ideas where board concepts are sketched, changed, and refined until a new design is ready to be crafted. The pencil allows me to sketch out and think through what the board will look like before we ever start making sawdust.

Why do you choose to work with pencils and, specifically, Blackwings?

Our design process is organic and fluid across time and multiple locations. Pencils are the perfect tool for sketching and laying out any design I think of. I never know when I’m going to think of our next board concepts so if I don’t have a pencil with me at all times to memorialize the concept it may be lost. As the design is refined, the pencil allows to me to make unlimited revisions along the way. There is something magical about using Blackwings to sketch out my ideas. For starters, there is the technical quality of the pencil that is unmatched but also, the mission of supporting arts and education for future generations is something that hits close to home.

What other tools are essential to your process?

The design process is just the beginning. Once a design is created, the sketches must be turned into reality. We use a number of saws, sanders, grinders, and various other crafting tools over the course of weeks to mold each board until it is ready for it’s forever home in the water.

How do you overcome ______ block? Writer’s block, artist’s block, etc.

I’ve learned that you can’t force creativity or concepts. I like to spend time focusing and thinking about what I’d like to create then walk away from it for a while. This could mean taking a name, having a glass of wine, or spending time outdoors on the water. It is during those times “away” from trying to create with the connections are made and the creativity seems to come.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

When I was in college, I worked at a retail outdoor goods store and there was this old retired army ranger who told me, “What ever you do when you graduate, don’t get stuck in the dreary fog of uninspired living.” I couldn’t tell you the guys name if I had to and I’m unsure if that is his original quote but that one has stuck with all these years later.

Photos of Greg Simkins by Brent Broza.

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Andy Powers

Alexander Poirier — Sat, 23 Feb 2019 00:57:43 +0000

ANDY POWERS

Name: Andy Powers

Pencil hand: Right

Craft: Guitar Maker/Musician

Brand: Taylor Guitars

Location: San Diego, CA

@taylorguitars

AndyPowersInstruments.com

“My pencil is my guide-the first step in taking an idea to reality. It will give shape to a thought on paper, help work out an idea, figure measurements.”

THE PROCESS

What do you do?

I design and build instruments for musicians to make their artwork with.

What does your work space look like? Where do you like to create?

Within our factory, and duplicated in the old barn behind my home, I have a workshop filled with tools-some basic woodworking machines, and many hand tools. The flexibility of traditional tools allows me to build whatever I think up. The prototype instruments I build by hand in these traditional woodshop environments are translated into modern computer models and blueprints in order to design and build production tooling to manufacture duplicates of the prototype instrument.

What role does the pencil play in your process?

My pencil is my guide-the first step in taking an idea to reality. It will give shape to a thought on paper, help work out an idea, figure measurements. It will mark the location for the first cut of wood, the first center line, and guide until the last. Once the guitar is done, it will write the notes and words of the music the instrument will play.

Why do you choose to work with pencils and, specifically, Blackwings?

While ink can work well with paper, pencils work far better on a wood surface. As well, pencil marks offer the chance to erase and reconsider-an important quality when making something for the very first time. In my years of making instruments and writing music, I’ve never found a pencil which wrote as smoothly, marked as clearly, and held a point as well as the blackwing.

What other tools are essential to your process?

I love any tool which does its job effortlessly. Many of the tools I use were handed to me from my grandfather and great grandfather, tools which continue to work as well now as when they were first made. For me, these old hand tools and machines are essential for turning trees into music.

How do you overcome ______ block? Writer’s block, artist’s block, etc.

A great furniture maker friend, Sam Maloof, once told me the best way to overcome a creative block is to dive into the process and let the work guide your course. Take up your tools with a will, and the spark of inspiration will come. I find he was right.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

When I was young, my parents told me I should figure out what I wanted to do and go do it. And to never be afraid of or resent the work required to achieve it. Taking joy and contentment in the the work you do is a great gift.

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