Hello Neighbor Shirts and Poster Available Now!

go here to buy now!

A moving pictorial about the making of an amazing Pictorial Printed Piece

Gadzooks! A really smart fellow we know just alerted us to this project.



Amazing!

Luckily this informative post did not take as long to make.

You can buy the unhand made version here.....
and of course if you have a a little more jingle in your jangle you can get the real deal from the printer himself!

What a beaut - I wish I didn't have to eat next month!

Find out more about the project or spend some dough with them at the Quercus Press site.

Hats off to my fellow printer - this was truly a herculean endeavor!

B. McCloud
in lieu of
H. Kneesch
Captain of industry

Nashville...and the world - congratulations you didn't get canceled Today 12-21-12

Someone asked me what's all this "As Seen on Nashville on TV" nonsense about the other day.

Well really they said, "Hey that's great why are you doing it?"

And I said, "Isn't it obvious?" And we both laughed!

But actually I think I gave a really long winded answer about public art and perception of self and ownership of ideas.  And then I really went on a long time about what it means to be aware of a moment happening in the moment.  And what that does to the moment.

And then I started talking about all the attention our city is getting and how it is changing so quickly and that we have to treasure the parts that make us unique and special as a people.

It is pretty fun to see your city in a semi made up way on tv.  Since I didn't make the story up - it seems sort of like a dream I might have of a familiar land that isn't quite how I remember it.   Though instead of Hayden Panettiere in it - it  would be my Mom or someone I haven't seen in a long time since high school.

But I digress...

As seen on Nashville!!!!
Hot damn
We made these prints so that they could be used!

Thus

Today we stopped by a few places here in Nashville that have actually been seen on Nashville the show to give them they're real prize of fame!

Our Print

It felt good to bestow our print that commemorated the event upon the people that are Nashvillians.  It really makes  the whole experience complete in my mind.

Reality to fiction to film to post production to the airwaves to my mind's reality back to shared physical reality again!  When folks started making prints to convey ideas across space and time this all would have seemed like pure fantasy to them!

And now we bring it back into this other intra-space that we all time travel on together
What a crazy world!!!!

I'm happy it is still turning
And I'm glad we have something to smile about as a group

Let us know ...if you know of a place that has been seen on Nashville and we'll try to get over there to properly celebrate.

And of course don't hesitate to pick up your own copy!  These projects are funded directly through your support.

Power to the people!

Your humble servants at Isle of Printing.

from the recent past

We are attempting to catch the digital lifestyle of electro sports monthly up with the real clock on the wall of life - hope you enjoy our trip down near memory lane.....

This print was commissioned as an original piece of art for the world premier of "HIlos" by the Latin grammy winner and Guggenhiem Fellow Gabriela Lena Frank.

Performed for the first time by Alias, the acclaimed chamber music ensemble from Nashville, Friday Oct. 1, 2010 to general acclaim and then released as a recording you can also hear via cd. What a night!

We were very excited to be involved in creating the visual representation of the music. It was a pleasure and as such I hope the art work shows that joy. This is just the sort of meeting of the minds I feel is very important to the arts and culture in general. Many thanks to Jennifer Lena and Jonathan Neufeld for making it happen.

When viewed together these prints form one of the larger pieces we have done as a multiple series to date. I like them separately as well.

19"x26" each. Approximately 38"x26" together
smoke - 3 colors
jug - 4 colors
printed on cream stock

Spirit - MTN is a reduction print, which means the blocks were carved down after each successive color was printed, so once they're gone, they're gone for good!

available now on etsy and in the shop!
print run of less than 50
signed and numbered

thanks for looking!

B. McCloud for H. Kneesch - curator to the jet stream set

Trick or treat!

Hello friends – Did you know that today the 7 billionth overly-designed word poster was posted on Etsy and then linked on pinterest?

Even though some of us can barely use the computer here at Isle of Printing – almost every night as we creep into bed - the image of today’s litter of “stay calm and do what your mama told you when you were little” spill uselessly out of our eyes and onto our pillows like little tiny typographic tears…..

Nay – It isn’t that we dislike language, type, or your friend’s designs…

We LOVE letters - and all the things they help us do. We LOVE printing and we LOVE posters.

We especially love that many fine people out there will support the folks that get up every afternoon and knock out a few prints for the fine citizens of the world-wide-craft market to enjoy.

Honest!

Yes it was a nice ride and we all enjoyed the scenery – and we have lots of posters to remind us how and what we were doing or not doing or thinking about doing – in all sorts of typefaces and printing methods and from every corner of creation.

And now I can say that I don’t know about you but I am ready for my prints to quit telling me what to think all the dang time on really nice paper.

Soooooooo

If you seek the honest and are sick of precious buy a poster and tell the world in a slightly snarky way! Fill that hole in the wall of your heart with our love. WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!
Poster measures 9"x12"

One-color letterpress print
edition of 100

ACTUALLY ON ARCHIVAL PAPER! This print is going to be around forever! And you saw it here first!!!!!!!

find it on ettttt-sy
or our very own
website

Xxoo
Hiram Kneesch

The Journey of a Linocut

We've been working hard here at the Isle, and we've got the goods to prove it!

This is our most recent poster, inspired by our love for cargo bicycles and retro advertising. To the untrained eye, this poster may look amazing. In reality, it's really freaking amazing (I can say this because I didn't carve it, Bryce did), and here's the reason why: the awesome carving process.

What starts as a twinkle in our eyes becomes a sketch, which then becomes a graphite transfer, which is applied to a block of linoleum. The linoleum is then carved and sculpted into one layer, starting with the background. Out of context, one layer doesn't look like much–but once supporting layers are added, it becomes a work of art.

This particular poster was created using the reduction method of carving, where one block is used for multiple layers. In the end, the topmost layer is all that remains of the original cut. Every layer is given a different color, and some colors show through one another to add even more depth.

Here's a line-up of each step of this poster's process:

This poster is on sale in our shop right now, and will be available soon online. Stay tuned for more hand-printed goodness from your friends at I.O.P!

-Girl Friday Röthenhofer

New News

Good new news, everyone! You can stop weeping into your pillows, Isle of Printing is back up and running from our move, like the greasy machine that we are.

We settled into our new place at 624 Ewing about a month ago. While we are still working out some of the kinks and playing Tetris with the type cases, our shop is now open, and so is our storefront (sort of)!

Of course, you can't open a storefront with nothing to sell, so we've been churning out new postery goodness, like this Evening With the Johns poster!

Personally, I think this poster is an extremely bodacious example of letterpress––not only because of Bryce's amazing illustrative SKILLZ, but also because it uses a halftone effect, which is normally a shading style reserved for silkscreening. But, who am I to say? Here's a detail shot so you can see for yourself:

So, in closing, if you wanna know how posters are born, if you want us to be the surrogate birther of the poster in your head, or if you are ready to adopt a poster or t-shirt to fill that void in your life, come on down and see us at ze good ole' I.O.P! 

–Girl Friday Rothenhöfer 

Last minute shopping for last minute posting preview!

Howdy friends - I hope the season is treating you well -

We've been busy making a few things this fall yet to see the site, but if you see something here that you'd like for a gift etc - let me know and I'll get you setup!

 I'm really excited about the Union Station print. There are only a handful of these available in a few variations.

A quick preview of  some of the pie throw prints

Oh and the Chocolart bars are back in season!!!

Olive and Sinclair Chocolate wrapped with handmade prints

$15 plus the shipping 

The Black Keys as seen through our eyes

Well friends – We are very excited to be presenting the latest Black Keys poster this weekend in Tulsa.  In a rare bit of foresight, I had our shop historian take a few pictures of the process as we hurtled towards completion.  Thanks be to the documentarian!  If you are interested we put a large pic of the poster at the end of the post.

While making this print it occurred to me that the process we use to make prints is a reflection of our values at IOP or maybe it is the other way around.   I always tell people that we are an environmentally conscious company because we try not to make useless crap.  Let’s face it -  there are faster ways to make an image appear on a piece of paper than carving 4 blocks, setting 500 individual pieces of lead type and running them all through a press one color at a time.  Knowing how much effort it takes to make it happen keeps us honest and it sure keeps us from tossing off a half-baked idea just for the hell of it.  You will have to be the judge yourself I suppose.

I hope you enjoy our little show and tell of the process of turning an idea into a genuine letterpress show poster

These prints will be on sale at the show on Sunday and here on our site Monday morning. Signed Limited edition of less than 180, 4 color hand carved letterpress posters size 26”x16” – don’t be slow or you might have to cry yourself to sleep this week.  

***************************************

The historian didn’t take any pictures of me dreaming this print up so I will describe the gist of it.  Basically we draw and draw and draw – while you are asleep – we are drawing – while you are at the bar we are drawing – then we have a great idea and all is right with the world.

After that…….

We generally sketch out the ideas in pencil – from there the image is sized up to the actual dimensions and transferred to tracing paper.  Here we are transferring the drawing to the linoleum from which we will cut the plates out of later– one plate per color.

Here is what linoleum carving looks like – if you have any ideas of what we can do with all the lino shavings IOP creates send us a note on a twenty dollar bill.  Dogs love to eat them for some reason – but I do not approve.

On to printing - after we carve all the blocks (in this case 4) we glue them onto wood and print each color one poster at a time on our Vandercook proofpress.  Generally we start with the lightest colors first.  

Mixing colors

pink is next

Our print with 2 colors

The press helps us register the prints – that is - it keeps the image printing in the same place on every poster so that we can be assured that each color will line up with the next one.

Then we did two more colors but the historian had gone home by then so there are no pictures of that. 

After the lino blocks are printed I set the type.  We are using both wood type and lead type on this print.  Some of the type is at least 100 years old.  Crazy! 

 As you can see everything is reversed on the press – a necessary function of the process – we all can read backwards very well – as you would expect the Da vinci code proved no challenge for us (save the Italian aspect) 

There is no spell check on the press but I wish there was….

After the last color we set the posters aside to dry and then sign and number them.  After that we go out for cocktails and milkshakes.

Thanks Mr Gutenberg

Hooray for Printing!

Hope you enjoy the prints – give us a shout if you have any questions and we will see you on Monday!

A few more detail shots of the final product

Giving never tasted so sweet! Show ‘em you care!

Hello Friends and Neighbors.
If you are a Nashvillian, you know how hard the recent biblical style flood has hit many folks. My cohorts at Olive and Sinclair I want to show our support for our community, as well as raise some cash for those in need.

Thus the Bail Out Bar was born.

In the tradition of our previous collaborations of art and chocolate, each handcrafted chocolate bar comes wrapped in a handmade limited edition print from our shop. It is a combination I think almost everyone can appreciate! Chocolate, art and the act of giving!

Think of it as stock in Nashville you can eat and a banner you can wave!

We hope that each bar can put a smile on someone’s face now and contribute to rebuilding our great city in the future.



Cost $10

50% of all proceeds will go straight to Hands on Nashville.

Currently available directly from Isle of Printing
Also at: Hatch Show Print, Alegria, Twist Art Gallery, and Mitchell’s Deli
(more retailers TBA - please check back)

Each 2.75 oz bar comes wrapped in a poster you can hang up to show folks we are in this together!

Give if you can and go help a neighbor if possible.

Many thanks for your help

email us at info(at)isleofprinting.com for more info or to place an order

Sincerely,
Hiram Kneesch
Isle of Printing
Nashville, Tenn

Art and Chocolate coming crashing together

Perhaps better than peanut butter and chocolate combining.......

CHOCOLART!!!!!!

AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY FROM ISLE OF PRINTING

Chocolate…we all love it, but once you eat it, it’s gone. WHAT A DRAG!

Art prints…great to look at day after day but please don’t eat them!

Alas………..if only they could be put together in some sort of union - blending their strengths into a perfect medley of giving.

Well what if we said you could!

From the makers of REALLY AMAZING chocolate at Olive and Sinclair (new local chocolatiers) and the deft little hands of the letterpress boys of Isle of Printing (printers to the stars), comes the solution to the age-old saw of having your cake and eating it, too.

That is right friends, teaming up for yet another interesting collaboration together, O.S. and I.O.P. give you the Chocolart Collectable Art print Chocolate bar. Which is quite simply a REALLY AMAZING bar of HANDCRAFTED Chocolate wrapped in what we hope to be an equally interesting hand-carved and printed COLLECTORS’ art print.

FINALLY you can give the sublime yet transient gift of chocolate but still have the staying power of a good solid piece of art.

We hope you agree with us that it might be one of the more perfect gifts to give someone you really like. Chocolate and art together? AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Right now we have 1lb bars available with 3 different collectors’ prints to choose from

All 1lb bars are the original 67% coco bars.

The Smaller 2.75 oz bars are available with the first of the Straight Talk Series Art Prints.: “HOLD FAST”
We will have this bar available in the flavors: Coffee bean, 67% coco, and Sea Salt

1lb Bars with print are $30 each
2.75oz Bars are $10 each

Pre-holiday supplies will be limited so get you’re orders in quick! First come, first served!

For delivery by the 24th we will need to have your order in by 9AM on Dec 15th Orders will be shipped on the 21st or available for pick up at the shop in Nashville. Other orders are welcome too!

please email us at info(at)isleofprinting.com with your orders and questions/comments

We look forward to hearing from you. And please check out the website and blog for other recently added art prints which are all available right now for fast holiday shipping!

www.isleofprinting.com

Many Thanks from your Friends at Isle of Printing

Hiram Kneesch




2.75oz Hold Fast Bar



Lady Biker 1lb Bar



Biker Dude 1lb Bar



Much Obliged 1lb Bar

33 views of Mt Fuji

Though I love them all like a good father should, here is the fanciest poster we have made this year. A 7 color reduction linocut and letterpress print to celebrate the world premiere of Trey Anastasio’s “Time Turns Elastic”. Very subtle colors which the web will not do justice. Very exciting stuff...if you happen to like prints.

Signed by the artist Bryce McCloud, Limited edition of 325
I watched most of them go away in two hours and the rest are going fast so get one before they are gone.

$50

Moto-heaven is heaven

I can tell you from honest experience that LOOKING at motorcycles is infinitely easier to do than actually OWNING motorcycles. In a similar vein, advertisers have long known that dull things look better with motorcycles hanging around. Where you and I fall along the continuum I’ll let you decide for yourself.

But one thing I can say for sure is that it is too late for us at Isle of Printing! We are obsessed with motorcycles!!!…looking, touching, riding and if the gods smile on us - making pictures all about motorcycles.

Which reminds me of a most usual and seldom told story about the origins of the shop from whence I type. Imagine with me if you will a hot afternoon some years ago. On this hot day a youngish Hiram Kneesch developed the most awful pain in his head, the likes of which he had never experienced. Delirious, he stumbled down to the chemist. Though all the usual suspects were bought and consumed, no respite did he receive. In immense pain and not knowing what to do next, he lay down in the street and determined to let fate take the reins. Predictably a few near misses with autos ensued. Less predictably a churlish little man appeared right above our protagonist. Shaded by the interloper, Hiram sat up and told the fellow his plight.

After a moment of consideration, the old boy said well I’ve got the answer but your going to have to trust me. As oft is the case with folks these days, Hiram was willing to take a few liberties in the safety department with the hopes of a quick remedied. So when the gent pulled out a small ax and made intimations to take a whack at Hiram’s pate…well Hiram remained sanguine. And wouldn’t you know it
The street surgeon did just that. Whack! One fine chop and the stranger split open Hiram’s skull! And rather than being worse off than before or dead Hiram felt great.

Honestly!
But here is the interesting part for today

As fate would have it when Hiram’s head was cracked open to relieve his ache both a British motorcycle and a printing press sprang forth. Not the first British motorcycle in the world, nor the first press but 2 very nice examples of both items. And as you can guess Hiram was destined to love both equally for all time.

And eventually be slave to them both

So you can imagine how superb it is for us that every year Isle of Printing is asked to make a poster for the Nashville TonUp club, a club specializing in the love of British motorcycles.

Witness below the fifth in a continuing series of prints to celebrate loving to look at and ride the motorcycle. For all of its flaws and all of it favors. Dullards you can make your life look 10000 times better than it is and bike lovers help us afford our continuing addiction



At the moment extremely limited supplies of the gem (less than 20) and the second part of the run to be completed at some future date

$40 for the first run and no back talk when you waited too long and you get the second batch 6 years from now.

Tee for Tennessee

Dolly Parton…
Did you know she was the inspiration for creating a program to make sure all children in Tennessee have access to books so that they might cultivate a love of reading? And I think she knows Burton Reynolds. Why wouldn’t she be your hero?

You could buy a shirt. Don’t make us ask, Tennessee is the volunteer state.




Available in Pretty Prim Plum (ladies S,M, and L)
and
Mountain Man Teal (S,M,and L)
On your favorite Appalachian apparel shirts
Price $20 plus shipping
please include size, Men's/Women's and color preference

Speed dial this for trouble!

Leave us alone already! After much outcry and public haranguing we at Isle of Printing have bent to popular will and have made available for the first time ever a public safety tool par excellence. Not to be taken lightly, this device’s power is inversely proportionate to its size (and it is a wee small thing). Wear it with both pride and a grave sense of civic responsibility because after all Honey bear IS watching and I THINK he is our friend but I am not absolutely certain.

Unleash its power at your own peril and definitely to the mortal danger of those who are riding on the bad track.

Honey bear is Watching official Deputy Pin Badges


Only one dollar plus shipping!…Why? Because safety should bear no higher bar.

Johnny Cash Memorial Blvd.

My right hand man Bryce is from just down the road in Hendersonville, Tenn. Johnny Cash wasn’t born there, but he made it is his home and eventually left this world from that same soil.

We here at Isle of Printing think Ole JC was a pretty good ambassador for our neck of the woods. Like a lot of folks, he grew up a little rough around the edges, made mistakes, but kept at it. Through his persistence and faith in purer things, he gave us all a little glimpse at wisdom in the shape of simplicity.

Even though the record biz seems to do a pretty good job at supplying the world with a never-ending supply of Johnny Cash ephemera. We thought we would try for a hometown tribute to a hometown hero.

The second in our series of 52 Pennants celebrating things we feel are worthy to make pennant about.

IN LOVING MEMORY JOHNNY CASH

$30 plus shipping