WE OFFER PICK UP AT OUR SHOP IN ROCKVILLE CENTRE

National Park Service Poster Series: Fire Island National Seashore

 

 

 

In the fall of 2014 we were happy to get commissioned for a logo design commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Fire Island National Seashore. We worked closely with the team there and welcomed the feedback from it's many members and park associates. As you can imagine their is much history along the seashore and many images and places to reflect upon. Ultimately the image of the iconic Fire Island  Lighthouse was chosen as the image that would be the most memorable and also included text of the 6 popular park destinations.

The logo was very well received and now is featured on various different park materials and accessories at their gift shop. Because of the impact it made they decided to do 6 more designs to illustrate the other destinations as well as a new logo for the FINS.

It was great working with the team and park rangers at the park and we are happy to get some great art out to the masses. Be on the lookout for these designs at the Lighthouse gift store this Spring. You can see the whole collection of art here in our store as well.

Also be on the lookout as we expand the series for our next client, the Sagamore Hill National Historic Sight and home to our 26th President Theodore Roosevelt.

 

 

 

March 27, 2015 by james mcdonald

Lost Dog Annual Membership

If you are a fan of our art or looking to get hook up your friends and family with gifts this holiday season, then this is a killer deal. The think tank has come up with a creative way to help our customers get a great value on our pieces, and it's very simple.

The annual membership gets you 12 pieces of art in a twelve month period. You can get one piece per month to use for your gifting needs, or snatch them all up at once to hook up your friends and fam for the holidays. The choice is yours and the best part is you are saving over 35% from our retail price. You also get free shipping to anywhere in the U.S. on all your pieces.

Here is what you get:

5 11x17 digital prints

2 11x17 digital prints in a black or white frame

5 16x20, 18x24 or 12x36 inch signed giclee prints

1 Limited Edition signed piece of original art.

 

That's over 400$ in art for only $250

 

See more of the deal and purchase it here.

 

March 27, 2015 by james mcdonald

FALL 2014 Art & Craft Festival List

 We have always maintained this strong relationship to where we grew up and the people that supported us from the way back. We love going out to shows and getting items directly to our customers and showing love. Here's a list of shows we will be at this fall and look forward to seeing and bringing you custom art that we only have available at the shows and of course all of the items you see online.


Here is a list of some upcoming shows we will be at this Fall:

September 21st: West Islip Country Fair

September 27th: Irish Day in Long Beach

September 28th: Atlantic Antic downtown Brooklyn

October 11-12: Long Island Fall Festival in Huntington

October 18-19: Oyster Fest

November 1st:  St Anthony's Mothers Guild

November 15-16:  Renegade Festival Manhattan Pavillion

Dec 6-7:  Northport Art & Crafts Festival

 

 

 

September 18, 2014 by james mcdonald

Official Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Member

It's official, we are members of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce!

We have been living in Brooklyn for over 12 years and working as a business here since, albeit small in the early days, 2009. With the recent expansion of the business and purchase of our home/office in Marine Park, it was about time we officially became part of the BCOC team. Being life long New Yorkers, we wanted to represent our culture and promote a positive awareness of Brooklyn and the surrounding areas. Their are a lot of companies that claim Brooklyn and we wanted to make it absolutely clear to our customers and clients that we represent our community first and foremost. We are excited to meet new people and spread the word about our business.

September 01, 2014 by james mcdonald

Handmade Signs, Art and Frames

This past week we launched several new products at the Long Beach Art & Crafts show. We had been working for several months to create new items for this years crafts show around the tri-state, and the reaction was excellent. We created three separate items, a whale, and anchor and frames all handmade and created from locally sourced reclaimed wood.

The process starts working with local carpenters who provide us with the wood needed to make the art. This batch came from a cedar floor that was laid in a Long Island home in 1934. We then strip it of any nails and get rid of the wood that doesn't have enough character to be considered. Our customers and ourselves tend to like the pieces with a lot of aging and knots. We then glue them together and the pieces form one solid piece to be cut into shapes. Our original pieces, a whale and an anchor, are those that are standard for any ocean community like those around the Tri- State area.

After selling out at the show, we are steady building more pieces and coming up with new shapes. No doubt we will continue to keep innovating in this area. We love the whole process of creating something from scratch and in this case we are taking wood that is normally wasted and up cycling it into a piece of art.

We also launched some new frames made of discarded pallets. People have been using pallets for a many years to create fencing, art and even furniture. A quick stroll on pinterest will blow your mind on how much you can do. We decided to take this concept in making full finished frames. We are offering them in 11x17 inches with grooves for sliding in glass. We also have them as fully planked with a piece of glass face mounted to the front with art undernearth.

For now these are only available out at our local shows. We are also going to be launching a line for sale for our wholesale accounts that come out to the NYNOW show this August at the Javitts Center. So you will need to come out and see for yourself these hand crafted pieces of art.

 

Here are some images of the process...

The floor that will soon be art

 

Hand cut and painted signs made to have a vintage distressed look. We use Annie Sloan chalkpaint then wax the frame afterwards so that it maintains the finish

 

Team carpenter and artist Steve Corrigan looking over one of the pieces prior to sanding.

 

School of raw wooden whales ready to get some paint.

 

Painting up the whales

 

Some of the finished planks that we're sold at the show.

July 22, 2014 by james mcdonald

Interview with The Grommet

If your like us and you like indie made and thoughtfully designed products by small companies, then you need to check out www.thegrommet.com immediately. I am always amazed by the other designers and craftsmen they find that make some dope stuff. Check them out and support indie and local!

They recently started a "meet the maker" series that consists of Q&A with the designers to learn some more of my inspiration and design background. I'm really glad to be part of their team. You can check out the interview here.

January 13, 2014 by james mcdonald

I Lost My Dog and Small Business Saturday

As we approach the start of the holiday shopping season, I want to bring your attention to Small Business Saturday. The tradition is fairly new (it started in 2010) and it contrasts the more mega-store oriented Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping days. Small Business Saturday is all about the independent merchant. This year it falls on Saturday, November 30.

I encourage you to "shop small" this year and in particular, support me and my art by purchasing a print at your favorite participating shop! You can find my prints at the following brick and mortar locations:

QUEENS

Lockwood, 32-15 33rd Street, Astoria, NY 11106 (718) 626-6030 MAP

Matted LIC, 46-36 Vernon Blvd, Long Island City, NY 11101 (718) 786-8660 MAP

 

BROOKLYN

Exit 9, 127 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (718) 422-7720 MAP

Frame Me, 9014 3rd Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11209 (718) 748-5259 MAP

Meme Antenna, 218 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249 (347) 223-4219 MAP

 

MANHATTAN

Exit 9, 51 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009 (212) 228-0145 MAP

Harlem Flo, 2275 Frederick Douglass Blvd., New York, NY 10027 (212) 316-3031 MAP

 

LOS ANGELES

Kitson, Various stores throughout Los Angeles

 

Thanks in advance for your business.

November 26, 2013 by james mcdonald

What the Heck is Giclée?

You probably have noticed that with our products we offer some as giclee prints. And you may be wondering—what the heck is giclee, or giclée?

First, it's pronounced "zhee-CLAY" and basically it's a name for art printed with an inkjet printer; the term was conceived in 1991 by printmaker Jack Duganne. The word's origins are with the French word "gicler," which translates to "to squirt, spurt, or spray" (think of how the ink sprays onto the paper). When you see the term giclée used by a print artist, it usually means a high-resolution print of very high quality. 

Giclée originated with an inkjet printer called IRIS, a high quality prepress proofing printer that was indeed an inkjet (this foils the idea that inkjets are always cheap). It was used to create sophisticated prints and reproductions of 2D art. Another great thing about giclée is that, opposed to the four-color offset lithography printing process, prints can be made one at a time instead of big batches, giving the artist more control over the production process. They also maintain the color longer than in litho prints.

While some artists balk at the term, it is becoming more and more accepted in the industry. We definitely embrace it here. Our giclée prints are made with an HP z3200 ink jet plotter.

For further reading, the article What's In a Name: The True Story of "Giclée" has additional insight.

Thus ends your artmaking history lesson for the day!

November 18, 2013 by Meg Cotner

Reminder: Free Shipping in November and December!

We know it says so on the front page, Free Shipping in November and December:

But wanted to clarify that you don't need a coupon code, or a Groupon code, or anything like that—free shipping comes automatically with every order! This is a sweet deal, especially since the holidays are coming up fast.

In the background of the image above, you can see our new shipping boxes, which are artful in and of themselves. We designed them ourselves and they make a great gift box, too.

So, order our products with the peace of mind that you won't have to deal with any of those pesky shipping costs. Find our prints in the "Products" drop down menu above, or if you feel like it, head to The Grommet, where I recently had a product launch. I'm still pretty psyched to have my prints available there!

November 15, 2013 by james mcdonald

I Lost My Dog on The Grommet

I'm excited to share with you the news that I Lost My Dog launched TODAY on The Grommet. The Grommet is a great site full of interesting things, and I'm proud that my products are included in that category. You might think of a "grommet" in the traditional sense, as a metal ring used to reinforce holes in leather, cloth, shoes, canvas and other fabrics, but in this case, "Grommets are products with a purpose invented by people with stories." Awesome. 

Here's what they wrote about me and I Lost My Dog products:

When you think of your favorite places, you can’t help but smile. The same thing happens when you see locations near and dear to you brought to life in a one of a kind way on typographic maps by graphic designer James McDonald.

In celebration of the unique landmarks and details that make different cities, boroughs, and towns special, James draws every aspect of his maps by hand right down to each individual letter—not a single typeface is used; every word is custom-designed. The result is more than a map. It’s a typographical tribute and work of art. James' background as a graffiti artist in his youth, work as a graphic designer, and his passion for travel are evident in each piece he creates.

James uses high-end paper and ink on an ink-jet plotter in order to transform his hand-drawn creations into gallery-quality giclee prints in sizes that are easy to frame and affordable enough for all to enjoy.

Of course, my products are available on The Grommet, including maps of Brooklyn, Manhattan, Boston, San Francisco, Ireland, and Italy, among others.

The maps are very colorful and full of my signature typography style, and are priced at $39.95. Prints are easy to frame and fit into ready-made frames; they are a great conversation starter in any home. Check out this post to learn more about framing your art after purchase.

I look forward to your business over at The Grommet!

November 13, 2013 by james mcdonald