Making May Day Prom Ride Posters at Lettre Sauvage

For the May Day Prom Ride & Bike Prom on the Promenade, I wanted a special poster to plaster the town with, so I contacted Fiona Spring at Lettre Sauvage to see if she would help me in her Santa Paula studio.

And she answered yes! I packed up the small boy, some snacks, some text, and we off we went.

To get started, we wandered the studio, exploring possible papers, ink colors, fonts, and graphics.

No, she didn’t have any bicycles around. Or prom queens we could ink up. Or…hmmn, what about this wonderful spiraling, wheeling graphic that her husband Cameron made and Fiona had turned into a plate to make into cards and journals?

Perfect! The center reminds me of dahlias, then bicycle spokes reeling and wheeling out toward the world! And that’s what we’re trying to do with these rides–keep the world a green and healthy place for flowers and other living beings while we bike our way around! We ran that in fuschia, of course, and I cranked the machine while Fiona kept me in ink and set type.

Setting the type was a challenge–finding all the right letter in the right sizes. We loved the 50’s flourishy May Day (that’s a W for the M in May! Isn’t it fun? but we didn’t have a big P for Prom until Fiona realized we could take a large wooden lower case “d” and turn it upside down! Voila!

We ran the text in turquiose over the fuschia; back at home, I laid out the rest of the text, printed it, and copied it onto the letterpress broadsides.

Join the “Prom Ride to the Promenade” May Day Prom May 1 2009 any time from 5-9pm in your prom dress & dance with us at our portable prom! All Prom Ride Times Approximate; follow ArtPredator on twitter for updates!

5pm     Gov Center, Victoria & Telephone
515     BHS, Wakeforest  & Telegraph
530     VC, Day & Telegraph
545    St Bonnie, Dunning & Telegraph
6pm     VHS, Catalina & Main
615    TBA midtown/downtown Main
630     Stoneworks, Park Row & VTA Ave
645     Bell Arts, Prospect & VTA Ave
7pm     TBA downtown
715     TBA downtown
730    SeaBreeze,  Laurel & Thompson
745    Artists Union, C St & the sea
8pm    Prom on the Promenade!

First Friday ArtRides & Friday Fun Rides seek to create & support a vibrant bike culture in our community. For the Prom Ride, here’s where we meet and when. The following rides meet 5:30pm, Artists Union Gallery. We ride by 6pm.

June 5     Summer Solstice Santacon
For Santa, his helpers & all the good boys & girls

July 3      Independence from Fossil Fuels
Red, white & blue, baby!

August 7     Animal Fair Ride
Dress animal! 10pm Fair Fireworks!

More details about Friday Fun Rides at the Art Predator’s blog; there’s a ride every Friday!

Many thanks again to Lettre Sauvage for studio space, materials, and printing expertise in creating this fine letterpress poster! lettresauvage.com As always, wonderful, fun and creative to work with!