Gorilla Gripper

I'm very pleased with the Gorilla Gripper. I put off buying it because of it's high $50 price tag and not being sure how well it works. I was sold after picking up my first sheet of 3/4" plywood. Just grip it underhanded with your hand up by your shoulder and lift straight up. All of the weight is supported by your bone structure rather than your muscles.

It's has a really sturdy build and seems like it will last forever. The contact surfaces are lined with a rubber textured sheet that grips well and doesn't seem to mar. I've used it on prefinished plywood with no sign of damage. The rubber grip is very comfortable and easy to hold onto. You can also adjust the tension of the mechanism, but it's default setting was perfect for me. And it's good to see something still made in America.

So, the next time your lugging a sheet of 3/4" MDF that weights 100 lbs., consider picking up a Gorilla Gripper.

Benchmade - Lone Wolf Knives - Ridge Top

I recently purchased this Ridge Top folding knife from Benchmade. I have a couple other Benchmade knives and find them to be good production quality knives. Although I'm not a fan a unnecessary decoration, I've always like filework on handmade knives. So I placed my order when I saw this handsome Benchmade knife for only $55.

What is filework, also known as jimping? Jimping are small notches filed into the back of the blade or along the back of the spring, between the scales and liners. This is to provide a better grip on the knife. In this case it's a spacer between the scales, as one scale is a springed locking mechanism.

For the most part, I like this knife. My main complaint is the back of the blade. The edges are really sharp and feel unfinished. I can't imagine that it would have taken much effort to "ease" the edges a bit. I guess I'll have to finish those edges with some sandpaper or a fine file.

I've seen jimping in a lot of different patterns, mostly on handmade knives and some tomahawks. I think good filework should be really crisp, like good wood carving that are not sanded post carving that blurs the edges. Likewise, filework shouldn't be buffed to a shine that smooths over the crisp edges. Here's a good example on this tomahawk by North River Custom Knives.

Nate Van Dyke

Here's a video of Nate Van Dyke inking one of his signature chimpanzees. I like his use of a brush pen to draw lines with varying thicknesses and this modified pen with brush attachment for wisker type lines.



Another video of Nate in action. He really has some great textures and grittiness. He has some really nice color work as well.

Moleskines and Watercolors

I really should carry a notebook all the time to sketch more, and Russell Stutler might inspire me to do so. To see and read more about his tools and process, go here and here. He likes to use Moleskines and a Sakura Koi Watercolor Field set with waterbrush that stores water in the squeezable handle. I like the wide format watercolor Moleskine.

I Can Count...

I recently found my sisters old Hello Kitty calculator that I'm now using in the shop. It's a good example of a lot that I like about Japanese design.

Turning it on is really intuitive. When the head slides, it turns on and off. And if you forget it shuts off automatically, preserving battery life. The injection molding is well done. There are no rough edges or mismatched parts. And the buttons individually molded like the numbers and signs are great. It doesn't feel like a cheap product.

I've heard that the Japanese would make products for sale in the U.S. and similar product for Japan with tighter tolerances and a higher quality. I'm not sure if that still holds true, but that fits in with my design philosophy. I like to design, build, buy things that will last. I find them more satisfying to use and a longer life span should pay for the extra expense of a quality product.

You also have to admire the iconic power of the Hello Kitty brand. It's been around since 1974 and continues to grow in popularity.

Evan Hecox

I came across this video of Evan Hecox at work. I really like his line work and this is a good insight into his process. I could see incorporating this style into my design work with backgrounds and people to give context, or even to illustrate a product.

See more of his work is here and here.

Color Ref. 001

I like the color palette Brendon Monroe uses in his paintings and illustrations, and I really like color on these vinyl toys. My favorites are the red and green. The color combos on each figure are really nice.

There's something about limited edition vinyl toys that I find really appealing. The matte surface makes me want to hold it in my hand. I like the subtle contrast of the slightly glossy paint on the matte surface.

I believe the Sour toys started off as a series of comic books.

Purpose

I'm going to attempt to use this blog as a way to combine ideas about design, talk about products and art, and grow as a designer. I plan to post about products, other designers and artists, and some of my own ideas. I have a lot bouncing around in my brain, and need a place to store, sort and revisit my ideas about design.