A little video update with I have been doing.
Quick April re-cap
In April was my birthday, I got a fresh haircut and colour in my hair.
I took some time to think and re-think the projects that I was working on. And I started to draw a lot, but to draw with some purpose...
Day 25 | How it's made
Last year I share a few vlogs on YouTube about how made some products. Photos of the process are harder to have, I'm usually so taken with the making and process that I seldom remember to photograph it. This is a halfway process of making pin badges. This was an older design that it's not available anymore.
Day 28 | Packaged
I try to only use paper on the packaging of Nuts for Paper products - kraft paper or tissue paper are often the ones that use along with baker's twine. I learned with a friend to enjoy the process of wrapping things, it's almost like each thing that I do and wrap it's a gift from me to you.
Day 29 | Most difficult to make
All hardcover notebooks, planners and journals. Especially because it has been a while since I did hardcover notebooks, and there are minor things in the cover that can make or break the final product. This only means that I need to make more of them!!
March Meet the maker
Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Studio | Week 4 | Week 5
...
March is the month of the March Meet the Maker created by Joanne Hawker
This year I decide to participate and share on both of my Instagram accounts some of the prompts.
Day 19 | Dream collaboration
It already happened - my dream collaboration was to design/illustrate books. Recently I designed and illustrated two activity books for young girls for a national publisher. Previously I had the opportunity to design a couple of books, but these two where the first fully illustrated and designed by me.
- O meu Diário Superfixe
- O Diário das Melhores Amigas
Published by Booksmile - 20|20 editora
Day 20 | Design Process
From paper to product/notebook
Everything starts with a pencil, paper and an idea. Then it's tested, and coloured on the computer. Then printed and checked if it works. This was part of the design process of last year Bloggers Camp exclusive journal.
Day 22 | Proud of
I am proud of Nuts for Paper
This year my brand is going to make six years and I'm very proud of everything that I did and achieve with it. (The brand birthday is on the 5th of June if you wanna mark it on your calendar ;))
Day 23 | Top tip or Advice
Make time in your schedule to rest and do other things not work-related. I learned it a little bit too late to avoid a small burnout. Nowadays I'm learning to balance both things: work and leisure
March Meet the maker
Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Studio | Week 4 | Week 5
....
March is the month of the March Meet the Maker created by Joanne Hawker
This year I decide to participate and share on both of my Instagram accounts some of the prompts.
Day 16 | Workspace
This is my Nuts for Paper Studio 2019 version. I can see that throughout the years my studio is getting more full and colourful (just like a well-used Nuts for Paper notebook). This is the main area of the studio, on the left is glueing station and my ream guillotine. In the front are the two main desks - the left one is where I cut cardboard and sew the notebooks; the one on the right is where I pack orders and where my computer sits (most of the time nowadays my studio is a computer free zone, which is interesting and makes me see how much time I spend at my computer). On the right is where the bookshelves are (check day 14 for a full view of them). I'm lucky enough to also have a workspace at home - which is where I draw and work on illustration. Have designated spaces for certain work help me on being more focused when I am working.
March Meet the maker
Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Studio | Week 4 | Week 5
...
March is the month of the March Meet the Maker created by Joanne Hawker
This year I decide to participate and share on both of my Instagram accounts some of the prompts.
Day 11 | Reducing Waste
For the most part, I've always tried to be true to the name brand and have more paper packaging instead of using plastic. Maybe the most relevant recent change is wrapped my products in tissue paper and replace the bubble mailers for cardboard flat mailers. It's not a big change, but small steps go a long way.
Day 12 | Hands at work
Some stills from last year video that I did showing the process of Bloggers Camp notebooks. I seldom have photos of my hands at work...
Day 13 | Photography
- I like to photograph what I made on white backgrounds (usually it's an IKEA table that I have at my parents living room).
- I try to photograph with natural and not direct light so usually means I can photograph from 10 am to 3pm (in my usual spot).
- I don't use a tripod, I prefer to search for the angles with the camera (although most of the time I photograph flat lays).
- I try to use things like other notebooks, clips, pencils, pin badges, bookmarks and other little things to make the photo more interesting.
Day 14 | How I learnt
It all started with books. When I was 11/12 years old my father started to gift me books about drawing, later I dwell in books about arts & crafts, design, art history even philosophy of arts. The books made me fall in love with art, with drawing and illustration... And also the craft. I learn from the books, from some teachers I had along the way and from the internet. Although I have a degree in Design, and post-graduation in Visual Design most of the things I do I learn them by making them, I learn with the experiences of others who bravely share their paths and experiences either on social media, blogs or books. I also need to credit a few workshops that I did - I might not have learned a lot from them, but at least I learned what I didn't want to do or what was not my path (and this is a very important thing)
These are my books, the ones that are in the studio
Day 15 | Motivation or Goals
One of the things that keeps me motivated is the people and how they react to my illustration and products. Other is the whole creative process - I love to create and make new things.
As for goals:
- at the moment my goal is to create a website for Nuts for Paper and have a page with the services and products that I do
- get back to create new products (stickers, planners, tote bags, mugs, etc are some of the priorities)
[Day 16 | Workspace - check next post]
March Meet the maker
Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Studio | Week 4 | Week 5
...
March is the month of the March Meet the Maker created by Joanne Hawker
This year I decide to participate and share on both of my Instagram accounts some of the prompts.
Day 4 | Tools and Materials
I could talk about a lot of tools and other essential resources for the things I do Nuts for Paper but I choose some of the basic tools for bookbinding especially the saddle stitch that I usually go for my paperback notebooks and planners.
Needle, Awl, thread, bone folder (don't let the name fool you, mine is made of plastic), scissors, ruler and paper! Curious note - although pink is not my favourite colour I have a lot of pink tools xD
Day 5 | Detail or Close up
In 2017 I adopted the dot grid for my notebooks, and last year I adopted for the planners and agendas. What I share here is a detail of the dot grid and a close up on some pin buttons.
Day 6 | Full or Part-time
I'm a full-time freelance illustrator & graphic designer and Nuts for Paper is my brand. In the beginning, it was a part-time thing, but since 2015 that is my full-time job.
Day 7 | Less Glam Side!
Well, I could talk about how many times I work on my pj's pants, or how I don't dress fancy in the studio, but I prefer to share the mess that the studio can turn in when I'm working/finishing notebooks/planners. Paper can be messy but when I mixed paper and fabric it's even messier!! (All these extra paper bits are recycled. Maybe in the future, I can use these extra bits to stuff boxes of orders, but at the moment I sent them into recycle)
Day 8 | Product Range
These owls were born because of a custom order. The custom order was for a planner with illustrations of owls. I drew 12 different owls and used them on the inside and cover of the planner. But later I adopted these 4 owls and brought them to live in many Nuts for Paper products: postcards, pin badges and magnetics, pocket journals and tiny A6 notebooks.
Day 9 | Story Behind Name
Nuts for Paper (or crazy about paper in maybe the not the most healthy way ;) ) I always had a tight relation with paper things - notebooks, books, newspapers, art... Looking back it all makes sense on how it lead me to work with paper, create useful things around paper but also attractive to the eye (at least I hope so).
Nuts for Paper has reason to be the name of my brand, back 2013 when the brand was created the name emerged from a brainstorm session. The goal was to create a name that was easily identifiable and that was related to the mains products - notebooks/paper related items. Although Nuts for Paper is a Portuguese brand, the intention was always to be more focused on the international market, therefore I choose an English name for the brand. Another goal was to create a quirky and fun brand, so I created two mascots for the brand (inspired by the nuts part of the brand name) two squirrels - Chubby and Snuggly. In the beginning, they are very present in the brand products, but slowly they gave space for another kind of illustrations and patterns. Chubby, the squirrel, stills exists and it's a character that I've been developing throughout the years (you might see more of it soon).
Day 10 | YOU
Hi! I'm Mafalda the creative behind Nuts for Paper.
- I'm almost 30 and I live in the sunny & windy west area of Portugal - my favourite colours are turquoise, all shades of blue and light grey
- I'm a book nerd and love to read
- I learned to draw and fall in love with illustration because of books
- I collected notebooks and sketchbooks until 2011 when I decided it was time to use them all before getting more. Two years later I started to make my own notebooks and often sketchbooks too.
- I often have to work while listening to something - music, podcasts or audiobooks - only recently I learned that it helps me be more focused.
- the squirrel in the image is the mascot of the brand and his personality is inspired in me! (Especially his cookie addiction ;) )
March Meet the maker
Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Studio | Week 4 | Week 5
....
March is the month of the March Meet the Maker created by Joanne Hawker
This year I decide to participate and share on both of my Instagram accounts some of the prompts.
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| Hardcover Planners |
March is the month of the March Meet the Maker created by Joanne Hawker
This year I decide to participate and share on both of my Instagram accounts some of the prompts.
Day 1 | Favorite to make!
One of the things I love most to make is planners - from the interior design, pattern making or illustration creating, printing process, bookbinding... I just love the whole creative and handmade process. I think it's one of the things that I make that merges design with art and crafts. For me, it's the perfect mix!!
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| Pocket Size planners |
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| Journal Size Notebooks (A5) |
Nuts for Paper started in 2013 when I and a friend decided to do something productive and creative since we couldn't find design internships or jobs. Each one of us developed different things, my focus was on art directing, generating ideas for notebooks and draw. We open our Etsy shop a month after making the brand an official thing and a few months later did our first international sale!! I always have been passionate about stationery and making notebooks, so quickly I understood that this had a future (and one that I was particularly interested in).
March Meet the maker
Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Studio | Week 4 | Week 5
February was a month full of creation of plans (you can have a sneak peek of my planners)
I started a 100 days drawing project.
I had a few issues and scares with my computer (all solved now *cross fingers*)
I did a quick public speaking presentation about Nuts for Paper. The preparation of the presentation made me research for a ton of images from the past. I end up doing this collage, which I feel represents well what Nuts for Paper was during 2018.
New Year, new plans and 365 days to execute them!
That's how felt that this January was...
Bites & Bits August 32-35/52
August was a roller-coaster. A good roller-coaster. I started the month by installing new shelves on my Studio. I did it by myself and I...
