swagger supermarket

I have a not-so-well-kept secret: I love Lil' Wayne. I love Drake. I love hip hop. I am a human lyric dictionary. There's just something about a good verse that makes me feel like I want to listen to it over and over...good timing, puns, a good rhyme...I just get hooked.

I've been toying with the idea of doing a bunch of lyric-based lettering illustrations for a while and finally did one just for fun. This is one of my favorite segments ever, it's from Lil' Wayne's part in the Drake song "Uptown." You can hear it below at the 4:44 mark.

I tried to give the right visual tone to the words that got the most emphasis in the verse, and just played with the layout from there. This particular part seemed to lend itself perfectly to just a black and white treatment so I kept it simple. I want to do a bunch more now that I've broken the ice with my first. It's nothing special but was really fun to do!

Made in the 216 Wrap-Up

Made in the 216 has wrapped and I wanted to share some photos from the ah-mazing opening party at the brand new Dredger's Union store. The event had a circus theme so there were banners, balloons, and a bigtop to bring it all together.

The place was totally packed (a good sign)!

I found my framed prints...

...and the unframed ones too.

Really liked these Cleveland neighborhood/street name prints.

Loved that they had a circus photo-op booth (complete with clown noses)! Brigitte and I got a few good pictures.

Brigitte and Dave...this is so cute!

After we sifted through the product for at least an hour (there was so much!) we headed over to Greenhouse for the after party. Unfortunately we couldn't get on the roof to see the bands—they were at capacity—but we posted up at the bar and still got to enjoy the crowd. Congrats and thank you to Danielle, Jennie and all involved for all of their hard work...the opening was awesome and I was so happy to see so many people excited about the new retail coming to downtown.

And with that, I'll leave you with this (awesome) message:

Made in the 216 Opening!

Opens tonight!! I am beyond excited to be a part of 216 again this year, and can't wait to see everyone out on E. 4th tonight. I'll be out there for a few hours so please be sure to say hi (and of course buy some amazing Cleveland-made products)!

Made in the 216 Prep

It's that time again—for this year's Made in the 216! I am the master of working under pressure so of course I finished all of my prepping in an exhausting weekend-long stretch. I not only finished a few new pieces but also had to package and frame everything, and print/assemble a ton of business cards. Above is a new piece and an homage to the place I call home :) You can buy it here.

I made some little orange bow stickers to seal the overwrap of my unframed prints.

I usually adhere my business cards to a fabric-covered backer, but in the spirit of saving time, I used different colors of washi tape to spice them up.

I reworked a zig-zag print I had done and framed it differently...I like this way a lot better.

My bright bow in print form. You can pick it up for yourself here in my shop.

The event is next weekend, July 8–10, at the newly opened Dredger's Union store downtown on East 4th. If you live here and haven't stopped in yet, RUN—don't walk—and do some shopping. The store is amazing, full of apparel and gifts and it's a visual treat. The handmade event will add another amazing element to the store. It's going to be awesome. I'll post the flier and more info as it gets closer.