[type] for a sunny day

Exploration of the day was to try turning my handwriting (uppercase) into a font.

“Sherbert” because that’s what a theatre studies & drama teacher nicknamed me back in VJC. He had the loveliest British accent, and we would recognise it with a jolt when the BMW ads were screened in cinemas.

I cheated though. All I did was make the letters into vectors for now, which I’m sure will give strict typophiles the heebeejeebees. Was just curious to see how it would work initially. Know that there’s tons to do and refine if I really want to make a font (not even going to try for an actual typeface yet) and have to start reading up.  Suggestions on books / sites / programmes are always welcomed.

Snapped this with hipstamatic a year back when I was headed down the stairs from Old School for my lunch break. Singapore’s sun is unforgiving, but photographs like a handsome matriarch.

space gymnast

While sorting through a year’s worth of photos, I remembered this visual game I used to play randomly – yoking together photos from different events with a theme, thinking of a song / music that fits it, then feeling what sort of typeface would match it. Sometimes I’d finish, sometimes I wouldn’t and picked it up another time.  My mental gymnastics on the train ride home.

Hearts all around my feet
Don’t you ever sweep the street
If they still can keep a beat
Hands holding other hands
….
One night a meteor came to my door
And he asked me to dance
….
full lyrics

Typeface: airplane by Kady Jesko at losttype.com
Photo 1 : Hanging lights at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore after a birthday dinner.  2011
Photo 2: Fairy lights in a tree, Mayfair, London after work & Sunday service. 2012
Song: “Meteor” from “Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future” by The Bird + The Bee

 

alphabet soup is the brain’s hulahoop

When I’m ill, I love drinking chicken alphabet soup. It’s the epitome of under-the-weather comfort. Which is why when my brain felt sick and dreary last year, I figured nonsensical alphabet rhymes would help prode my mind gently into creative shape.

Like the rest of mankind, I started with A, and took my time to dawdle down the alphabet lane.
I’d say they’re a nod to Edward Gorey and Lewis Carroll, but mine are still seedlings to their oaks.

I’ve gotten up to P. Here’re some of my favourites so far:

a is for arthur
who made a quick dash,
tripped over a walrus
& drowned with a splash.

e is for ellie
who liked her weed pie,
gobbled 3 dozen at one shot
& entered heaven all high.

h is for hannah
who played house in a box,
tried being a Hoover,
choked on a striped sock.

n is for nelly
who felt the world was too bright,
bought a bucket of squid soot,
painted herself a nice night.

[goodtimes] dr. seuss prescribes

kris kringle // dec ’10

frame: ikea
postcard: gogo rama
quote: dr. seuss
old-school dymo label-maker: can’t remember which stationery shop

triangular dreams

Got to love Computer Arts’ iPhone app, Visulator. Good for creating that quick wallpaper you wanted or giving you electric triangle dreams.

You start off with blank sheet and a crosshair. A few taps later, voila!

CROSS-APP POLLINATION: After instagram-ing it:

Excess Baggage

After 4 consecutive days at home, I finally stepped out to get dinner today. I’d forgotten how many people exist. Especially in Singapore. Some people get jetlag, I get peoplelag. Kind of need time to adjust back.

That aside, I finally unwrapped the Silhouette book I bought from Kino last year (with wonderful wonderful vouchers from my friends), and was browsing through it to use it for one of my projects and ended up toying around.

Isn’t it back-breaking work to be a flamingo? Hah. More seriously, the girl on the flamingo was part of a dream that I had once. You heard of Getaway car? This was Getaway Flamingo. Okay, but enough of weird dreams. Back to work again!

A postcard to more

Recently, I’ve been staring at my wall a lot.

I’ve a pile of postcards stuck on it, and sometimes I wonder if I could step into one of those postcards and live out that world.

That, however, is not why I’ve been staring at the wall behind my laptop a lot. It’s because my focus likes to skip out on me, and leave my eyes to glaze over. While that was happening today, my glazed-over eyes noticed it’s been a (shamefully) long time since I dusted off my postcards. So I did.

As I was dusting + sneezing + reminiscing where I bought each postcard – mostly in Europe months and months ago – it occurred to me that it’d fun to do a little research on each artist/photographer.

You know, take a look at their other work. Find out what they did/do/were known for. Where were they from. Why did they take that picture. My curiosity tends to poke me to wonder about all that. So in good time, I plan to set about checking one postcard/illustration out at a time.

( But for now, I’d better catch up on my projects for my exams. )

Some postcards/photos on my wall:

[sketches] I’m sorry the little bitch on uranus went on a hiatus

I Never Get It Right

Sketches along the way for curlyfry . My exams are in 17 days and I suppose it’s high time I started panicking.

In other matters, life’s pretty much like the peppermint tea I had a few weeks back. It tastes so good, until you’ve had too much of it unknowingly and the next thing you know, it’s 4am and you still can’t sleep!

The Little Bitch on Uranus

At Least It Leaves a Note

curly fries + shared resolutions

So, Squid and I sat down the first January friday – one of those tabula rasa, blank-slate days –  and decided on our resolutions. We came up with a shared resolution: To doodle something every week and post it up on Wednesdays.

Since we happily munching on McD’s twister fries (FRIES ARE LOVE) then, the tumblr blog’s ended up being called CURLYFRY.

squid's monsters

mine: sally-ann & her goldfish

The good thing about doodles is that they don’t have to be pretty, they don’t have to be proportionate….they can be perfectly ugly. We just wanted to keep our pens moving and scrawl our days out.

So if you feel like scribbling odd ends most weeks, come join us!

[sketch] Wong, A. likes Earl Grey

Doodling after family dinner yesterday. Was with the dad and listening to him talk about the stock market while we waited for the mom + sis.  My chinese tea was way too strong, to the point that it was just bitter brew. But I still drank it.

Anyway, after doodling A. Wong’s ugly (according to my dad) face out, this is how he appears to be like :

Fav books : Lord of the Flies,  Animal Farm (Orwell). Always wears grey, canvas boots. Detests eggplants. Cuts his own hair (w/ his favourite blue bowl). Never smiles for photos as a principle. Likes strong black tea, plain.

And his favourite tea is Earl Grey. Mmmm, it just seems so.