permanent ink: a portuguese-inspired tattoo January 28, 2012
Posted by jillyink in friends, typography, art, winter, etsy, custom, tattoo.Tags: calligraphy, tattoo, poetry, foot tattoo, heart tattoo, script tattoo, portuguese, poem tattoo
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i was so pleased, totally surprised and completely flattered by the email i received from an old high school friend (and former mhs soccer teammate), asking if i would help create a tattoo out of a poem she’d written to honor her parents, her heritage, and love. ‘of course,’ i exclaimed! this is really special – she wants two acrostic poems woven into the shape of a heart, with each half of the heart for each foot, the point meeting down by her toes. the poem is written in portuguese, and it reads:
meu
amor
eternal
pessoa
amada
incondicionalmente
and it means, “mae” (mother) – my eternal love/”pai” (father) – loved unconditionally
i’m so honored to be a part of this – thank you jess, and i can’t wait to see the permanent version!
never try never know January 18, 2012
Posted by jillyink in abstract, art, custom, friends, illustrations, tattoo, typography, winter.Tags: calligraphy, custom tattoo, forearm, never try never know, tattoo, tattoo design, thailand
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as promised, all the way from thailand, here are photos of my amazing friend adam’s newly tatted forearm. i have to say, it looks gorgeous. and i’m so honored to have been a part of the process.
and tattooed in texas January 16, 2012
Posted by jillyink in abstract, art, custom, etsy, friends, illustrations, tattoo, typography, winter.Tags: calligraphy, custom tattoo, illustration, tattoo, tattoo design, tree design
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the stars must be aligned.. just two weeks after i designed and got my very own, very first tattoo (post to come), i received a very cool email from a very cool lady down in dallas, texas, asking if i’ve ever considered designing one for someone else. ‘why, of course!’ i exclaimed, and there began our adventure in finding something that utilized my script, her three children’s names (madelyn, mitchell and merritt – adorable), and a feeling of ‘whimsy’. after a few back-and-forths, here’s the final design. just like my dear friend adam’s tattoo (which was inked this morning over in thailand!), i can’t wait to see the design in its permanent home, on her forearm. thank you valerie, for allowing me to be a part of this amazing process!
tattooed in thailand January 16, 2012
Posted by jillyink in art, custom, friends, illustrations, tattoo, typography, winter.Tags: calligraphy, custom, ink, never try never know, tattoo
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my dear dear friend adam sent me a message last friday with the most surprising, most wonderful message – he’s currently in thailand, learning very worldly, beautiful things, meeting amazing people, and walking along the most magnificent journey. and now, while on that journey, he’s decided to add to his growing tattoo collection. with a gorgeous message, “never try never know”. written in my hand.
he’s getting it done tonight, across the world. and i couldn’t be prouder, happier, more honored to be a part of this moment. hopefully i’ll have a photo of it on his arm soon.
all those other words December 7, 2011
Posted by jillyink in abstract, art, books, graduate school, jilly, projects, winter, writing.Tags: chicago, installation, poetry, saic, sullivan gallery, visual art, writing
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i know i haven’t updated in quite a while, but i have a pretty big-deal post for today. for the past month and a half (and really, the last year), i’ve been working on an installation piece for an exhibition opening at the sullivan galleries in chicago this friday. the piece, ‘all those other words’, is a 17 page story written non-chronologically that i laser cut into birch plywood and set behind stained wooden doors. i cannot say how proud i am with how the piece turned out, how happy i am that it looks so beautiful and reads so well, how utterly relieved i am that it’s finally up and i don’t have to worry about little tiny screws or super glue or nail guns anymore. enjoy the photos – hopefully i’ll post more after the opening!
the books:
during installation:
all up on the wall:
seattle stamp – tina wiley July 19, 2011
Posted by jillyink in art, custom, etsy, jilly, stamps, summer, typography.Tags: letter-writing, letters, mail, return address, rubber stamp, seattle
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it was such a pleasure to create this next stamp for tina wiley who lives out in seattle, washington. i love using a combination of typefaces and stylized lettering that’s both beautiful and (quite importantly) legible for projects like this. happy letter-sending to you tina!





























