I make stuff, and sometimes I write about it here.
The Twisted hard cover is totally uploaded and print-ready! I uploaded the files for both the cover and the interior on Tuesday, and the printer has already sent me an email to tell me that it’s ready to go. You efficient printers, you.
Looks like the next step will be to wait for UPS to deliver my proof copy so I can proof it. Let the thumb-twiddling begin!
So I finally had a chance to see the Hitchcock classic North by Northwest a couple of nights ago, and I noticed some things. Not necessarily things that had anything to do with the plot or the directing or the acting.
Things I noticed:
I have to admit, I wanted to see the movie mostly for the house at the end that looked an awful lot like Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater (where I work), but is not, in fact, Fallingwater (see the article by Sandy McClendon on jetsetmodern.com). We’ve had rumors going around at work that Hitchcock wanted to use Fallingwater, but wasn’t permitted to do so. I haven’t found anything on the Internet to confirm or deny those rumors, but I have found where he wasn’t allowed to film at the United Nations building so he used hidden cameras and filmed anyway.
Also, Fallingwater doesn’t need steel beams to hold up its cantilevers. We use post-tensioning instead.
Here’s another story from the Twisted: Tales to Rot Your Brain Vol. 1 book. It’s the very first story in the book and was instigated by a writing prompt from Mike Arnzen (http://www.gorelets.com) that suggested I “depict an allergy gone haywire.” So I did.
Dr. A. is quite the instigator. I’ve elaborated a little about his role on the book’s “About” page here.
Two more days to go on the Kickstarter project! Thanks again to everybody who is helping make this happen!
When I decided to print a hard cover version of the book, I figured I needed to do it right. I didn’t want something that looked cheap. I think any book with the word “Rot” in the title deserves something classy, right?
So the hard cover books will be bound in gray cloth with the book title stamped in gold foil on the spine. They will be wrapped in a full-color dust jacket, and I’ve attached the jacket image above.
Three more days to pledge on the Twisted Kickstarter project!
I’m getting a little psyched.
Got the bookmarks back from the printer, and they turned out great. They are printed on recycled, 100lb cover stock with a matte finish. The image attached will give you an idea of how they look. (Pay no attention to that messy, messy desk…)
I originally promised one physical bookmark to everyone who pledged $25 or more on the Twisted Kickstarter project, but I so lied. How about one of each? Can’t wait to send them out.
Also, anybody who pledges up to $25 will be able to download pdfs of all three.
Ten years ago on September 11, 2001, my step daughter turned 21 years old. She was young. She was 21. She had planned on spending her birthday drinking with friends. But that evening the bars were closed, for reasons beyond any 21-year-old’s control.
And suddenly it’s ten years later. So much has happened.
This morning my husband and I will be heading to the cemetery. New York and D.C. and Shanksville will be crowded with people looking for…something. A little bit of comforting, maybe.
We’ll be heading toward a small lake near a gazebo in Delmont, to a single plot of earth, far away from the crowds. And we’ll have each other.
Happy birthday, Lauren.
I’ve finished the design for the cover of the paperback version of the book, and here she is:
The white rectangle on the back will be the space for the ISBN, UPC code and the price. The QR code should take you to the Hairy Eyeballs site. (Notice I say, “should.” Until I see that puppy working with my own eyes, I’m counting on the rest of you smart phone users to do the testing for me.)
Only seven days left on the Kickstarter project! Everything comes to a head next week (Saturday, Sept. 17 at 10 am). But right now I still need $468 to hit the new target goal that will give everybody who pledges over $25 a copy of the sketchbooklet of sketches from the book. (See the previous blog post for more info.) I love the idea, and I really, really want to send out these sketchbooklets!
With the overwhelming response the book project has been getting on Kickstarter, I’m thinking we can do even more. I would be able to list the book through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. as well as keep the book’s domain (www.hairyeyeballs.com) and hosting up for an extra five years if we raise the funding goal a bit. But this doesn’t mean the project won’t be funded if this new goal isn’t reached! We’ve already reached it, and I thank every one of you lovely backers quite sincerely.
I’ve raised the new funding goal to $2,950, so if the project reaches this new goal before September 17 (or on the 17th, as long as it’s before 10 am!), everyone who pledges $25 or more will receive a limited edition physical copy of all the sketches from the book, in booklet form. Limited edition meaning, the booklets will be signed and numbered, and only available to backers of this Kickstarter project. The total number printed will be the total number of backers who pledge $25 or more. Anyone who pledges up to $25 will be able to download their copy of the booklet as a pdf.
When I sketch, I usually draw in pieces and then assemble a final composition in Photoshop. So I’m thinking the sketchbooklet will include not only the direct scans from my sketchbooks, but also the final sketches as they were reassembled in Photoshop. The image attached above is a tentative version of a two-page spread from the booklet.
The countdown is on! Only eight more days to go!
I designed a few bookmarks for backers of my Kickstarter project, and the general consensus was leaning toward the first two pictured here. I added the third design just because I think you’re cute. So that means anybody who backs this book project will receive all three of these designs, either physical or virtual, depending on your level of pledge. The designs are at the printer as we speak!
I signed up to participate in Art House Co-op‘s 2012 Sketchbook Project and picked the theme, “Stitches and folds.” I’ve been sketching some of the pages while I’m at work, and here’s the first sketch I decided to add color to. (I’ll post the color version when it’s finished.) I wanted to have some character sewing something, and I tried to come up with someone you would expect least. His name is Harley.
Probably the thing that gets me aggravated and motivated to act is when people willingly destroy the environment. I mean, c’mon, it’s the only one we have. So the one thing I wanted to strive for with the production of this book—and Hairy Eyeballs Press in general—was to be as sustainable as I possibly could.
I will be using Lightning Source to print the books and their environmentally-friendly print-on-demand model. They have received Chain of Custody certifications by the Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC®), the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification™ (PEFC™). Here are some frequently asked questions about their Chain of Custody certifications.
Lightning Source also supports compliance with the Lacey Act, a conservation law prohibiting illegally sourced wildlife, fish and plants, including paper and paper products. Here is Lightning Source’s statement about their supporting the act.
Of course, there’s always more I can do, so searching for new sustainability practices will be an ongoing commitment.
I’ve decided to launch the book as a project over on Kickstarter, and today is “Day 1” of the 45 days they’re giving me to reach my goal. I created an animation for the trailer which also doubled as the project video (see below). It stars “Doodles”, an illustration from the book.
You can leave a comment on Kickstarter if you like, and let me know what you think!