All I really wanted to do was explore the folklore of the moon and paint a few pictures. And then suddenly a calendar came into being.
Reading can be exhausting. Here is a shortcut to the finished calendar in my ko-fi shop:
🌑 The Background
It’s 2021 and the world is still in the stranglehold of a pandemic. My university studies are only taking place from home and going out with friends is not really possible either. During this time, I am intensively studying legends and folklore. And somehow I’m particularly fond of the moon.
In my research, I keep stumbling across the old month names. They always consist of two parts. One of them is the word “moon”. The cyclical changeability of the moon from new moon to half moon to full moon and back again has allowed mankind to divide the year into finer, more regular periods than was possible with the position of the sun alone. The concept of months was born. The other part of the old month names is used to describe a specific lunar cycle. Observations of nature, customs or agricultural activities are used for this purpose. The determiners differ depending on the region, as on the one hand the regional nature develops with a time lag or on the other hand other observations have a higher cultural significance.
🌒 How it all started
When I’m fascinated by a topic, I just have to put it down on paper. And so, in January, I start with the first illustration for the wolf/ice moon. At this point, I didn’t realise that this would develop into a big project. That’s why I didn’t initially think about how the illustrations should look next to each other in the end. My first drawing is very delicate and light and feels lost. And digital editing wouldn’t help either.
Although I liked the composition itself, the layout choice didn’t feel right. After trying several ideas, I landed on a tall gothic window style. Instead of a light feeling I went for heavy blacks to emphasize the moon shine in the night.
🌓 Creating a Calendar
Month after month I illustrate the Moons according to the observations in nature. During the last days of 2021 the idea of creating a calendar is born. But it takes me several months to get on with the project and to settle on final concept. After drafting some layouts for the calendar, I ask my followers on deviantArt and Ko-fi, which style they would prefer and how they would like to use the calendar.
The results are mixed, torn between a slim minimalist design, a place to write down important dates and information on the month. So I remix my designs to get the best of all three worlds! To emphasize the slim gothic window I settle on a tall calendar: The image on one side, text and space for notes on the other.
I draft the final layout with penpot (it’s a free UX-Design Tool, comparable to Figma, and very intuitive in usage). Then I drag the design over to Scribus, a free open-source program for typesetting. I play around with different shapes for the note section and with colors, but in the end I go with a white text on a faded black background.
🌔 Of Frustration and Perseverance
By the end of 2022 everything is ready to get printed, but I have to delay the project yet again due to personal reasons. It is very frustrating, but it is just not possible to print and ship the calendar before 2022 would end. However, I figure that the calendar would work well as an eternal calendar. So I go back into Scribus, kick out all the dates and send the design into the pre-print. The print came out okay, but it definitely wasn’t something I want to sent out to other people. I fix some issues and add small illustrations to fill some awkward spaces between the paragraphs.
I send it to pre-print again and this time, it is perfect. I then order the first batch. I felt very happy, when I got my hands on the package. But I soon realize, there isn’t a good way to hang the calendar on the wall. That’s why I search for elegant and minimalist fold-back clips, which would not interfere with the calendar’s design.
🌕 A Happy Ending: Go-Live
After reading up on shipping requirements and ordering envelops, I settled on a special date for the shop opening: May 1st. I love this time of the year, when you can feel summer approaching and nature bursts into blossoms and lush greens. This day really energizes me. Also, the folk beliefs associated with Mayday really fitted the theme of the calendar.
It was exciting to see the first orders coming in. On that note: Thanks to all of you, who ordered a calendar! You’re amazing 🔥
Despite of the research I did, the shipping was still a challenge, since there had been some changes in the terms of service (really annoying and therefore far more expensive than I first anticipated!). It felt a bit hectic and it pushed my insecurity to the limit, but I managed to ship out everything one or two days after ordering. The packing process was really relaxing: Wrapping everything in tissue paper, writing little notes and hiding a little extra 🌿 And after a few days I got notice from my customers, that everything arrived safely. It truly felt my heart with joy 🙂
If you also want to find this calendar on your doorstep, you can check it out in my Ko-fi-Shop ✨
TL;DR: What I learned from this Project
- Sometimes life gets in the way of doing things
- Don’t work with fancy overlay effects in the layout document.
- Printing (and shipping) takes longer than expected.