Postcards from the Edge

BoyNhisDog · Posted: 4/10/2006, 2:15 pm Post subject: Postcards from the Edge

Recently, I received two postcards, one from a friend and artist in the Pacific northwest and the other from my little brother who was on a 20-day trip through Ecuador (which I evidently do not know how to spell) and the Galapagos. The postcard my friend sent had a scene out of outdoor heaven. It was taken in 1887 by F. Jay Haynes of a man standing on Red Rock Point, a place perched on Yellowstone’s “Grand Canyon”. The man’s name was Ed Wilson, a well-known civilian scout for the US Army and he has standing in front of a huge frozen waterfall, surrounded by snowy mountains, lined with evergreens.

As I held the postcard, I was brought to the very brink again as evidenced by the cover image I printed on my own postcard below. I had not thought of postcards in years but after seeing old Ed way out there in his element so many years ago, I knew I had to learn the art of the postcard, the perfect way of sending one image and short note. My friend once confided in me that a note or letter on good paper, enscribed with good ink was worth 100 emails.

Excuse me, but I am off to the post office with two postcards to send on their way.
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Seize from every moment its unique novelty and do not prepare your joys
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desertgirl · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 3350 Location: Chandler, AZ

Oh How Classic ..... Very Happy

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Shawn · Posted: 4/10/2006, 7:04 pm Post subject:

Your note touches a nerve; I agree that a card and note is better than an email. And with digital capabilities, maybe they can be personally produced.
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Shihiyea · Joined: 20 Oct 2003 Posts: 1135

How COOL! I want one of those post cards! Mary
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wanderingsoul · Joined: 19 Jul 2004 Posts: 2285 Location: Gilbert AZ

What a nice touch for a post card! Great pic Thought I was the only one left to still pen away with stationary these days, as everyone is into electronics. I find comfort in writing on paper and need to get back in practice on my caligraphy skills, just need time which seems to escape me.
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BoyNhisDog · Posted: 4/11/2006, 6:39 am Post subject:

It is a melding of two very different technologies, one that was state of the art hundreds of years ago and one that has jelled in the last 10 years. They work perfectly together. It will be a sad day when there is no more paper and everything is email.

I have an 85 year old aunt who doen't do computers. She gets my letters along with some other friends. That woman has been all over the world. Now I'll have to send her a postcard. Mr. Green

Shoot me a PM Mary. I will make you a unique postcard.
_________________
Seize from every moment its unique novelty and do not prepare your joys
- Andre Gide

desertgirl · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 3350 Location: Chandler, AZ

How do you make them postcards ? Inquiring minds wanna know.

I still ocassionally use snail mail ...and personalized postcards would be awesome !
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Photos: http://www.pbase.com/desertgirl/galleries
Life is but a dream ...there is no end to what you can dream!

BoyNhisDog · Posted: 4/11/2006, 4:59 pm Post subject:

Ambika, you have some most excellent images to start with. I am going to tell you my path but I’m sure there are others ways of getting there as well.

I bought a 100 pack of Gloss White postcards at Office Depot. They are in an Avery 5389 format, two cards to a sheet. My Printshop software supports that format but you can download the template from Office Depots website for Word if you use that.

To prepare the image I work it up in Photoshop, cropping to a 2x3 proportion and then sizing to a little bigger than 4”x6” at a DPI of 300. The little extra is so I won’t loose a sliver on an edge in my printer. I insert that image onto the front of the template and pull the corners a little past the templates edges. That is all there is to that. I format the reverse side with an address/stamp side using approximately 1mm lines in light grey and then an additional text box on the note area of 10 pt very light grey lines but you can leave that blank white if you like as most postcards do. You could even put a graphic back there is you like but that will cut down on your already small note area. Save As for future work. You can always cut the existing image and paste in a new one at any time. That makes it very quick after you go through it one time.

Print the front side out, reverse 180 degrees and print the backside out. Make sure your pen is filled with an appropriate ink. I like Noodler’s Legal Lapis, a neutralized blue/green ink and J. Herbin’s Poussiere de Lune (Moondust, a neutralized burgundy). I tend to stay away from bright pure colors. There are thousands to choose from but it must be your favorite. That Noodler’s Legal Lapis is waterproof. You can’t even get it out of the paper with bleach so it is good for check writing. It reacts with the cellulose in the paper. It does wash off the pen itself however.

Put one of those new and very attractive 24 cent Common Buckeye stamps aboard and send it to someone you like. They will like it for sure.

I have a book on order from Amazon called Postcards from the Boys by Ringo Starr. He saved all the postcards the other members in the group sent him from as far back as 38 years ago and shows both sides along with some of his own notes. Some have drawings from John and Paul and some just say the all powerful postcard statement; Wish You Were Here. You could say that about any of your photos. I saw their debut on Ed Sullivan when I was about 10 and living in a very small town called Phoenix, later to be buried by a big city called Phoenix.

Anyway, that is my path but you can make it anything you want and your friends will be entertained with your travels.
_________________
Seize from every moment its unique novelty and do not prepare your joys
- Andre Gide

Shawn · Posted: 4/11/2006, 9:12 pm Post subject:

Thanks for those directions!
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The bear went over the mountain to see what he could see.

desertgirl · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 3350 Location: Chandler, AZ

Thanks for those very detailed instructions ...especially the tips on inks and such....Call me old-fashioned but there is some romantic charm to receive a hand written (ink to boot) postcard Very Happy

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Photos: http://www.pbase.com/desertgirl/galleries
Life is but a dream ...there is no end to what you can dream!

Shihiyea · Joined: 20 Oct 2003 Posts: 1135

I got my POSTCARD from the edge, or at least from the drivers seat of a very old rusted bulldozer! Thank you Glen SO much! That was the best mail I've gotten in a VERY long time! I have to totally agree, the handwritten note just MAKES it all the more special! Thank you! Mary
Pink Yes

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Courage affects what we are willing to do for ourselves as well as what we are willing to do for an other person.
C. Myss

desertgirl · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 3350 Location: Chandler, AZ

Where do get an affordable fountain pen anymore ? Sad

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Life is but a dream ...there is no end to what you can dream!

IGO · Joined: 08 Feb 2005 Posts: 4144 Location: Las Vegas

Now I get all kinds of ideas. Sepia tone print on some kind of aged parchment and written with a translucent burgundy by quill. Smudges expectable. Hmmmm. Thank you sir. I do get hung up in the electronic age pretty heavily.
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"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir

BoyNhisDog · Posted: 4/25/2006, 11:23 am Post subject:

You might find some good answers on inexpensive fountain pens Here. I have some middle of the road, semi-expensive pens. I have heard that there are some that work well for less but don’t know the details or which ones use bottled ink over the cartridges.

Here is the image I used on Mary’s postcard;

I tend to use what I am currently working on at times and this was taken during a foray in the northwestern deserts a day or so previously. The things that are out in the desert always amaze me and this abandoned beast has to be one of the strangest. I found part of one track at the bottom of a hill and then the rest at the top??? It has been there for years. There were huge volcanic rocks, some that had rounded off and some that had calved off in huge rectangular chunks. Those made for some very surrealistic images.

IGO, I am sure you are going to make some stunning postcards. There are so many ways to go about it and I have seen some inspiring work out there. I like electronics too but some of the older technologies are too good to die. I am currently experimenting with various papers and got some new ink, Noodler's Tahitian Perl that is sublime.
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Seize from every moment its unique novelty and do not prepare your joys
- Andre Gide

IGO · Joined: 08 Feb 2005 Posts: 4144 Location: Las Vegas

I agree. I haven't seen a digital camera yet that has the warmth of a 4x5 or even a well exicuted 35.
That 'ol dozer looks like it stopped while pushing up a load doesn't it? A track brake and there she stayed?
_________________
"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir