Map Ink Blog

Our studio is just a couple miles from the Boston Marathon finish line, it’s one of the things I look forward to every year. Especially this year when there will be more fans cheering on the runners than ever, (this year I’d hug every single runner if I could). We have been asked for a few years to make a Boston Marathoner Map Print and we are finally doing it. The cool thing is that we are personalizing our Boston Marathoner Map Print for the runners. The idea came after my friend Holly had us do a series of Personalized Map Prints for her Marathon-running sister-in-law. It was really fun to do and the story the prints tell of travel and athleticism is really inspiring. We loved making the above prints for Tenely, here is a little about her running life: “I’m Tenley Ludewig, 39, and I’ve been running since I started track in middle school.  I ran my first marathon at 28 when I learned a number of my friends had run them and I wanted to see if I could do one as well.  My first was the Marine Corps Marathon in my hometown of DC and it was memorable not only because it was my first but because my family all came out to cheer me on.  In the last five years, I have trained with Capital Area Runners, a group with a very established coach.  I have completed three more marathons during this time.  I hate training in the winter, so I have not raced Boston yet, but I will one day when I get a thick skin.  I enjoyed the last six miles of Boston helping my friend come in back in 2012 and that was exhilarating.” My favorite thing about this photo is that...

One ways I’ve been breaking free from my creative block is stepping away from computer illustration. I love my vectors, but it is time to incorporate more into them. My goal is to take some of my favorite existing patterns / places and recreate them using different methods such as watercolor, paper marbling, and printmaking. I started with watercolor. Here is what I learned: 1. It’s hard 2. I’m a massive control freak 3.There is no controlling watercolor (for the beginner at least). It’s basically the opposite of working in illustrator for me.As fate would have it my new studio mate is illustrator extraordinare Julia Denos. We have spent afternoons painting together, with her teaching me painting tricks and I educating her on InDesign and going to a spa.  I have loved every minute of it. I’ve scanned these watercolor paintings and work will them into a totally new design for the Fairbanks, Alaska pattern – an imagined vacation to see the aurora borealis. And I’ll keep on painting, because I’ve barely scratched this surface.

One night, while laying in bed perusing graphic design on Pinterest, (a favorite pre-bedtime activity), I came across the work of graphic designer Kellyn Walker. I was so inspired! I’ve been killing my creative block by incorporating more handmade elements, scanned objects and collage-ness to my patterns and designs. She does it so very well. Check out her very inspiring Pinterest boards. 

Last month I had surgery and spent about a week and a half sleeping off pain killers and watching movies. I have been going through a bit of a creativity crisis and watching so many great process movies and biopics has really helped. Here are some of my favorites that I watched while convalescing. 1. BILL CUNNINGHAM’S NEW YORK // I’ve watched this multiple times and never tire of it. “Fashion is the armor to survive the everyday life”. (netflix) 2. BASQUIAT // The story of Basuait’s rapid rise to fame. Plus David Bowie puts in an amazing performance as Andy Warhol. (netflix) 3. SCATTER MY ASHES AT BERGDORF’S // The history of the store and the making of their holiday windows peppered with interview from fashion’s frontrunners. (netflix)   4. GREGORY CREWDSON, BRIEF ENCOUNTERS // The process behind the making of Crewdson’s elaborate movie-esque photos. (netflix) 5. MARC JACOBS + LOUIS VUITTON // My favorite all time process movie. Watch Marc design multiple collections and throw a killer halloween party. I’ve watched this a billion times. (youtube) 6. THE RACHEL ZOE PROJECT  // I am SO SAD that this show was cancelled. I love how honest Zoe is, especially in the last season as she becomes a working mom, insecure in her work and trying to balance everything. I totally relate. Plus she is quite funny and the fashion is to die for. (amazon) Any creative documentaries that I missed that I need to see? let me know!   The post THE HUSTLE: CREATIVE MOVIES online appeared first on JHill Design.

I love complex infographics, layered pieces beautifully showing lots of information. We interview a lot of Massachusetts College of Art + Design students at JHill, many have a project of making an infographic of a Girl Talk song. These are always my favorite projects to review. UNIVERSO DE EMOCIONES // Designers Victor Palau and Ana Gea (PalauGea) created along with writer and scientist Eduard Punset, an infographic of  the world of emotions and feelings with which we live. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE // Vladimir Gukulak summarized the yearly range of colors of plant species in a circular infographic. THE COLOR PRINTER // Beautiful plates of color theory via Present and Correct, you can see the entire book here. 3 MONTHS OF CROCHETING // Lana Bragina recorded all her knitting and selling activity since January 1, 2009, and incorporated it into this infographic. The graphic shows how long she knitted every day on each piece;  how long each piece was posted on Etsy until it sold; and where the items was sent to. The post infographics as art appeared first on JHill Design.

Judy Garland was a star from such a young age, (can you get a “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” with more yearning than hers?), and was told that she wasn’t enough much too often. From the time she was a wee one up until the (too young) age of her death she was such a strong beauty – despite whatever those studio execs thought. The “Meet Me in St Louis” star’s look is my favorite and personal go to: A strong, red lip (my favorite is Sephora’s Cream Lip Stain in Always Red), a dark brow and lots of mascara, (throw in a pair of falsies for special occasions). 

Our dear friend and studio-mate, Sarah Winchester, happens to be from Atlanta. She was the perfect person to give us some insider tips on what to do when you are in ATL. Eating is always the most important thing to us. Here is where Sarah says to take a seat: 1. ROSEBUD: (Virginia-Highlands/Morningside) This great little neighborhood restaurant has some of the best food in the city with many farm-to-table selections.  In fact there is a farmers market every Saturday in their parking lot where the purchase most of their food.  I use to live right down the street from Rosebud and would seriously eat there at least once a week.  The enchanted mountain springs trout is my favorite dish in the whole world!!!! Photo via Atlanta Events. Check out this post on her brunch at Rosebud.  2. TWO URBAN LICKS (Midtown/PonceyHighlands)  Very cool, big warehouse restaurant.  Great food with a little southern fire to it.  The restaurant also showcases a gorgeous, huge Todd Murphy painting.  Todd Murphy is on of my favorite painters and I swear one day I will have one hanging in my home. Photo via Todd Murphy 3. YOFORIA: (Virginia-Highlands/Morningside) – another neighborhood favorite and right across the street from Rosebud.  WAAAAYYYY better than Pinkberry and with only 5 grams of sugar and ounce you can eat your heart out. Photo via Yelp.com 4. HORSERADISH GRILL (Buckhead) – Even though it is technically in Buckhead it is tucked away in a beautiful neighborhood setting. A favorite for years of my whole family (we held my mothers 60th birthday there) it is across from the beautiful Chastain horse stables.  A little country club chic and a little casual southern elegance, this place it perfect for any group.  They have a killer trout dish as well and a lovely outdoor patio. Photo via...

In 1936 Margaret Mitchell wrote Gone With the Wind, the story of Clayton County, Georgia, and Atlanta during the American Civil War and Reconstruction. She tells the story of Scarlett O’Hara, the spoiled daughter of a well-to-do plantation owner, who must use every means at her disposal to come out of the poverty she finds herself in.” I’ve yet to see the movie or read the book, but I know it includes everyone’s classic tell-off “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.” This summer we have an intern working for us who is really into hand-written type. Brittany and I decided to collaborate on a Atlanta print / GWTW inspired screensaver. Click here to download and brighten up your desktop. The post Frankly My Dear… a free desktop appeared first on JHill Design.

In high school I had a coke addition… Coca-Cola that is. I don’t drink soda anymore, but these new Coke bottles made of ICE could turn my cheek. Created by Ogilvy +Mather Bogata, the bottles have the signature Coke shape with the company’s embossed logo. Water is poured into a silicone mold, frozen and then filled with Coke. Each comes with a koozie-like red, rubber band to slip around the bottle, keeping the consumer’s hand from going numb. Pretty cool, (sorry), but you have to hop on a plane to Columbia to get one for now. P.S. have you seen the sharing can? When I asked our friends on Facebook and Twitter what they loved doing in Atlanta, EVERYONE said getting jacked up on caffeine at the World of Coca-Cola. Here’s how you can too.   

I doubt Vivian Leigh (the actress that played Scarlet O’Hara in Gone With the Wind) and I have all that much in common… but one thing we do share is Bitchy Resting Face. It’s all in the eyebrows, a pressed lip and passive eyes. I can’t question anything without one of my eyebrows raising, and my husband and son get this look a lot (see the top right picture). And while I am a very nice and friendly person and do not mean to have a bitch face, it totally comes in handy on public transportation.