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Posted by Jason Urban on March 3rd, 2010 | 
There’s been a lot of talk in the past months about Avatar, the James Cameron CGI blockbuster. Even if you haven’t seen it (which I admit I haven’t), you’d have to be living under a rock to not have heard about the film and its digitally-generated, blue-skinned stars, the Na’vi. The recent announcement of nine Academy Awards nominations including art direction and visual effects (not to mention best picture) has put the film back in the spotlight.
What does any of this have to do with Printeresting? Well, the production company Legacy Effects actually used 3D printing to generate models to test lighting for every scene in the movie. The technology was supplied by Objet Geometries, manufacturer of ultra-thin-layer, high-resolution 3D printing systems for rapid prototyping and rapid manufacturing. Printing technology helping to win Oscars… who knew?
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Posted by Jason Urban on November 23rd, 2009 | UPDATE (11/25): Here’s a link to the new web home of PROCEED & BE BOLD!.
Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. is the subject of Proceed and Be Bold!, a really great documentary that takes viewers on a journey through this unique letterpress printer’s life and work. Interviews with the artist himself, as well as his family, friends, and acquaintances, come together to form a compelling portrait of a complex man. Here’s the trailer…
Having just watched the film a few days ago, it’s quite inspirational and I highly recommend it. The film documents Kennedy’s amazing racially and socially-charged posters and performances, and it communicates his serious commitment to tradition and the handmade object. With Kennedy as the common ground, the story intertwines two seemingly disparate elements- the civil rights movement and the history of letterpress printing. Using the language of the past, Kennedy’s work speaks volumes about the present. There are some seriously funny moments, too, and a cameo appearance by Hatch Show Print. Track down a copy of this DVD.
The full-length film is produced and directed by Laura Zinger of Brown Finch Films and was released in 2008. Unfortunately, BFF’s website appears to be down currently but you can click here to see Kennedy’s prints.
You can see some pics of Kennedy’s posters after the jump… Continue reading Proceed and Be Bold!
Posted by Jason Urban on August 14th, 2009 | I’m always a sucker for examples of printmaking/science fiction cross-over. A brand new Total Recall poster by Tyler Stout goes on sale today.
Posted by Jason Urban on July 10th, 2009 | Time to print…lights out! Antiquated printing technology meets eighties sci-fi aesthetic in this special Tron-niversary Edition of DIY Friday. Enjoy…
Continue reading DIY Friday: Pimp My Press
Posted by Jason Urban on July 9th, 2009 | Some may call him “Lebowski,” but Jeff Bridges will always be “Flynn” to Printeresting.
It was twenty seven years ago, on July 9, 1982, that the world was introduced to the visionary science fiction film Tron. The movie offered many their first notion of The Computer as Environment, presenting the computer as a place as much as an object or tool. Tron pioneered digital technology in film-making (though according to Wikipedia, the Motion Picture Academy refused to nominate Tron for special effects because they considered the use of computers ‘cheating’).
Director Steven Lisberger “was immediately fascinated by video games and wanted to do a film incorporating them… He was frustrated by the clique-ish nature of computers and video games and wanted to create a film that would open this world up to everyone.” Hmmm… a community’s “clique-ish nature” causing its own marginalization. Sound familiar, printmakers?
Here are some silkscreened posters…
 Brad Klausen, Tron Poster for Alamo Drafthouse, Silkscreen (w/ glow-in-the-dark ink!), 24″x36″, 2008.
 Kayrock & Wolfy, Untitled, Silkscreen, 26′x20″, 2001.
Continue reading Tron-niversary!
Posted by Jason Urban on June 23rd, 2009 | Summer is for big-budget blockbusters… or so we’re regularly told. Here’s a more low key approach to Hollywood.
Film The Blanks is “an ongoing experiment to abstract and/or reduce film posters.” John Taylor takes pre-existing film posters and filters them through a minimalist design lens, reducing them to the bare essentials. Taylor, intentionally or not, makes a strong case for the importance of graphic design and print media in establishing a film’s identity in the minds of viewers. While it’s fun to figure out what movies go with what poster (it’s actually a game on the website), most fare successful as enigmatic abstractions. Here are some of the more recognizable ones…
 A selection of Taylor’s minimized posters are available for purchase as digital prints.
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Posted by Jason Urban on May 21st, 2009 | All About Prints is a 55-minute documentary about printmaking that will be shown on American Public Television around the country. Printeresting broke the news of this mainstream embrace of our humble subculture* back in this November post. Things have been quiet since then due to the various legalities of televisionland but finally, the release appears to be in sight. All About Prints is set to begin airing in select markets this very month with a DVD release scheduled for next month! No info is available online regarding times, stations, etc., but we’ll let you know if/when we learn more.
From the APT All About Prints press release…
All About Prints invites novices and experienced collectors alike to explore the art of printmaking — from the 15th-century woodcuts of Albrecht Dürer to Paul Revere’s hand-colored engraving of The Boston Massacre to Andy Warhol’s iconic silkscreens of Marilyn Monroe.
This new public television special, produced by Stereopticon Pictures, takes a broad approach to printmaking, from the wider history of prints in Western art to key landmarks of printmaking in the U.S. Influential curators from Christie’s New York, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, MOMA, the British Museum in London and the Whitney Museum of American Art, collectors, dealers, printmakers and artists provide a deeper understanding of the centuries-old art form with detailed explanations about printmaking terms and techniques.
*In another APT nod to niche subculture, fans of noodling (bare-handed catfish catching) will be happy to know that the sequel documentary to Okie Noodling has also finally made it to television! In the appropriately named Okie Noodling II, Bradley Beesley “returns to his home state of Oklahoma to chronicle the sport’s evolution over the last decade.” Today is a good day for the outsiders!
Posted by Jason Urban on March 28th, 2009 | A break from SGC… For those of you who still shudder when you see a birdfeeder, Hitchcock’s classic, The Birds, celebrates it’s 46th birthday today! Here’s an inspired etching/aquatint by Owen Freeman…
Posted by Jason Urban on March 6th, 2009 | Democracy in action at Printeresting. As if our comments section and gmail account weren’t enough, we’re finally using polling technology to collect valuable data. Let your voice to be heard! You can only pick one so choose wisely.
[polldaddy poll=1427970] Poll Currently Unavailable
Posted by Jason Urban on February 25th, 2009 | Living in Austin has it’s perks… one of them is South by Southwest- for those who don’t know it’s a citywide music, film, and media festival that brings artists from all over the country and world to the capitol of Texas.
This year, Died Young Stayed Pretty is a film directed by Eileen Yaghoobian that is having two screenings (3/14, 3/18) during the festival. According to the design magazine Print, Helvetica paved the way for this new brand of art/design doc (Amze did a review of Helvetica a while back). Let’s hope these are just the beginning.
The film spotlights the American rock music poster subculture. From the website…
Died Young Stayed Pretty is a candid look at the underground poster culture in North America. This unique documentary examines the creative spirit that drives these indie graphic artists. They pick through the dregs of America’s schizophrenic culture and piece them back together. What you end up with is a caricature of the black and bloated heart that pulses greed through the US economy.
Here’s the trailer…
On a related note, SXSW also features Flatstock- a poster convention produced in conjunction with the American Poster Institute. Should be interesting.
(Via Luanne Stovall)
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