Napkin Art STUDIOS

Jonathon Kimbrell created Napkin Art Studios the day after he graduated from McMurry University in Abilene with a fine arts degree.

“I was determined to have some sort of career in art, whether I worked with somebody or by myself.”

Today, Kimbrell works both by himself and with others.

“I’m a graphic designer, printmaker, painter, photographer, blogger …” Kimbrell lists. “I do pretty much everything but sculpture.”

His “bread and butter” is freelance graphic design work and gallery paintings, while his products on Etsy — screen-print posters and greeting cards, all designed in his snappy, pop-art style — are really more of a hobby than a money-maker. But around the holidays, when people are surfing the web for unique gifts, requests start rolling in.

Recently, Kimbrell has begun working closely with people in the music industry, making sets of record covers to replace covers that been lost or have su ered too many years of wear and tear. Kimbrell also makes concert posters for bands such as Polyphonic Spree that he sells on Etsy.

“Just an excuse to have my hand in anything that has to do with music,” Kimbrell says.

Kimbrell developed his Andy Warholesque style after a friend introduced him to the work of none other than Andy Warhol himself in high school.

“I do a lot of stu that’s kind of a tonguein-cheek nod to Warhol,” Kimbrell says.

He creates the style through screenprinting, which is complicated, labor-intensive, and often not worth the e ort to many artists because it can be created digitally. (Although a digital print can’t really compare to an original, he says.)

“With the Internet, it has kind of become quantity over quality, so I have to fight that a little bit. With this, it’s all made by hand, so there’s a unique quality to it. You’re essentially getting an original at that point.”

Manly MARKS

BrandonGriswoldisamanlyman whose side gig unfortunately lends itself to femininity. A graphic designer by day and a letterpress printmaker by night, Griswold was determined to save himself from making hundreds of wedding invitations and baby announcements on his 1891 printing press.

“It’s a pretty labor-intensive, heavy duty, greasy, dirty craft, which is usually used for very feminine pieces,” Griswold says, “which are often beautiful works. You can make tremendous pieces with that; I just didn’t want to get into it.”

To combat the trend, he launched Manly Marks, a product line that’s all about men and what it means to be manly. The primary product is a hand-bound book that features an image on one page and a “manly mark” on the next, such as “possess courage,” “grow a beard,” “care for a woman” or “work with your hands.”

It’s a perfect adornment for a manly co ee table. The words and images are stamped from hand-carved blocks and pressed into the pages with the old-school letterpress. Other products in the Manly Marks line include coasters and an “Ocial Man Card.”

“You’re getting a unique product with what I make,” Griswold explains.

Aside from hand-chiseling custom stamps, Griswold also collects antique lead type sets. Griswold caught the “letterpress bug” while interning at Hatch Show Print in Nashville, Tenn., which houses more than 134 years’ worth of equipment, tools and accessories. It’s basically the Mecca of letterpress.

“It’s a living archive,” Griswold says. “So I got my start there. Through that, I learned a lot more about letterpress than I did in college. When I got back, I just couldn’t let go of it.”

His first project was Honeycomb Print Shop, which consisted mostly of posters and other crafty items — some of which he still sells — before he successfully campaigned on the online funding platform kickstarter.com for Manly Marks.