In the fall of 2009 I found a small antique Line O Scribe
sign press machine at an estate sale. I didn't know what I would do with it, but I bought it. When I called my friend and
mentor that night to tell him what I had found he said, “That’s a game changer.”
He was right.
Sign press machines like this were used in stores to make
posters, signs and tags. It uses movable type like a letterpress but the ink
delivery method is different and they were not made to leave a strong imprint
like a letterpress machine. I played around with it but mostly it was shelved UNTIL
Two winters later I found a giant one just like it at an
antique store. Had I not bought the
small one I would have never even paid attention. I won’t even tell you what I
paid for it because you would hate me. It came with 5 full font sets. It is the
heaviest thing I own next to my car.
It was an antiquing weekend and the next day I picked up a
stack of antique atlases. I heard “You Can Go Your Own Way” in the car on the
way home and it was one of those giant light bulb moments.
I now have 6 saying in the series, they are all song lyrics
about direction and I print them on the pages of antique atlas. They have
been super popular in my etsy store and have subsidized my art career so that I
was able to quit my day job.
I have started to use the letters in my fine art as well.
My
goal for 2013 is to design my own type and have it made into letters I can use
with my sign press. Anyone with ideas on this…I would love to hear from you!
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