Unicorn Horns

Okay so here’s a quick run-down of how I made 1200 unicorn horn stickers by hand:

I designed these stickers based on a sticker that I found in a Berlin metro station. I was peeling it off and noticed how high quality it was! The backing was a gummy, sticky, tape with a thread lattice. It seemed weatherproof and it was difficult to remove. I knew that I had to find out what this tape was.

A couple months passed before I was in Iceland with my beautiful friend and wonderful filmmaker Leah Meyerhoff. We were discussing ideas for promotion for her film, which was scheduled to debut at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas in March. We talked briefly about the idea to make unicorn horn stickers. A few weeks later I was back in Florida exploring the hardware store for this magical tape. I found it in the flooring section- it was carpet tape! I bought a few rolls and ran home to make prototypes.

I began by coating Bristol paper with acrylic spraypaint in different colors I made fades across the sheets to create variation and texture.

Next, I applied the double-sided tape to the back of the sheets.

Back on the front side, I drew as many unicorn horns as would fit on one sheet using paint markers. I had a bunch of scraps lying around and it was fun experimenting with different color combos. I drew the outlines and several diagonals to imply a twisting shape, then went in with different colors for highlights and lowlights. The horns began to look magical, even more so when I cut them out individually!

I made 200 in the first batch. I sent half to Leah, and took half down to Art Basel Miami, where I installed them on the streets of Wynwood. Leah made use of hers in New York. After the first batch was exhausted, Leah asked if I would be willing to make more. I jumped at the opportunity. We set a number, (well, I bumped it up a bit due to excitement), 1200. I went to New York City and began production of horns en masse. After a week or so, it became apparent that I was going to need a larger space than I had reserved in the city in order to complete the project. I returned to Florida where after a couple weeks of tedious work, 1200 unicorn horns were born.

The second batch was like the first, multicolored and beautifully thought out. I made 400 of these. I had a stamp made with the hashtag for the film, #unicornsmovie. I cut out each of the stickers, then lined them up to apply a paint brush stroke of Naples Yellow gouache across the base of each. The gouache would be an ideal surface to accept the ink from the stamp. I let the gouache dry, then came back around and stamped each horn sticker with the hashtag logo. Beautiful.

This batch will primarily be used as gifts for friends and contributors to the film.

Where the first 600 stickers were varied in color and intended for promotional gifts, I thought the latter 600 would be most effective as street art objects if they were of a uniform color palette, that way they would read as a cohesive body, distinguishable by their quantity and uniformity while still retaining the hand-made appeal. In Austin, we can install the 600 uniform colored horns, mixing in the multicolored horns as fun outliers.

Confirmed Studio

I planned to leave Tallahassee early this morning, but after a shower and breakfast, my body and mind were still not ready to get in the car for such a long trip. It was early in the afternoon before I felt sufficiently rested. I got into the car and drove to Jacksonville, check in hand, to confirm my lease on a warehouse studio space.

I met with Al in his wood shop to deliver the deposit. He is a very compassionate man from my reading. He has been welcoming to me as a soon-to-be tenant, offering that I may move into the space before the payment period begins. I walked over to the Cork Building, where I met with my friend Morrison who was hanging his show in the gallery space. We talked for some time and he talked with me about some of the valuable resources within the neighborhood. I thanked him for his time, and was off for Crystal River, back to my folks house to keep my grandmother Donna company for at least a part of St. Valentines Day.

I have a lot in front of me, but am focusing on the present.

Infrastructure

I've come a long way from my adventures in Miami. I took a trip back through Tallahassee on the basis that I utilize my painting chops on a couple of murals. I had the privilege of painting with my long time friend Matthew, who is expecting a baby, his son, Miles. We discussed the possibility of painting a large mural on behalf of the occasion, and soon thereafter sat down to make plans. We thought to make a painting with a stork character and a piece of graffiti that said 'Miles'. Matt thought of a great building to propose the mural to, a carwash and window tinting business on a busy street in Tallahassee. We proposed the wall to the owner, and he agreed. After our pitch, he didn't even want to see our sketch- he was just down.
It went likewise a few blocks over, where I pitched a great mural to a tobacco shop. I drew for the project and submitted a printed mock-up. He signed a waiver and advanced me cash for supplies.
With the two murals set up, I rented a car and spent a few rainy days gathering thoughts and supplies for pre-mural planning. I ordered paint from Miami. I bought a ladder and put it in the nice rental car that I didn't get insurance for, along with three five gallon buckets of paint and a chainsaw. (The chainsaw- A part of the creation of the Miles wall was clearing out a large amount of brush and two small trees. I rented a chainsaw and cut the two trees down. It felt horrible, though I was getting the occasional encouraging lumberjack joke.)

I worked the two murals back and forth over the course of one week. It was a blissful trip.

I returned my rental car in Jacksonville, then boarded a flight to New York City, to meet with friends and to create promotional stickers for Leah Meyerhoff's forthcoming debut film. I stayed on a few couches, and met with friends, but after over one week, I had little to show in terms of sticker production. I sought to rent a studio space for a few days to complete the project. I asked a friend Owen, if I could use his studio in Bushwick, to which he obliged at a very fare rate. I managed to get a long way on the stickers, but not finished. I began to feel like I was inconveniencing my hosts, and I felt that I needed to get out of New York.

I rented a car and drove south to my folks house in Crystal River. At my folks house, I completed 500 stickers, and made a few charming pieces and drawings. I bought a car with help from my beautiful mother. I went for walks with my father and the dogs. I stayed for two weeks, then took a drive to Jacksonville to scout a studio opportunity. I spent the night in my friend Shaun Thurston's studio after a day of assisting him on a mural and a round of drinks.

I left in the morning for Tallahassee, where I had a meeting with Maureen Raferty to discuss a mural commission for Pyramid Inc.- a corporation which serves individuals with developmental disabilities. They are opening a new center in Tallahassee. I met with Launa, Maureen, and Amy at the construction site to discuss the murals. The women were wonderful and helpful in communicating their needs. I listened to them and took measurements. They wanted to start with two walls, then move from there. One of them will be an aquatic scene- that one I am very excited about because I love aquaculture. The other will be a wall in a classroom which is 27 feet long. They want something which will be stimulating while not distracting. This one sounds like a very fun challenge.

I bought a camera in Tallahassee and will soon invest in a projector which can communicate directly from my phone or camera or computer to tighten up quality in my mural painting. The set-up is going to be tremendous. I'm dreaming of a studio space in Jacksonville, I will know for sure tomorrow wether I will be able to call a warehouse on Roselle Street mine for the next year.