Text Project version 2

An idea, researching now, experimenting too.

The idea of being part of one of the Bristol arts trails next year, North, South or West, either. Showing and selling a series of repetitive works, the kind I love, the ‘serious stuff’, full of compulsion, happy accidents, flow, doing the same thing over and over and really boring myself, like a factory worker. I love the task ahead of creating a large body of work. To frame and exhibit and sell. Then I imagined the space and all this seriousness. There’s lots of beige and white.

I realise there is a bit of a schizophrenic within my artist self. One half the above and one half fun, fancy-dress, silly things to make you smirk, color and vibrancy. It would be good to see the two sides represented in an exhibition, but perhaps under another name. The things I want to make as this second half are usable, aimed at adults, for adults to play. And at the same time being things for the cool kids to have. Pop-up signs, elaborate wigs, old man masks, vegetable and weather fancy dress, fake poo’s in different colours. All of that and more.

 

So I’m starting with lettering, making words on sticks for people to spell out different words. I like the idea of them being 3D, but this is proving impossible to find on the internet. All I found was this one guy’s attempt: (see his blog here)

but as he says, the curved letters are near impossible, and it’s all very fiddly. More searching found me this…

A wonderful person made a font! Free and downloadable from here: at DaFont He’s got around the issue of the curves by making everything not curvy.

(This font is a set of cut-out layouts with which you can build 3D pixel style letters. They should all work. Just cut along the solid lines, fold along the dotted lines, put some glue on the shaded flaps, stick them together and there you go… If you want to use this for commercial projects, please contact me: tobias (dot) sommer (at) gmx (dot) ch )

No printer here, but I’m going to copy down the net onto cardboard and have a try myself, get that trusty old scalpel out.

Here’s what I’m trying to make, but in 2D version. I couldn’t find any thing stick-like in my studio, (and I just had the idea that using an actual stick, painted…Would be really nice) So I’ve used a dental mirror. I came across these at a strange market stall selling mostly nuts and bolts. They are extendable and have a tiny rounded mirror on them.

Etsy – again

So who’s going to buy a piece from my Text Project? I’m so ready to make my first online sale…

Text Project on Etsy

I’ve just got to grips with Etsy and listed lots of my Text Project pieces for sale.

This work involves a love of process and feature satisfying, repetitive actions. Each letter is painstakingly decorated with hand drawn lines, then hand cut with a scalpel.

Perfect for Christmas, birthdays or the home. AND this ‘stock clearance’ means it’s all discounted. Thanks for looking!

Lucy’s Text Project shop on Etsy

Text Project

By taking quirky and inspiring mottos and sayings, mixing them with my own process of entering a dazed state of making through repetitive actions, this is my Text Project. I often have a market stall the Tobacco Factory Sunday markets, and various school fetes throughout Bristol.

Each piece is completely unique, with the lines drawn free-hand and each letter is hand cut. I use vivid-colored card for each design and a good quality mount. A simple yet elegant design for the home, and all made lovingly in Bristol

I have lots of popular pieces in stock. As well as this, I offer a bespoke service, so feel free to commission me.

I charge £6 for each 4” tall letter, and the mounting is at cost-price, i.e. an A3 sized piece would cost around £8 to mount. I arrange framing through Niche Frames, Bristol who can offer a large and varied range of framing options. 

If you live out of Bristol, the cost of postage and packaging will be around £10 depending on the size of piece you select, although i prefer to hand-deliver as the work is easily damaged in the post. I will deliver for free if you live in the Bristol area! 

if there is anything you‘d like to ask, feel free: 

hello@lucybarfoot.co.uk

The Text Project at Planet Pizza

Hurrah! My work is up in Planet Pizza Bishopston, Bristol. I am being honest here, I have never tasted a more delicious pizza, they are incredible! Not only are they incredible, but they have a fantastic deal: buy 1 pizza get 1 free from Sunday – Wednesday 5-7pm & all day on Mondays for students with a valid id card.

The artwork is being displayed as a Valentines Exhibition, all pieces are for sale, at good prices -

small sizes (about 5″ tall) are £15
the larger frames are £20
and there are two big pieces in wooden frames are £35

Click here to be redirected to my website where you can see all the pieces I have in stock! 

All the other frames have been saved from being chucked, restored, polished and repainted.

I have many more text project pieces, and lots more Valentines ones too.

LO
VE

LO
VE

Christmas Cards 2009

Trying to get Xmas things done and out the way, and trying to find some enjoyment in it by not leaving it to the last minute.

Here’s my Christmas card idea:

Text Project commissions & smaller font

 Blimey, commissions are flying in for my text project! I created a very special half-size piece for a friend. (not something I am going to offer up to customers – it was so fiddly!) And i kept the waste intact, to create a kind of stencil. I like using everything all up – making use of wastage, so let’s see what I can make with this.

And dear blog readers, it is Christmas soon! What would make a better present than something handmade, and if you haven’t got time, I can make something on your behalf! Any word/saying/quote. £6 per letter + the cost price of mounting + wrapping. And if you are in the Bristol area, I hand-deliver for free.

I have recently completed a few ‘love’ pieces, and some nice girly named artworks.  it’s nice when people commission me, otherwise I always use the same colors and feel like it gets a bit tired.

Nurture

A nice chap who bought an ‘OK’ text project piece at the exhibition last week asked me for a favor – the word ‘Nurture’ in my font/text quickly sketched out on photoshop. Done.

Text Project update

My text project is going well… after having a stall at the Redland Girls School Fete, I received three commissions, one for someone who wanted a present for a christening – ‘Zoe Grace’, and two commissions for a gift: ‘Love’ and ‘Peace’

I have discovered that selling at markets is more successful whent he customer feels like they are part of the making process – if they are supplying me with the word, and I go away and make it for them, it’s a whole lot more personal and meaningful. It’s bespoke.

I’m going to continue with this ‘commissioning stall’ as opposed to a stall where I have all my stock for sale. And in all future stalls, I will be sat creating the work infront of all market-goers. It’s important that people see I have drawn the lines on myself, it’s not just pretty paper !

Holly, Adrian and I had a stall at the ‘Queen Elizabeth Country Park’ Show, which is in Petersfield, and which was a complete disaster. It was raining so heavily, it was misty, there was a really poor turnout, no one was particullarly interested in our stall, which kept nearly falling down. Holly sold one piece, the money recieved was paid back to the train guard when she got charged on the train… and I had a rainy two and a half hour car journey back to Bristol with a car full of damp artwork.

We’re seeing this as ‘research’, we know now to not leave Bristol, there’s so many different opportunities for us here.

Redland Girls Summer Fete + Lucy Survey

ARE YOU CALLED LUCY? The online survey is up online, please take part if you are called luck, and please don’t if you are not called Lucy! Here’s the link: How lucky are people called Lucy

This Saturday I had a stall at the Redland Girls School Summer fete. What a gorgeous school! Claire and I set up the most delightful table, the ‘Love’ and ‘Laugh’ are the first two text pieces I ever made, It was nice to have them be part of this. I was commissioned for three artworks (amazing!!!) and had a lovely day out in the sun with my friend

Here’s the stall:

And a caretaker let me photograph his amazing key bunch:

Walcot Street Market in Bath

Yesterday, my friend Holly and I set up a stall at the Walcot Street Market in Bath. It was a beautiful day, and our first time selling on a stall together. It worked really well, we think our illustration and artwork is not too similar to drown each other, and not too different either. The work contrasts and compliments each other.

We aquired stand-things from a lovely lady called Rachel. She had 2 great tables, tablecloths, card stands, boxes to lean prints on and a trestle to hold more prints. As this was my first market stall, it was great to be lent everything we’d need, otherwise the cost of all that would have outweighed the profit. I may have to look into getting some of this equipment if I choose to persue selling at stalls. We also put up some beautiful bunting which my nan made for me, and pegged some greeting-cards to the front of the table.

The location was pretty good, not excellent though. the hussle and bussle of Bath was at the end of the road, and all the passers by were just doing that – passing by. Our stall did catch some peoples eye, but we were not pitched in the main market area, which could have made it more successful, but who knows. We’re planning on trying out another market in Bath soon, we’re trying to find the one which suits our work best, has the right people attending it, and is the most successful.

Holly’s website is HERE and she keeps a lovely blog on blogspot HERE. The ‘Walcot Street market’ is also called the ‘Bath flea market’ and HERE is a link to more info about it for sellers

Mono printing

I have been working pretty hard on my ‘Text Project’ and needed some escape from that. I’ve chosen it to be mundane and repetitive, and I love that, but sometimes I do need to release some more creativity within some other format. And yesterday, this came through mono printing. I used my little roller, and a piece of acetate to ink up, it’s so easy and mess-free. I used some sequins too, and got involved with drawing a lot of small squares, again – very repetitive, I can’t get away from it! The little pictures are not hanging on a washing-line type of structure in my studio – I have always wanted a studio with things hanging from washing lines, and now I have it. I’m so lucky.

King Collage and Words

I am feeling like i really need to make some collages. This was the first in years. Nice scary faced man.

I’ve started a new cut-out-text piece, quite fittingly it says ‘This Is It’ but i’m trying to this of other good things to spell out. Nothing too cheesy, something life-affirming maybe, but short. Or nice words, or meaningful words. What do you think? Please help!
Things i have thought of so far:
Home
Enjoy
Relax
Sexy
Yum yum
Yes
Crap
Shhhhh
Hello