Poster? I Barely Know Her!
The Art of Bringing People Together
I love art, and I love people. Posters are the intersection between the two.
Because posters are linked to real life events on our big, beautiful, dying green earth, posters imply a meeting point of connection. They build the bridge between the conception and realization of an event. On one side of the bridge is the vibe, the details of the who-what-when, shouting into the town square that the affair exists. The other side is communion, laughter, maybe a drink ticket (or two), a story to tell.
The following are some posters I’ve made for three unique events, here on Substack to commemorate the art and good times shared. So now, without further ado (and to quote Taylor Swift as she starts her Era’s tour), “Let’s cross that bridge together!”
Pencil Pushers
If you live in Cincinnati, you may know about a monthly drink-and-draw event downtown called Pencil Pushers. Pencil Pushers was created two years ago by Hallie Bates, Jack Sjogren, and Evan Verrilli as a monthly drawing event in the Cincinnati community at the Lost and Found bar. Using a generous donation of Indigo Hippo’s recycled art supplies, everyone comes together to draw on butchered-paper tables á la an Italian style family meal. It is incredibly fun and silly — full of curated playlists, amazing cocktails and grilled cheeses, and doodles galore.
After Hallie and Jack welcomed twins, Daniel Iroh and I joined Evan to help continue the event, and with that we’ve slowly added our own spin on different nights — Daniel spinning some tunes with his DJ skills, and me hosting a movie-themed night. I’ve been itching to bring the worlds of film and drawing together, and I knew one of my favorite movies of all time would be perfectly nostalgic and creative to draw alongside: Spy Kids.
With a little bit of arranging, we set-up a projector, made some cards for drawing prompts, and locked it in. That night, we not only screened the first Spy Kids, but also Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams (and as far as I’m concerned, the entire franchise stops there). Below you can see the posters, and some awesome photos Daniel took throughout the evening. One of my favorite moments from the event was not one, but two people reimagining the ThumbThumbs as TumTums. Great minds truly think alike.
Lastly, if you’re around, come join us for the next Pencil Pushers event on July 17th!
Improv Shows
Quack, quack!
I recently joined a new improv team at Improv Cincinnati: Ducks Without Borders. They are tremendously funny and hot, and as smart as they are stupid (absolute highest compliment). I am honored to be joining their cohort of goofs. And feeling inspired, I wanted to make a fun Jaws-inspired poster for my first show with them. The show was a hoot! Plus, I did not let nerves take the best of me, making sure to leave the sidelines and get out on stage. After, we reveled in shots of malort and .5 selfies! Our next show will be July 11th; come see us if you so dareeee!
Kaleidoscope Closing Show
My dear friend and gallery curator/artist/incredibly fashionable person Maya Collins reached out to see if I could help design the poster for their Juneteenth Closing Show at Red Tree Lounge. The Kaleidoscope show featured eleven different Black and Brown artists across Cincinnati, and the closing show highlighted several amazing vendors and live artists. Below you can see the iterations of the design, and where we finally landed. Anytime you get to collaborate with a close friend is very special, and I loved bringing Maya’s vision to life.
That’s all for today! Upcoming we have a half-year Hobonichi check-in and a comprehensive guide to starting your own journal. Thank you for being here <3