tbt: Cartoon Boxing Guy

If you've lived in or been to Philadelphia at some point in your life, you know what to do when you get the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps--right?!

Cartoon Boxing Guy flat notcard. By Paprika Letterpress + Design.

You become Rocky Balboa. You are Rocky Balboa. And as Rocky you must run up the steps without stopping and when you reach the top, you throw your boxing fists over your head in victory while humming the "Rocky" movie theme song.

With all the history and culture of boxing the Philadelphia area holds, it's no wonder we love this guy!

But he wasn't always this lucky. In fact, he was dealt a KO of his own. In the plate image, you'll see some damage lines right through his mid-section!

Note damage to his mid-section.Vintage
metal cut on wood block.

Here at Paprika Letterpress, we love to revive old plates (did you check out last week's post on the Serpent Girl?), especially those that speak to the history of our hometown. This boxer needed some coaching before he could go back in the ring. He was scanned in, touched up, and a new plate was made. Now, he can keep up with the best of 'em.

You can own your own champion boxer card or print by going to our website or by visiting us at Reading Terminal Market (Philadelphia) Saturdays from 10a-6p.

#tbt: The Serpent Girl from Hell's Kitchen

Is that a woman, naked, riding a snake coiled in a shot class?
Why yes, it is.

Serpent Girl. Letterpress greeting card
by Paprika Letterpress + Design.

Finding old cuts and plates is always fun. But printing old cuts back into circulation is where the magic happens. New impressions of these old timers are reminders of print history, acting as windows to past pop culture, advertising, and more!

Some cuts have been thrown around (or away!) causing dings, dents, or cracks in the plate. But this girl and her serpent survived. Found by Lenor at the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market (West 39th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues, NYC), her history is a mystery. Was she used in advertising? If so, what is she advertising? Was she an advocate or opponent of something? Was she just a decorative art piece?

Serpent Girl. Metal plate on
woodblock. 1 3/8" x 3".

While her past remains hidden, her future is much clearer: Paprika Letterpress cards and prints! Available as a greeting card or framed print at our Reading Terminal Market shop (12th and Arch Streets, Philadelphia) on Saturdays, you can take home a piece of history and be part of her new story. (Can't get to Reading Terminal Market? Send us an email to purchase your print or card.)

What color are you?

PMS colors?? (Pantone  colors) We don't need no stinkin' PMS colors. We have our vintage many purpose colors.

University of the Arts OPPFEST 2015

We loved meeting all the young artists at the job fair on Wednesday! All sorts of amazing talent and much enthusiasm. We are looking for an intern for the summer and we met a lot of great people. 

NobleHeart Gallery: Love Letters Art Show Exhibit

This past Friday night Paprika Letterpress was part of the “Love Letters” themed art show exhibit. The gallery exhibit was presented at The Nobleheart gallery in Jenkintown, PA. The show featured a variety of artists ranging from tattoo artists, calligraphers, and contemporary illustrators all making items by hand using different mediums; the core theme of “love letters” was creating pieces using art and letterforms. 

Paprika Letterpress contributed three framed letterpress pieces and had a blast attending the exhibit’s opening last week. A big thank you to Jason Maybruck owner of the Noble Heart Gallery and Tattoo Studio and Steven Wright, artist and curator of the show.  Thanks to the Studio for inviting us to be part of such a diverse group showing event.

To learn more about the Nobleheart Gallery and to see other works from the show visit their Facebook page here: http://on.fb.me/17giGnx   

If you are tattoo enthusiast, check them out at the Tattoo Convention this weekend (Feb. 14) at Convention Hall, Philadelphia.

Visiting Jenkintown, PA over the next month? Make sure to stop by The Nobleheart Gallery. The Love Letters show will still be up and it’s definitely worth checking out.

Custom Printing: Hang Tags for Bombshell Bands

We recently just finished a collaboration with Suzanne Martinelli, an entrepreneur owner of Bombshell Bands a custom product within Suzanne's Bombshell Beauty products line. The product Bombshell Bands is unique headband designed female athletes and gym goers. When Suzanne reached out to us, she already had a graphic symbol of a girl with ponytail as a brand image but asked us to further enhance her graphic trademark into a more recognizable logo for her product. After some digital edits to the art we successfully provided a better graphic symbol that connected Suzanne's original logo to her Bombshell Bands brand.

Afterwards we letterpress printed the new graphic symbol on kraft stock paper with a custom die cut hole at the top of each print. These prints have now become tactile product hang tags for Suzanne's products. 

Provided through the following photos are samples of the hang tags we created and packaged for Suzanne.

To learn more about Suzanne's Bombshell Beauty products, check out here products via the following websites.

Bombshell Beauty Official Website: http://bombshellbeauty.com/

Bombshell Beauty on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BombshellBeautyCompany

And of course, make sure you look out for these headbands at your local stores and gyms!

Good luck to Bombshell Bands and for any other entrepreneur's looking for unique design and printing assistance, make sure to talk to us about your next project.

AIGA Philly: Pop-Up Shop 2014

The end of 2014 brought a wonderful exposure and selling opportunity to the Paprika Letterpress & Design studio. Our studio was featured part of the AIGA Philadelphia chapter's holiday season Pop-Up Shop. The Pop-Up Shop was housed at AIGA Philly’s Old City gallery called SPACE. The event showcased a diverse collection of one-of-kind art and design related goods created by the AIGA Philadelphia chapter members. 

We had a great time meeting other AIGA members at the Pop-Up shop's kick-off party that was part Old City Philadelphia's December First Friday celebration. Last weekend marked the Pop-Up Shop's closing, but we look forward collaborating with AIGA Philly again in the near future. Many thanks to the AIGA Philadelphia chapter and Gaby Heit for letting us be part of such a wonderful event in such great company.

Provided with this posting are is a photo of our setup at the 2014 AIGA Philadelphia Pop-Up Shop.

To learn more about the Philadelphia AIGA chapter and their Pop-Up Shop, gallery and other events for creatives, visit them online here: philadelphia.aiga.org.