DESCRIPTION Pretty Sure Poster CLIENT Self Promotion DATE January 2009 DESIGN CREDITS Nick Schmitz PRINT CREDITS Nick Schmitz TYPE CREDITS Custom type by Nick Schmitz

QUANTITY PRODUCED 50 PRODUCTION COST $250 PRODUCTION TIME 2 weeks DIMENSIONS: WIDTH × HEIGHT × DEPTH 18 in × 24 in PRINT METHOD Silkscreen PAPER STOCK 65 lb. Cover, Pop-Tone Wild Cherry by French Paper NUMBER OF COLORS 1 spot ink

When we first received this project we were intrigued by a comment Nick Schmitz added to the end of his form:

If you're going to print in your kitchen, have all your ducks in a row before you start; things can get awkward quickly.

So, of course, we had to ask him for more information:

It really all had to do with workflow and knowing that workflow before you start. It had been a while since I had printed anything and I was stoked on the idea of getting into it again. So stoked that I neglected to go over with myself on how I was going to actually get this baby printed from start to finish; particularly since the piece is somewhat large to handle in the space (a relatively small Brooklyn apartment). The first run was a total disaster. Since my space was extremely limited and I didn't have a drying rack, I quickly ran out of room to put the prints aside to dry, from there things went haywire. My focus quickly went from printing to space management which lead to ink drying in the screen, which lead to clogging, which lead to panic, which lead to a mess, which lead to about two dozen bad prints and a lot of frustration. All this because I didn't plan well, I focused on the outcome too much and not enough on the process.

Lesson learned.

New day comes around and I sit down and make a plan, set-up a system step-by-step, I even constructed an impromptu dry rack (think of a clothesline except for your prints not for your shirts). Long story short, after some minor trial and error, the system runs pretty well now and from now on it's happy printing!

We sure are glad to see a better system has been installed, since we look forward to numerous new prints in the future.

The typography on this poster is amazing. When i first saw this poster in other venues i thought, "this must be some slick spacious silkscreen shop creating this piece" but its great to see it was humbly printed in a kitchen with an impromptu drying rack. Very inspiring for a basement studio printer - great work!

Great work on the type! Do you base it off of existing forms or is it all sketched from scratch? Its good to see something as clean and large as this being pulled off in confined spaces.

Darren, the type is was pretty much constructed from broken up circles and strokes based on a 45 degree grid. I'm glad to hear you dig it (same to you Andy). I've actually recently made a slight upgrade in Apts (YAY!) so no more kitchen, now everything is in my bedroom/studio space, which has given me a little more elbow room. I've also made some nice improvements in my hanging system... Thanks IKEA... I'll be posting pictures on my site sometime in the near future...

It feels a bit like an unresloved Bantjes piece.

I noticed the likeness right away, but as I click back and forth between the two, this one just feels loosey-goosey compared to Marian's work.

For lack of a better term.

Nick - great job!

Amazing, amazing....I had to buy one of the limited edition prints, and a BARGAIN at $33! Thanks Nick, I'm in awe, and your work will be proudly displayed on the wall of my tiny apartment!

Absolutely gorgeous!

You don't know how inspiring/motivating it is to see a homebrew setup like that. It's what I'm aiming to do once I've got enough monies for supplies. Beautiful poster!

@ Kelly Cree - a little off topic maybe but is there anything you like? Of the last 3 items I have read you have trolled all of them. I understand this site thrives on criticism but you seem to just enjoy being critical.

@ Cameron - similarly off topic - I can appreciate a comment for what it's worth regardless of criticism or complement or past history of the commenter, especially since For Print Only seems to be over-saturated with 'Super awesome work!' type comments.

With the proliferation and availability of digital software has come a proliferation of work that easily 'looks cool' but lacks the ideas and purpose that is the last bastion of the true design profession. The dialogue is worthless to me if it doesn't include a critical eye that questions the validity of an idea, whether good or bad.

This poster is lovely. However, I did also immediately make a connection to Bantjes' work and feel similarly about it as Kelly Cree, especially since Bantjes' ornate type work has become a much copied style. While Bantjes' work started with an original idea, nothing in this post or the comments suggests that there was an original idea here beyond making something nice looking. Perhaps there is an idea. Perhaps the use of the 45 degree angles and the curves are meaningful because they are pieces of a heart. But I'm not even sure, because it's not very apparent, and it was never discussed! I have to find my own meaning, which would lead me to believe that For Print Only is more about showing off personal art, and not about generating discussion on design and supporting the use of printed pieces in the design world.

More critical dialogue!

I personally think the most valuable information in these posts are about process. For me personally, knowing more about the work and how it was made can really make it more memorable and interesting.

Especially being a student (one trying to learn to screen print too), I'd like to learn something from reading blogs, not just look at images. I like how posts on FPO talk about types of paper, printing methods, costs, etc. and has the comments from the people producing these pieces. It's really helpful and interesting to me. One of my favorite posts, for instance, is the Dylan Poster because it shows the process (and because I realized that if those kids could do it, so could I!).

The reminder to plan ahead is a great one, it's something that I always forget in my excitement.. thanks for sharing, Nick!

I saw this at the TDC exhibit at The One Club today! It's even sexier in person!

Name


Email Address (Required, Not Published)


URL


Remember personal info?

Comments (You may use HTML tags for style)

KEEPING FPO SPAM-FREE — IF YOU ARE PREVIEWING YOUR COMMENT DO NOT ENTER WORDS UNTIL READY TO HIT SUBMIT.