Besides doing the art thing, I am also the creative director of PLY Magazine, and the latest issue is in the mail. It's all about reference, all the definitions and instructions of all the referency things concerning spinning yarn. I don't spin yarn but the queen does. I do design/layout and Jacey lets me run an ad. So, if you're here from PLY, welcome.
Since the cover of this issue is a photo of the spines of all the previous issues, I thought I'd post a few of my favorite editorial layouts and covers over the past few years I've been putting the magazine together.
The first issue I worked on was the Supported Spindle issue in summer of 2020. Covid year. That year seemed to last forever and now it's been four years. Weird. There were a lot of layouts I liked in that issue. But this one essay about spinning in Morocco was was fun to put together.
The spring 2021 issue was all about double-coated sheep. There were lots of pictures of sheep, and who doesn't like pictures of sheep? For this article, the illustrator (Kayanna Nelson, love her work) did a full page piece depicting a Norse boat in the water surrounded by mountains, I didn't have the room to use the full illustration and a big picture of the sheep, so I put them together and they fit perfectly as if the sheep are emerging from the illustration.
Summer 2021 was the Electric Issue - electric spinners. I suggested doing a Peter Max, groovy 60s cover. Flashback to 1971, the New York Post ran a double page print in the fun section of the paper and my little artist kid self couldn't wait for the Sunday paper to arrive.
If you subscribe to PLY, I hope you enjoy the Reference Issue. And, if you're a weaver, good news! The PLY team is starting a new pub specifically for weavers called "Weft." There is a Kickstarter open if you want to help bring this to life.
The next issue will be all about Alpacas. Which means lots of pictures of alpacas!