New Hero Website, New Hero Blog

So the time has FINALLY come, we have a new website up!! Check it out at www.heroandsound.com. It's still a work in progress, but the god awful, seriously outdated portfolio that we had up, is finally gone!!!!

We are still adding stuff to the new portfolio and we have to tweak our existing web store a bit to properly sync up with the new site, but it is there! We also have a new blog, which we are very excited about, so please change your bookmarks and update your feed links. We will no longer be updating this blog and we'll be posting in the new blog on the website the way we always did with this one. We hope you enjoy the new format as much as we do. It is more organized, so if you are only interested in new things at the Boutique or events we have coming up, it should hopefully be easier navigate.

The second phase of the new Hero website involves a brand new, revamped web store that will be more organized, and much easier to search for things, we are super excited for that, so keep an eye out for it later this year.

We owe a big thanks to our friend Mike Literman, who helped us with customizing the code to make this work exactly how we wanted it to, and for helping us fix the site every time we broke it and sent emails with lots of curse words as the subject line.

"Greatest Moments in Sports" Poster Show at Gallery1988

If you are in Los Angeles, be sure to check out the opening of the "Great Moments in Sports" Poster Show at Gallery1988, this Thursday, March 4 from 7-10pm. Presented by Gallery1988 and OMG Posters - all of your favorite posters artists, including Hero, will have work in the show. The show will have limited edition, signed and numbered posters/prints depicting some of the greatest moments in sports history.

Our print (shown above) is titled "Wide Right, The Curse of the Buffalo Bills". This print is a 4 color silkscreen poster, and it's an edition of only 100 prints. If you are from Buffalo, I think you can guess what moment this is depecting. Our poster will be available for purchase at the gallery through the duration of the show and on the Hero website after the show is over.

"Greatest Moments in Sports" runs from March 4 - 26, 2010. For more info check out the Gallery1988 blog.

The Winter Blues Mystery Tube Sale

The Winter Blues Mystery Tube Sale


Have you got a case of the winter blues? Personally we're over this yucky cold, blowy and snowy weather! We're hoping this mystery tube sale will cheer you up.

Each tube will be filled with the following randomly* chosen screenprinted items:

2 - gigposters
2 - large artprints
1 - 8"x10" artprint
1 - greeting card

ONLY $50

New Test Prints listed in our Etsy Shop

Over the last few weeks, we finally took some time to scan and photograph some more of our one-of-a-kind 8" x 10" Owl Test Prints and full size Test Prints that we had in a put aside here at the studio and they are available now in our Etsy Shop. We plan on scanning and photographing a bunch more of our other 8" x 10" and full size test prints this week and next, so look for those.

These are all available in our Etsy Shop and at the Hero Boutique. We are loving making test prints these days and even though we always have them available at the Hero Boutique and the different shows we attend, we are working really hard on making more available online.

"What's a test print?" you ask.

A test print is a magical one-of-a-kind print created from layers of different prints we've made over time. We use them to get colors right, fix a mistake when screenprinting, and for lots of other reasons. Sometimes the layers just come together in such a beautiful way that a strange piece of paper with lots of stuff is turned into a finished print.

Be sure to look through all of our listings for different test print designs, we have loads and we are always adding more.

Skwak Oil Slick Dunny 8"

Oil Slick Dunny 8-Inch

Strike it rich with this eye-popping, super limited Dunny from French artist Skwak. Sporting a maniacal grin and clutching two cans of liquid fortune, Oil Slick Dunny is covered nearly head to toe in a healthy splattering of the crude stuff. Just don’t let him drink your milkshake.

At only 500 of each edition made, Oil Slick Dunny drops tomorrow at Hero. The “gold” edition of Oil Slick Dunny will be available only at Kidrobot stores and select retailers including Hero. The black “oil” edition will be available exclusively at kidrobot.com.

Valentine's Day is right around the corner!

Valentine's Day is on Sunday, but there is still time to come by the Hero Boutique and pick up some stuff for your lover.

We're going on tour.

We are very excited to announce that we will be on the road for two whole weeks this March.

Our first stop will be in Baltimore where we were hired by the University of Maryland for a 2-day feature during Design Week. The first day we are going to be guest lecturing a group of design students and the second day will be running a day-long print workshop. We will be posting more info about this soon.

From Baltimore we're back on the road and driving to Bowling Green, KY to hang and print with our good friends Connie and Jim of Print Mafia. We are producing a Hero/Print Mafia collab art print that will debut the following week at Flatstock 24 at SXSW in Austin, Texas.

Then back in the car with our pal Ron from Madpixel in Louisville, who is joining the tour in his wheels, for the long drive to Austin for Flatstock and SXSW. Flatstock runs Thursday 3/18, Friday 3/19 and Saturday 3/20 in the Austin Convention Center.

We are also very excited to announce that Hero was asked to be a featured speaker on a panel at SXSW's Music Festival this year. Mark will be one of just a few featured speakers on a panel called, "It's So Big! Packaging Design from CDs to Vinyl to Merchandise." We will be posting more about this panel soon, but, if you are headed to SXSW this year, plan on attending, the panels are free to attend with your badge and this one promises to be an exciting, thought provoking and informative discussion.

Lastly, we will be releasing a new poster at Flatstock for a movie that is debuting at SXSW's Film Festival. We are super excited about the film and this project and we can't wait to share more about it with you.

So there you have it, we will be escaping the last few weeks of the miserable weather in Buffalo, missing our pets like crazy and packing up the Element for the first BIG road trip of the year. We are stoked!

FREE Screen Printing Demo Workshop with Hero at WNYBAC

In conjunction with our Retrospective Exhibit "Pulled to the Limit" at WNY Book Arts Center we are teaching a FREE Screenprinting Demo on Wednesday, February 17, 6-8pm at WNYBAC.

Screen printing is a great and fun way to exhibit artwork or advertise an event like a concert or exhibition. Silkscreen printing (also known as serigraphy) is a method of print making in which the negative of an image is blocked out of a screen of fine mesh, and ink is pulled through the open areas of the mesh onto the printing surface. In this workshop, we will introduce you to the basics of screen printing while demonstrating the printing process. We will discuss the basics of file and film preparation, mesh selection, frames, stencil systems, printing techniques, ink, reclamation of screens, and how screen printing affects the finishing processes.

This is a FREE demo workshop, space is very limited, and pre-registration is REQUIRED to attend. To pre-register please send an email to info [at] wnybookarts [dot] org, please include your name and that you wish to attend the Screenprinting Workshop with Hero. After you have received confirmation of your place in the workshop, if you find you are unable to attend, we just ask that you contact WNYBAC to cancel your spot, so that it may be given to someone else that wishes to attend.

As an attendee you will be given an opportunity to print and a copy of the finished poster that we will be producing during the workshop.

Pulled to the Limit runs until Saturday, February 20.

Western NY Book Arts Center
468 Washington St. at Mohawk
Buffalo NY 14203

716 348-1430

Hero was at the Grammys with Ringo Starr

Last night Ringo Starr sported a tee designed by Hero, to the Grammys. It was a shirt we designed for Electric Fetus, an amazing independently owned record store in Minneapolis. We might be geeking out just a tad bit today!!

Here's a close up of the graphic!

Photo credits from top: 1) Michael Caulfield / WireImage.com 2) Getty Images

The latest Jordan Buckley vs. Hero Collab ETID Tour Poster

Every Time I Die 2010 Australian Tour Poster

This is the latest Jordan Buckley vs Hero Design Studio collaborative ETID tour poster. This print is the fourth in a series where the illustration line work is done by Jordan and handed over to us where we handle all the color, typography, the layout and any additional illustration, and of course the screen printing.

This poster sold out while they are on tour in Australia and we have a very limited supply for sale now.

We also still have a few (only about 5) of the last poster for their European Tour available for sale, once both of these posters are sold out they will never be made again.

I want to make beautiful things.

Watch this. Inspiration.

Gloomy Zipper Pulls

Gloomy Bear Zipper Pull Series
1-Inch

by Mori Chack

Mori Chack's malevolent icon returns in an assortment of 1-inch zipper pulls.

Some are bloody, some are not, all are ferocious.

Attach Gloomy to your hoodies, jackets, and backpacks.

This 23 piece series is blind assortment.

Valentine Variety Packs Available Now

After two days of printing and a day of shooting photos, our brand new Valentine Variety Packs are now available.

Spread the love with this set of 12 silkscreen Valentine's Day cards.
There are 3 cards each of 4 different designs plus 12 red envelopes.

Each card is a 5" x 5" square single panel card, that is blank on the back. These were hand silkscreen printed and they are limited edition. Packaged in a clear plastic box and sealed.

Send these to your one true love, your crush, your mom, your roommate, hairdresser, whoever! These 3-4 color cards are screen printed with non-toxic inks on acid-free archival 100 lb cover bright white paper.

You can buy these from our webstore, our etsy store, and at the Hero Boutique in Buffalo, NY.

Dunny Fatale Series Release & Trading Party at Hero.

Dunny Fatale Series
Release + Trading Party at Hero
Thursday January 28 - 6-9pm

Dunny gets a makeover in our latest series, featuring designs from 18 prominent and talented female artists. Come to Hero and get your hands on these lovelies before everyone else, meet fellow collectors, get your trade on and win awesome prizes.

Some are cute and sweet, while others are bold and in your face.

Each blind boxed 3-inch figure comes with a trading card and some include accessories.

Artists in this innovative series include Alex Anderson, Catalina Estrada, KLOR, CW, Aiko, Kathie Olivas, Wendi Koontz, Koralie, Baroness, Anna Chambers, Amanda Visell, Amy Ruppel, Julie West, Toofly, Junko Mizuno, Aya Kakeda, Tara McPherson, and Sara Varon.

Join Hero for an exciting release and trading party. Be the first to get your hands on this highly anticipated series and swap with the other dunny collectors. We will have food, drinks, super rad giveaways and more!

When:
Thursday January 28
6-9pm

Where:
Hero Design Studio + Boutique
93 Allen Street
Buffalo, NY

*** RSVP to the Facebook Event here
*** Download & Print the checklist here
*** More info about trading parties here

Pulled to the Limit - Hero Design Studio Retrospective Exhibition

Hero Design Studio Retrospective Exhibition at WNY Book Arts Center
Wednesday, January 13- Saturday, February 20, 2010

Artist Reception Friday January 29 6-9 PM
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In a relatively short time, Hero Design Studio has become a fixture in the Buffalo music and design scene. Their limited edition silk screened poster and design work for bands and special events has appeared internationally and has been featured in Spin, Print and How magazines and in such books as Gig Posters: Rock Show Art of the 21st Century alongside the most renowned practitioners of this art form, which has enjoyed a national renaissance in the last few years. Hero is husband and wife team, Beth Manos and Mark Brickey. The screen printing, illustration and design duo have created hundreds of hand printed posters and art prints since starting as Hero in 2003 and expanded their presence via their Allentown studio/shop. Silkscreen printing (also known as serigraphy) is a method of print making in which the negative of an image is blocked out of a screen of fine mesh, and ink is pulled through the open areas of the mesh onto the printing surface.

Pulled to the Limit at the Western New York Book Arts Center's gallery will feature the most comprehensive exhibit of Hero's silkscreened works to date. Along with limited edition prints and posters, the exhibit will feature one-of-a-kind prints, experimental work and works-in-progress that will help explain the creative and production process.

An artists' reception will be held mid-Exhibit on Friday, January 29, 2010 for a meet and greet, a special live printing demonstration with a commemorative poster for the exhibit being made on the spot, refreshments and more.

An additional Demo day, free and open to the public will be presented February 17th 6-8pm that guides participants through the specifics of how screen printing is done . This event is free and open to the public but pre-registration is required.


Western NY Book Arts Center
468 Washington St. at Mohawk
Buffalo NY 14203

716 348-1430