2011 Screen Printed Calendar "Hooray Hands"

The story of translating my sketches and ideas into a tangible product is a long journey. And I'm learning more and more every year I make a calendar. I started sketching all the way back in May. I had my first prototype made in July and now I'm in production mode trying to get them stocked into boutiques and into your hands. Check out the previous post for more on the process of getting these babies printed.
I knew I wanted to have a calendar with a more cohesive theme this year and after a lot of brainstorming and sketching I decided on "Hooray Hands", which is a celebration of using your hands creatively. Each of my hand printed illustrations show a person making/doing with their hands, something I find very rewarding. In fact, I'm usually the happiest when I'm using my hands. That's why I felt it was important to make this calendar.
Sometimes the process leads us down unexpected paths. I had really never thought too much about printing front and back on the paper, but 12 sheets of chipboard don't fit into the jewel case. So I decided to print front and back which is a wonderful way to save materials and keep the cost low.

The process of screen printing lets the ink sit above of the paper giving the finished product a much more tactile feel. Each calendar is lovingly silk screened at The Pull, an independent silk screen shop in Portland, Or operated by Diskgrunt. I reduced environmental impact by printing on both sides of the paper. The calendar measures 4.6in x 5.25 and fits perfectly into the jewel case that folds back to make a stand.
Photo by MichalGarcia.com

You can purchase calendars in my shop. They make awesome gifts that keep giving all year long.