March 14 – 17 I’ll be exhibiting in Austin at the 33rd Flatstock poster event, co-presented by the American Poster Institute (API) and the SXSW Music, Film, and Interactive festival. Here’s the event page on sxsw.com, consider skipping my blathering if you want relevant infos on the subject.

This photo lifted from sxsw.com, credited to Merrick Ales (merrickales.com)

I’m really super excited about this. Enough so to overcome my misgivings about being surrounded by a slew of ridiculously talented poster people offering stark contrast to my meager portfolio. Because if it’s anything at all like Chicago’s annual Flatstock event (held at and in conjunction with Pitchfork Music Festival, as well as the API of course) then it will be a great opportunity to shoot the breeze with poster-collectors (aka the best people on earth), hang with inky-fingered friends, meet some music biz pros, and maybe just maybe sell a few posters too.

Oh, and it’d be swell to catch some of the great music going on — I’m especially excited to catch at least one of Howlin Rain‘s three sets (they’re playing Tues, Weds, AND Thurs) and absolutely thrilled that my homeboys The Steepwater Band will be playing a showcase on Sunday. I’ll post details on that soon as I have ‘em!

If it’s anything not like Chicago’s version of Flatstock, then it won’t be a sweltering mid-July weekend in a largely-exposed tent on a paved road. (I’m complaining here, I absolutely love Flatstock in Chicago, I’m just looking forward to trying the whole poster-show thing indoors for the first time.) Sounds like a good excuse to wear a suit…

Aright I’m rambling here and still haven’t finished this website, so I’ll just leave this for now with shout-outs to Chicago poster friends also making the trip down to the United Sates of Texas, apologies if I missed anyone:

Crosshair (Dan MacAdam), Delicious Design League (Billy Baumann and Jason Teegarden-Downs), Fugscreens Studios (Zissou Tasseff-Elenkoff), Sonnenzimmer (Nadine Nakanishi and Nick Butcher), and The Bird Machine (Jay Ryan).

Written by Kyle Baker

For the past four years I continually delayed building a proper website for myself. It got pretty ridiculous there.

Dramatization -- Much as I'd love to sit back and watch the analytics, I got a ton of client work to do.

And just as much I have friends and family to thank. Sometimes I wonder, usually aloud, why anyone would hire a creative like myself when all he’s got online is a handful of rock posters and a couple logos from 2007? Word-of-mouth referrals have been the lifeblood of my business. Ya’ll should be in law or advertising.

Please don’t stop! Now you can actually send people somewhere that, at the very least, should confirm that I exist.

Anyway I hope you dig the site. I intend on keeping it pretty fresh.

Written by Kyle Baker

I am tremendously excited to be one of 101 artists in the pages of Gig Posters Volume Two, and humbled to appear alongside so many awesome poster artists for whom I am not qualified to mix ink, especially my fellow Chicago poster geeks.

Gig Posters Volume 2, released 1/11/11, by Clay Hayes, published by Quirk Books

Here’s most of the publisher’s description:

Since 2001, Gigposters.com has been the Internet’s premier resource for rock-show poster art; the site’s massive online database showcases more than 100,000 posters from 10,000 different designers, including all of today’s top poster studios. Gig Posters Volume 2 highlights 700-plus masterpieces from the archives, including 101 perforated and ready-to-frame posters for acts like Cee Lo Green, Crystal Castles, Vampire Weekend, Wilco, Arcade Fire, and more.

And here’s their blurb for Clay:

Clay Hayes is the founder and proprietor of Gigposters.com. He lives in Alberta, Canada. His first book, Gig Posters Volume I, received praise from The New York Times Book Review, ReadyMade, Spin, Maxim, GQ, Nylon, and Alternative Press.

Volume 2 is identical in format to Volume 1: There are 101 poster studios/individuals featured in alphabetical order, and each gets two pages. One poster from each fills a page, and on the reverse of that page are a half-dozen or so (smaller) posters as well as edited remarks from an interview. You can see my pages side-by-side below (through a bit of Photo trickery I made it look like one spread rather than post two photos):

Kyle Baker, Baker Prints in GPV2 | see Kyle's poster folio on GigPosters.com

I bought Gig Posters Volume One a few months after I learned how to screen print. I had a few other rock poster books* but GPV1 was the first that really blew me away.

The format is unique in a few ways in addition to being rigidly equitable for all featured artists. Aside from a very short intro by Clay, there are no editorializing authors — just the artists themselves — which is a departure from the historical/cultural textbook that others tend to read like. So you end up getting more diverse and often deeper insight, which to me seems ideal for a contemporary look at the subculture.

Best and most surprising of all are the 101 full-color, full-page posters printed beautifully — no other book I’ve seen comes close to so many full-page reproductions! Isn’t that ridiculous?

*In addition to the Gig Posters volumes, my poster book collection currently includes The Art of Rock, The Art of Modern Rock, The Art of the Fillmore: 1966-1971, Sex, Rock & Optical Illusions, Animals and Objects in and out of Water, Modern Dog: 20 Years of Rock Posters (not canine related), New Masters of Poster Design, Film Posters of the 50s, Posters of World War Two

Written by Kyle Baker

Legend has it his spoon was forged from an even bigger spoon.

Spudnik Press’ “Hashbrown 2012″ event is this Saturday Feb. 25th, and once again they are hosting a big ol’ chili cook-off featuring a diverse line-up of Chicago printmakers-turned-chili-cooks vying for the honor of winning the 2012 Golden Squeeguee.

The coveted Golden Squeegees

Last year I attended as a private citizen, and it was a blast. This year I’m excited to be a part of the action. Come hang and have some chili! I have no idea what I’m doing, but I just may have enlisted the help of a great chili-cookin’ pal…

Here’s all the info from Spudnik, but you ought to just read it on their website where you can also buy tickets in advance. I wouldn’t be terribly surprise if they reached capacity, I think last year did. They’re quite cheap and of course include your chili tastings! (Click here for map of Spudnik’s West Town print shop, and you should be able to use this link to add the event to whatever calendar you use, unless it’s one of those big tear-off ones like my Moms has on her desk.)

The Hashbrown 2012
Featuring 12 Chicago Printshops in a cut-throat Chili Cook-Off

• Saturday, February 25, 2012
• at Spudnik Press Cooperative
• 1821 W Hubbard, Suite 302
• 6 pm – 10 pm

Cook-off winners announced at 9:30 pm or when chili runs dry

• $10 for 5 tickets
• $20 for VIP Package*
• Redeem tickets for chili and tamales
• The first 25 guests will receive a commemorative Hashbrown poster.

Beer Sponsored by Windy City Distribution.

It is becoming a tradition that each winter, Chicago printmakers set aside their squeegees and brayers, head to the kitchen, and concoct a pot of chili worthy of “The Golden Squeegee”.

The Hashbrown 2012 features vegetarian and meat-filled chili provided by printmakers across the city. Competing presses include Spudnik Press, One Horse Press, Kyle Baker, Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, Hummingbird Press, Rar Rar Press, Fugscreens, Dan Grezca, Letterform, Harold Washington’s “Printstitute”, and the student printshops at Columbia College and SAIC. Each shop is donating their chili in support of Spudnik’s mission to keep printmaking approachable and affordable. Each shop will have a selection of their artwork on display and for sale.

It is no secret that Chicago houses perhaps the most vibrant and supportive print community in the country. However, it is a rare event to share a meal with a dozen of city’s most revered printers and institutions.

Less than a year has elapsed since Spudnik’s epic expansion. In that time, the young studio has followed through on their promises to double class offerings, expand their hours, acquire new equipment, introduce letterpress and offset printing, all while beginning both publishing and youth programs!

Come support Spudnik’s mission. Help keep access to high quality equipment and education available to every Chicago resident that has the desire to sling ink on paper.

*VIP guests receive larger chili portions through out the night, a commemorative golden spoon and a complimentary signature cocktail.

I should ask Angee if it’s cheating to provide Gas-X at my table… Hope to see you there!

Written by Kyle Baker

From now until I decide it’s a terrible idea, I’m offering free 30-minute consultations at my studio on absolutely anything you’d like. Though I’m more qualified to help you find a product photographer than to, say, teach you underwater basket weaving — try to keep it in my wheelhouse for your sake.

Just drop me a line and give me a range of times you’d like to meet. A primer on the subject matter wouldn’t hurt but no biggie either way.

Please dress appropriately for our meeting.

10% Off Offer

To sweeten the deal further, if you can beat me in a best-of-three table tennis match (to 11 or 21, your call), I will take 10% off your next invoice.

We played a lot of pong here during the Chicago Printers Guild holiday party.

Written by Kyle Baker