The Solid Type

Did you know that William Ged invented Stereotyping?  According to Encyclopedia Britannica, “Ged invented a process in 1725 in which a whole page of type is cast in a single mold so that a printing plate can be made from it.”

Originally the word, Stereotype was derived from Greek roots meaning, “solid type.”  It wasn’t until 1922 that the word was used as it is today – as a simplified conception or image of a particular person or thing as in my example below.

This person could be “The Solid Type” –

I found it interesting that “although Ged’s system made fair copy, the opposition to his work resulted in its complete rejection by printers. He experimented in secret and won a contract to supply Bibles and prayer books to the University of Cambridge, but he was ruined by the dishonesty of his London collaborator. He then became a goldsmith and jeweler.”

I thought you might enjoy this little history lesson before I tell you how I created my fonts from Saturday:

A – A Doodle I copied and made into this letter.

B – Illustration of a buggy from a Child’s Dictionary.  I used Tombow markers to form the letter.  White gel pen made flowers with the spokes.

C – Half circle torn from construction paper.

D – Daisy drawn on scrapbook paper with color pencils and gold gel pen.  Letter was drawn with a black micron pen.

E – Gelli-printed paper cut to form a block style letter.

F – A page from an old book on sewing.  The letter was drawn with a Tombow marker.

G – Rubber stamp of a girl on an old map.  Lower cased letter drawn with a ball point pen around her face.

H – Letter stitched on fabric scrap and then colored with Inktense Blocks.

I – Old photograph of a person’s eyes, cut to form the lower case letter.

J – Ticket stub.  Letter formed with a marker.

K – Color copy of Fabric Art I did, letter drawn with black pen.  Shape is a kite.

L – Fortune cookie and lottery numbers used to form the letter.  Outlined with Neocolor markers.

M – Letter stenciled with black pen over sheet music.

I tried to create each letter in a non-stereotypical  fashion! 

Happy Creating!  🙂