I'm so psyched that there are so many websites where a kid can buy art affordably. Listed here are a few I've been looking at:

Umbrella Market was started by the Fecal Face guys and has limited edition screen prints, t-shirts, and books mostly.

ETSY is a site where artists put up their own store area and sell whatever they want. Tons of stuff here.

Needles and Pens is a ziney store in San Francisco that has tons of art and mags and books and pins and things to buy on their site. Support my hometown, man.

And let's not forget old stand-by Quimby's of Chicago. This place has been around forever and has everything, including but not limited to books, zines, porn, toys, art, and random cute objects.

pictured: Mars - Isotopic Simulation

There are many ways to bind your book/comic/zine/manifesto, from perfect binding to tying it all together with rope to stuffing the loose pages in an envelope. I think, when planning a project, it's good to explore as many weird possibilities as you can before you just grab the stapler. I've been seeing this technique lately called the coptic stitch and I like it! It's a relatively simple way to achieve a cool handmade look. This PDF explains it well. And here's another site that tells you how to do it.

Ian Svenonius
The Psychic Soviet
300 pages

This book is nuts. I just picked it up yesterday and, I confess, I'm not quite finished with it but I'll talk about it anyway. I bought it because I've read some of Ian Svenonius' writing in Index before and was also a total fan of Nation of Ulysses and a mostly fan of The Make-Up, PLUS the book has a durable, all weather, pink plastic cover that smells really good.

Let me say it again, this book is nuts. In the intro, Svenonius says, "This volume should clear up much of the confusion regaring events of the last millenium—artistic, geo-political, philisophical, et. al." And a reader from Amazon says in her review, "Vampirism, vodka and dialectical materialism are stimulating topics, but this set of essays reads like a half-baked dissertation written by a precocious over-medicated narcissist. Often verbose and incomprehensible--I highly recommend it." So far I am in agreement. Anyone else have any thoughts?

Print Liberation is a printmaking and design studio in Philadelphia. You've probably seen some of their fun designs on the T-shirts they do for Urban Outfitters (don't hold that too much against them). I'm particularly into their bright typographical silk-screen posters. All the posters are 18" x 24", signed and numbered - a total steal at 25.00 bucks. Hey - anybody listening: the poster pictured would make a great x-mas present to me.

Cool! A rare print of William S. Burroughs' Letter from a Master Addict of Dangerous Drugs originally published in the British Journal of Addiction in 1957 now for sale on ebay. Check it out. [via boingboing]

I met Chloe Lum and Yannick Desranleau, a pair of Montreal-based artists/silkscreeners who work under the name Seripop, at a rock show years ago and bought a couple of their posters. They make show posters, flyers, record covers, and art of their own at an alarming rate of production. And they sell their stuff for cheap. They're currently having a sale and have some prints here and here and some additional deals on their myspace page. They say they'll also trade for musical equipment, pre-1990s Archie comics, and records, so if you are interested, email them. It's a great chance to get some beautiful handmade art for your walls.

Yesterday we went to The Armory Show and it was seriously overwhelming. I figured the massive pier full of art would be easier to handle if we travelled in a pack and with beer. It helped. I'm not going to get into what I thought were the highlights and lowlights of the show, because honestly I have no idea where to begin. As we were leaving a friend asked me what I liked the most and all I could say was, "Hey wasn't it nice to run into Franklin at Peres Projects. What a cute hat he was wearing!" So instead I'll show you photos of the Open-Book store, the Armory's temporary art book store designed by the Acconci Studio and produced by Deitch Projects and D.A.P. The store was made from big swooping sheets of plastic anchored by wires that shocked you when you touched them. Ow! According to the Steidl site, "The Acconci Studio design takes as its starting point a horizontal plane which has been suspended, cut and folded." Steidl Books was there showing some of their big special editions including Ed Ruscha's enormous and beautiful THEN & NOW.

Continue Reading Open-Book Store

This company called The Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company Limited makes stationery and related goods out of dried, odorless elephant shit. This is the best thing I've seen all week. From their site: "We can make about 25 large sheets of paper from a single piece (or turd) of elephant poo poo!!! That translates into about 10 standard sized journals including the front and back covers! Neat, huh!?!?!?" Omg, I have to buy some right away. What a good gift!

(link via BoingBoing)

Fingered DVD Zine
DVD in screen printed cloth sleeve (comes with a button!)
Edition of 300

The Fingered DVD Zine is a series of discs dedicated to exposing and promoting art communities in the US and beyond. Artist Harrison Owen (who, when googled, comes up as a guy who wrote a book called The Practice of Peace. I don't think it's the same fellow.) Apparently our Harrison has been shooting his friends' bands for ages and editing the footage together to share. His first issue of Fingered focuses on Brooklyn bands with Excepter acting as the centerpiece and co-curator. This new issue is about all things San Francisco, a topic close to my west coast heart. Fabulous Oakland band Erase Errata is the main band on this DVD and their tour diary is cute and funny and full of rock. It's cool to see the original line-up together there and our friend Lauryn Siegel also has a cameo. Two other stand outs are the Tussle video and the Clipd Beaks video and artwork. You can buy this DVD as well as the first issue on the Fingered Media site or at cool bookstores.

In 2004, Jon Buonaccorsi and Shea'la Finch of Providence, Rhode Island, historical home of many a cool printmaker, looked around at all their talented pals and decided to start Tiny Showcase, a website gallery of small artworks. Each week they choose someone’s tiny work and fine art printer IO Labs does a limited run of it. I like this idea. There's not a lot of overhead cost, the artist gets to make a little money off their work, and the art enthusiast gets to take home an art work for about the cost of a record or a book. Go browse around and buy stuff... If it wasn't sold out, I'd buy this one. I love zombies.

The Art of Music
Secret Project Robot
Brooklyn, NY
Saturday July 21, 8-11pm

Tomorrow night Secret Project Robot gallery in Williamsburg is having a show of handmade, original, and limited edition record art by collectors, artists and bands. There will be work by great Providence band Lightning Bolt, spazzy art collective Paper Rad, British post-punk band Scritti Politti, early '80s LA punks 100 Flowers, no wave label guy with awesome name Dan Seltzer/Acute Records, Brooklyn screenprinters Kayrock Screenprinting, record labels Social Registry and Troubleman, East Village gallery Little Cakes, and more. I'm looking forward to this. I love record cover art. I have so many favorites. While looking around for some of my own favorites, I ran across this list of Beck's favorite record covers and this selection of some of the worst record covers known to man--love Heino, glad he made the list!

I had a crafty morning today. I woke up, looked around, and realized two terrible things: my favorite pants and belt both needed serious fixing and the last page in my current notebook had been used. I set to work and sewed up the pants, glued the belt, and made myself a new notebook with some leftover computer paper, cardboard, house paint and tape. Whew. Such crazy crafting inspired me to search around the internet for crafty websites, specifically those who might supply me with a better new notebook than the messy one I'd just slapped together. I found this preview of a documentary called Handmade Nation. Faythe Levine, the filmmaker behind the project, traveled all over the US interviewing over 50 indie crafty types—sewers, knitters, bookmakers, screenprinters, etc. They interview Breezy from Needles + Pens (we love them!) in SF, and someone from Dirt Palace in Providence. While watching, I discovered a little webshop called If'n Books and Marks. They make super nice handmade books and journals and albums. I'm going to get one. Handmade Nation is not totally finished and if you're interested in seeing the whole thing, help them out by buying something from their Etsy shop. Pictured above is If'n's Wood Buttonhole Stitch Photo Album.

Hey nothing makes a better, or easier, gift to a Print Fetishist than a subscription to a great magazine (we suggest any, if not all, of the "Magazines We Love" in our sidelinks) - so do that, or check out these awesome accessories!

Magazine Racks clockwise: the Collator 10 is an expandable rack made of recycled aluminum, available for $125 at DWR; These bright, patterned Thomas Paul Magazine Holders are only $17.50 each at See Jane Work; There are a lot of bathroom mag rack options, but this one is the most tasteful and even holds toilet paper. $69 at The Conran Shop; the Tre Table Multi Function Table does a lot of work for only $99.99 at Occasional Furniture; It's cute, wood, simple and cheap–The Studio Magazine Rack, $29.99 with free shipping at Real Simple Furniture; This super-awesome wall mounted, giant paper clip makes a fabulous magazine rack, $80 at Unica Home.

Continue Reading Print Fetish Holiday Gift Guide 2007 Part 1

Growing up in the French Quarter I saw tacky T-Shirt shops take over like the borg. But Defend New Orleans makes N.O screen shirts that locals actually wear, such as the one below. Proceeds from sales benefit a a variety of New Orleans housing charities and arts organizations.

I mostly made this because Ms. Keough loves totes, and wanted a personalized one to carry magazines home in. HEY! Here is an idea... YOU can buy one too! Fierce.

Print Fetish Tote $15.99 at The R&S CafePress store.