font throwdown!

being a font-fancier of some distinction, i can often be found on fontfreak or dafont downloading the many fabulous free typefaces available. this one, called "body hunter", is my current fave:

the other day my friend gina got it as well, and proposed a mini challenge: we'd each make a card using the font and post it on our blogs today.

the good news is i made *THREE* cards. the bad news is i'm not 100% thrilled with any of them. we've all been there, right?! on the other hand, three completed cards ready to be mailed out to their intended recipients is never a bad way to end the week, so without further ado, here they are:

(patterned paper: ek success; block glossy cardstock: ranger; photo diecut: photohouse productions; sunset shaded background, distressed edge & font layout: broderbund printshop (printed on staples' glossy photo paper); font: body hunter from dafont.com; other: dymo labels, sewing machine)

this one is for my brother-in-law, a serious motorcycle fancier. i've used the font in two sizes over a sunsetty photo. i kind of like the masculine vibe, and it's got a bit of a distressed feel without being too artsy. of course i am going to take some flak for the bike on the card being a BMW...but the fab diamond plate patterned paper *is* officially licensed harley-davidson merchandise, so i am hoping that will redeem me. ;)

(all digital products... landscape art paperie #6: anna aspnes, designer digitals;
distressed edge toolkit: rhonna farrer, house of 3; fonts: hurricane & body hunter; software: broderbund printshop)

this one's a lot weirder...so obviously i like it more! i loooooooooove that fabulous layered digi-paper, and it seemed the perfect home for the first stanza of "student of clouds" by billy collins. my friend paul, who's a big fan of this poem, will love it. on the other hand, it's not got a lot of the body hunter font, and the script, which LOOKS fabulous, is kind of hard to read. (so here's a translation in boring old arial):

"the emotion is to be found in the clouds,
not in the green solids of the sloping hills
or even in the gray signatures of rivers,
according to constable, who was a student of clouds
and filled shelves of sketchbooks with their motion,
their lofty gesturing and sudden implication of weather."

(digistuffs, all from designer digitals...patterned paper: tropic grunge, gretchen thomas; brushes: floral art #2, anna aspnes; skinny calendar: jennifer pebbles; fonts: susie's hand & body hunter; software: broderbund printshop; scrappistuffs...paper: doodlebug glitter cardstock, grey linenweave paper from a business supply store & 3m inkjet transparency; flowers, (recolored) leaves & gem flourish: prima; metal brads: creative imaginations; gem brads: making memories; butterfly die: quickutz; inks: colorbox, bazzill; other: corrugated cardboard, sewing machine)

attempt #3--a hybrid production--is my favorite of the cards, but again, it's not got a lot of the font in question, does it? also, i really wish the outline around "birthday" was thicker, so the hand-cranked machine stitching didn't obscure it quite as much. but i like everything else about this, from the grungy inky cardboard base, to the watercolory layered digital background, to the over-the-top dollops of black sparkliness in the form of gem flourishs and a glitter-paper diecut butterfly. best of all, it was REALLLLLLLY fun to make!

now i'm going to head over to tyggereye art and see what gina made. won't you join me?!