Welcome This the very first issue of the LetterZine, a collaboration of like-minded letterers honing our craft through monthly prompts. February’s prompt is “Firsts”. Here you’ll see each collaborator’s interpretation of the prompt restricted only by a provided color palette. We hope you enjoy what we’ve created. Because our world needs a little more joy & beauty these days.
Rights for all artwork remain that of the collaborator. Please don’t be a dick and try to steal our art. That’s just rude (and illegal). PAT T E R N D E S I G N :
Natalie Ferro
C O L L A B O R AT O R
JESSICA FIMBEL When I first heard the prompt of “firsts� my mind immediately went to the first time I saw the stars in the Australian Outback. I live in NYC now so I barely see the stars at night and I always miss them. Five years ago, I did a photography program in the Australian Outback and I will never forget the stars. There was no light pollution for miles and miles and the Milky Way took over the sky.
LEARN MORE ABOUT JESS:
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AYLA MIROLO “First heartbreak” popped into my head almost instantly after receiving the first prompt. It was the heartbreak of reality that stuck with me -- especially given the reality of the world right now. It also reminded me of moments in my childhood where I could feel the magic rose-tinted world start to peel away to reveal adulthood. I have an unhealthy love for cardiac art, which easily lent itself to this piece. The type in the background is the lyrics to a song called Wooden Heart by Listener. While they are definitely an acquired taste (read: spoken-word rock band, think Explosions In The Sky meets poetry slam), the lyrics are absolutely beautiful and something I’m sure everyone could relate to on some level.
L E A R N M O R E A B O U T AY L A :
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Lauren FLOrENCE This piece is inspired by my first dance at my wedding. We chose the song “Somebody Loved” by The Weepies because it is such a pure depiction of love and partnership and it was always very important to us. After our wedding we went to see them live and when they performed it they told the audience that they wrote it when they were on tour in our area which made it even more special!
LEARN MORE ABOUT LAUREN:
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MOLLY TAAFFE This piece is inspired by the first place you can see sunrise on the east coast. Six forty one is the time the sun rose the day the background photo was taken in October 2015.
L E A R N M O R E A B O U T M O L LY:
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NATALIE FERRO These letters illustrate my first love and a love that most of us are familiar with: ice cream. They’re reminiscent of my favorite flavors: pistachio, green tea, and all the ones that no one else wants. As a kid, I’d mix the flavors that don’t go together, always with chocolate sprinkles, and always ending with spilling it all over myself. As an adult, in drawing these letters, I realized that some things don’t change.
L E A R N M O R E A B O U T N ATA L I E :
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KAITLIN CALLENDER After being told that our first prompt was “firsts� I was almost immediately at a loss for what to do. There are so many options! Then I took a better look at the color palette. I instantly thought of my first hike. On October 14, 2014 a good friend and I hiked up Elk Mountain during their fall festival. While I felt insane for hiking up a ski mountain for my first time, I was hooked. The colors, the view, everything!
LEARN MORE ABOUT KAITLIN:
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C U R AT O R & C O L L A B O R AT O R
BRITTANY ARITA
Spring semester junior year, I studied abroad in the most magical city there ever was (Florence, Italy). I remember falling so deeply in love with it all. When it came time to leave, it was the first time I had ever felt broken hearted over a place, over an entire city. In the midst of trying to cope with the reality of leaving, one of my friends told me to think of it as “leaving with, not behind�. When I think of those words, I think of the last Florence sunset I watched from the edge of the Arno.
L E A R N M O R E A B O U T B R I T TA N Y:
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PAM GALANTE Whether you receive a physical trophy, or just bragging rights, being the best at something and getting first place is always a memorable moment.
L E A R N M O R E A B O U T PA M :
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COURTNEY MACCA For the first LetterZine, I wanted to pay homage to the ultimate first: the introduction to almost every fairy tale, “Once upon a time...� It elicits childhood nostalgia and a little wonder about what adventure is about to unfold.
L E A R N M O R E A B O U T C O U R T N E Y:
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CATHERINE Eager SUN OR MOON A play on the idea of “what came first, the chicken or the egg?” this looks at the concept of if dark or light came first. Every day, is it the sun that appears first, or is it the moon? Does your soul connect with the moon, or the sun?
L E A R N M O R E A B O U T C AT H E R I N E :
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SOME SERIOUS THANKS
S S
A special thank you to Molly Taaffe for being a sounding board for this project, for all your help & support. Thank you to Natalie Ferro for contributing the beautiful pattern featured on the interior cover of the zine. Thank you to all the collaborators willing to give this a shot and fit this into your very busy lives. You rock. And lastly, thank you to you, viewer-person, for putting your eyes on this and supporting growing artists. Because it’s important. Alright! Next issue is schedule for release on March 25th. Sign up for our mailing list to get the next issue (if you haven’t already). Oh, and we’ll be doing some fun little giveaways in the future (so keep an eye on our instagram).
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