It's official! #The100DayProject has begun! Every day until mid-July, I'll be posting the insides of my sketchbook and my work with the focus of lettering! Inspired by the Daily Drop Cap project of Jessica Hische, I'm going to try a hopefully successful attempt of furthering my hand-lettering skills for the next 100 days, using the hashtag #100daysofsevenellemakes. Of course, there might be a few random projects thrown in here and there for the sake of making and trying my best to avoid creative block, but here we go! 

Follow @sevenellecreative or my personal page, @jessthatsme on Instagram for more of my creative ramblings and explorations. 

Learn more about the people behind the project: The Great Discontent, and Elle Luna, her amazing artwork, and her book, The Crossroads of Should and Must. (Highly recommended!)  

Interested in joining #The100DayProject? Check it out here! ​

​Much love!
​Jess

As designers and artists of our craft, we strive on the perpetual search for the greatest inspiration, for the answers to our creative questions and solutions to our problems. But, with each new project, inspiration may not come as easily as perceived and for some of us, this is a daily struggle we face. Harnessing the motivation to overcome creative block can be one of the most difficult and frustrating stages of the creative process, but with these publications, that negativity can be eased and put to rest, finally illuminating that lightbulb we've tried so hard to ignite. 

Honorable mentions: Elephant, Juxtapoz, Hi Fructose, and CMYK. With each publication showcasing its own expertise, from contemporary art, illustration, and photography to package design and branding, inspiration is available everywhere. Find what best inspires you and use it. 

Where do you find the greatest inspiration for your work? Let us know in the comments or email us at sevenellecreative@gmail.com. 

A recent invitation to join family for an international adventure over the Thanksgiving holiday brought me to Seville, Spain, a city rich in history, personality, and true Spanish culture. Since I was young, I'd dreamed of traveling to Spain to experience the sights and sounds for myself, so this opportunity was a real dream come true.

We did close to everything, from the Giralda tower at the Seville Cathedral to an authentic Flamenco dance show, said to be one of, if not the best, in the world, at the Museo del Baile Flamenco. The whole trip was truly breathtaking and although I was only there for a few days, the memories made will last a lifetime. I can't wait for another trip to explore and experience so much more of what this world has to offer.

POINTS OF INTEREST (some not pictured)
Plaza de España
Real Alcázar
Metropol Parasol
Torre de Oro
Catedral de Sevilla
La Giralda
Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza
Museo Arqueológico de Sevilla
Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares
Museo del Baile Flamenco
El río Guadalquivir

Halloween is a beloved holiday by those intrigued by the creepy crawlies, frights and haunts, and everything dark and mysterious, and it's no secret that Halloween is one of our favorite holidays here at Sevenelle. In honor of All Hallows' Eve, we present Halloween Typ-HAUNT-graphy, a typography collection of letters inspired by all that is scary and spooky. We invite you to explore the letterforms of an alphabet brought back from the grave, from the bubbles of a witch's brew, beyond a monster's grasp, and more. Click the gallery below, if you dare... ​

Let us know your favorites in the comments! 

Whatever your plans are to celebrate, we wish you a safe and Happy Halloween!

​Sevenelle Creative

If you're planning a wedding, you're going to need your favorite ladies by your side. Our invitations are the perfect proposal to your best friends, sisters, cousins, and co-workers to play an important part in your special day! Each piece is entirely customizable to fit your wedding personality, colors, and style,  and even your bridesmaids! Each message is also completely up to you! Ideal for reception placing Thank You's after the ceremony, or favors at a bridal shower, these little ladies can be used to your preference and include a box within to hold jewelry, gifts, and more!

Additional party favors available: bags, boxes, and greeting cards.
Verbiage, colors, and sizing based on client request.

We decided to reuse whatever materials we could find in our studio to make some new sketchbooks. After all, every creative artist needs a place to keep their greatest ideas safe! We decided to keep it simple, so all paperback sketchbooks were made using standard office staples as binding. For the hardcover books, however, we chose to take a different approach. Here, we'll discuss the different processes of book binding and how we did it ourselves. 

BOOKBINDING 
Not all books are made the same. There are various bookbinding techniques, with each having a distinct process to bring the book to form. Some may be sewn together with needle and thread while others require patience and glue. 

TERMS TO KNOW
Leaf - Different than a folio, a leaf is typically two pages of text and/or images, front and back, in a finished book 
Signature - a section of a printed book containing text 
Folio - Used as a common method of arranging sheets of paper, may also refer to the size of a finished book 
Trimming - Separates the leaves of a bound book, Deckle Edge books are left untrimmed, adding texture to the pages and may be of special interest to collectors 

METHODS OF BOOKBINDING 
1. Case Binding (Also known as edition or cloth binding) - Typically the most common form used for binding hardcover books, the pages are bound by glue and attached to a cover or case usually made of cardboard covered with cloth or other material. 

2. Oversewing - Loose pages are held together while small vertical holes are punched through the left-hand side of the signatures. Lock-stitches are used to keep the signatures assembled to form a text block. Oversewing is one of the strongest methods of bookbinding, though when completed, the margins can be reduced and the pages will not lie flat when the book is open. 

3. Smyth Sewing (Sewing through the fold) - Signatures are folded and stitched through the fold, then sewn and glued together at the spine to form a text block. Through-the-fold books can have wide margins and will allow for the pages to lie flat when the book is opened. 

4. Double-Fan Adhesive Binding - Two signatures of loose pages are pressed with a roller, to "fan" the pages, allowing for a thin layer of glue to be applied to each page edge. The two signatures are then perfectly aligned to form a text block and attached to a piece of cloth lining to form the spine. Similar to Smyth Sewing, this method allows for wider margins and book pages to lie flat. Depending on the material, however, this method can become loose over time, as some papers do not hold adhesive well. 

5. Perfect Binding - Generally used for paperback books, this method allows for various sections with a cover of heavier material to be glued at the spine. Notches are applied to allow hot glue to penetrate the spine of the book while the other three sides of the pages are trimmed. 

6. Saddle-Stitching (Stapling) - Most commonly used for comic books and magazines, the pages are held together by staples through the centerfold. 

Of course, these are only just a few examples of all the many bookbinding techniques. We encourage you to explore and even try a few for yourself. We want to see what you've made! Email us your work at sevenellecreative@gmail.com.