The custom letterpress tags and business cards we made for Printsmith couldn’t have been a more enjoyable project for us! When i was writing about the business cards we made for BURNISH + BONE, i mentioned the fact that it was really an emotional journey for me. Well this time around, everything went along smoothly from the beginning to the end!
First of all, i really like the design of Printsmith’s logo and i instantly new it’d look wonderful letterpress printed! The card stock choice was also good. I usually like working with the sparkling bright white card stock, but this time Printsmith’s Dora chose the porcelain-white one and it was definitely the best choice.
Here are the short technical details for both the custom letterpress square cards and business cards for Printsmith:
– 450gsm China White card stock, one side printing, 9 x 5 cm, black ink for the business cards
– 450gsm China White card stock, one side printing, 7 x 7 cm, black ink for the custom letterpress cards / tags
Custom letterpress tags and business cards for PrintsmithCustom letterpress tags and business cards for PrintsmithCustom letterpress tags and business cards for PrintsmithCustom letterpress tags and business cards for PrintsmithCustom letterpress tags and business cards for PrintsmithCustom letterpress tags and business cards for PrintsmithCustom letterpress tags and business cards for Printsmith
Visit Printsmith’s website and check out the cool, unique items they make. Creativity at its finest! Printsmith’s designers “have shunned the idea of perfection in place for character, charm and individuality”.
The Funky Studio team wishes you, as always, a colorful day!
The interview with Ali ofBURNISH + BONE Osteological Taphonomy follows the article in which i talked a little about creating her custom letterpress business cards. I promised then i would be back with inside info directly from the crafter herself. Luckily she accepted to share her story and details regarding the not so common activity she does.
BURNISH + BONE is all about cleaning and preserving animal bones, skulls, claws, tusks, teeth and horns for hunters, pet owners, collectors and enthusiasts. This is something that would catch anyone’s attention, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg! Ali’s interview will reveal a bunch of interesting details about this activity, so without further ado, please enjoy the read!
“I received some beautiful custom letterpress business cards.”
1. Tell us something about yourself as a person and also as an artist and a crafter.
I love a good story, especially a good mystery. I think that’s why I like bones — they leave so much to the imagination, you can’t help but create stories around them. Likewise, artifacts of the past invariably teach us about our history, but also our present, and maybe our future. Preserving those moments and stories and learnings to share with other people so that they may feel and learn in their own ways is what really motivates me as an artist and craftsperson.
2. How did you start your business and how did you choose to create the particular items that you make? How did you first get interested in this field?
My business started as hobby that I learned for myself as a young person. When I was a teenager, my grandfather gave me a bear skull from a hunting expedition of his. I was delighted! However, after some time, I noticed it started to discolour and decay. I was desperate to preserve the thing, and so I taught myself how. Long story short, I fell in love with the process and kept doing it more and more. I guess I found a bit of niche market of people who dig it as much as I do.
3. Can you share a little inside info on the actual process of getting the skulls and bones to a finished sellable product? Basically the short version of the journey they go through from the time they get to you and until they leave your studio.
This usually depends on the state that I receive the specimen. If it is still fleshy, it lives outside for a while in a special box to let nature’s little critters clean it up as much as possible for me. This can sometimes take three months given the “freshness” of the skull. Once I think it’s had enough, I bring it in for a lot of soaking in different solutions of environmentally-friendly agents to degrease the bone from the inside out. Once the skull is nearly transparent, I leave it to dry in the sun for a period of time to whiten. Then I start detailing it; gluing the teeth back in, etc. As well as applying several protective finishes to the final product to give it a nice lustre and to protect it from water damage. No paint, no bleach, no varnish. Ick.
“that’s why I like bones — they leave so much to the imagination, you can’t help but create stories around them.”
4. What would you say are the main aspects that characterize your work?
Water. Soap. and Glue. My studio always has this funky, sweaty, fresh laundry smell.
5. As an artist, crafter and seller, what were the biggest struggles you had to deal with in the past, but also at present?
The traditions we hold for the dead are very firmly sequestered in people’s minds, and getting people to open up to new perspectives of memorializing the deceased are challenging in their delicate and emotional nature.
6. What is the accomplishment you’re most proud of regarding your work?
Simply providing people with a new way to share and remember their stories and memories, and allowing them to proudly display the remains of their fallen animal brothers, rather than stowing them away in a dusty urn is a reward. For me, it’s like giving breath to the dead.
7. What are your plans for the future of your business?
I would like to have more retail stock for collectors to balance my commission-based work.
8. What did you purchase from Funky Box Studio and / or Funky Print Studio?
I received some beautiful custom letterpress business cards.
9. How did you come by FBS / FPS? (recommendation, google search, etsy etc.)
I saw them on Etsy and thought, “Romania? Cool!”
10. Please tell us your general opinion on the purchased items.
So so so impressed. Really, they are precisely what I wanted. Service, quality… everything, five stars. Top notch.
11. Also, what did you think of your interaction with FBS / FPS from a customer service point of view?
Communicating with Andreea was like talking with my best friend. I could tell she was genuinely concerned about the outcome of my business cards, and wanted to make sure I was 100% happy. And she did :) I am 120% happy!
Double sided letterpress business cards BURNISH + BONE
June is here and we all know what that means: summer holiday and floral mood board inspiration! Between letterpress printing, business cards, wedding invitations, stationery and die cutting, the Funky Studio team is trying a timid attempt to talk about summer holiday plans. I, for one, am already dreaming of sandy beaches and blue seas!
“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” (John Lubbock)
After publishing the interview with Femke, the artist behind Dutch Origin Design by FEM, it’s time i talked a little about the whole creation process of her custom letterpress business cards.
As mentioned in the interview, these business cards were the very first that Charlotte (our Heidelberg Tiegel letterpress printing machine) and us ever made. We officially opened Funky Print Studio and this website on the 1st of March, but we actually got our printing machine at some point at the end of last year. That was when Femke contacted us initially only looking for personalized hang tags and boxes. Well one thing led to another and the initial order was upgraded with some simple and elegant double sided printed letterpress business cards.
It was a bit of a challenge since it was our very first time printing on our Heidelberg, but the letterpress business cards turned out beautiful!
Short technical details of the custom letterpress business cards for Dutch Origin Design by FEM:
– 450gsm Snow White card stock, double sided printing, 8.5 x 5.5cm, black ink
Polymer plate
It was late at night, there was no light and i kept taking photos with my phone… hence the photo quality. However, i didn’t want to miss any moment of Charlotte’s first custom letterpress business cards.
Double sided letterpress business cards for Dutch Origin Design by FEMDouble sided letterpress business cards for Dutch Origin Design by FEMDouble sided letterpress business cards for Dutch Origin Design by FEMDouble sided letterpress business cards for Dutch Origin Design by FEMDouble sided letterpress business cards for Dutch Origin Design by FEMDouble sided letterpress business cards for Dutch Origin Design by FEMDouble sided letterpress business cards for Dutch Origin Design by FEM
Femke is an incredibly talented artist and crafter and you can find out more about her story in her interview that she was kind enough to do. Also, visit Femke’s website to see her creations!
The Funky Studio team wishes you, as always, a colorful day!
