I am constantly finding new ideas for possible phrases, and I as I am adding the designs from my sketchbook into the computer, more rough ideas are being scribbled in. If you have any suggestions for phrases you would like to see "ambi-fied," please write to me. As more finished designs are added to the collection, I will add posts to the News and Announcements page. So be sure to check for updates.
Card titles marked with an "r" are rotational -- it reads the same when turned up-side-down. Cards marked with an "i" are infinite chains arranged in a ring -- the inside of the ring reads the same as the outside of the ring, and the word or phrase repeats itself. Cards marked with "fg" are figure/ground word art -- explained on the Word Art page. Some cards are fold-on-left (marked "v" for "vertical") and others are fold-on-top (marked "h" for "horizontal"), depending on the size of the ambi-phrases and artwork.
Single cards are available in three choices of size/layout -- 8.5" x 5.5", 5.5" x 4.25" (approximate folded size), or as 8" x 5" post cards (approximate trimmed size). Folded cards include a white envelope that bears the "Ambigram Greetings" design logo and web address on the back. All pre-packaged sets of six cards (marked "#", also available as singles) measure 5.5" x 4.25" (approximate folded size), and include white envelopes with the design-logo on the back. Some smaller cards, marked "**," have "horizontal" designs while their larger versions have "vertical" designs. All cards have blank insides. The back of each folded card includes a brief paragraph definition of "ambigram" and is decorated with a bit of the theme from the front. The insides are blank for your own personal message. Post cards have the design logo as a vertical divider between the message and address areas, and a bit of the theme from the front of the card is repeated on the back.
Invitations can be ordered with either blank insides (blank left panel on back of post cards), or with ambigrams of For, Date, Time, Place, and RSVP inside (on left panel on back of post cards).
I am also making small gift bags with some of the designs in the collection. Currently there are eight designs available for gift bags (marked "&"). You may choose to have another design from the list below placed onto a gift bag -- simply make a request. Each bag measures 10" high x 5" wide x 3" deep (approximate open size), has a decorated card-tag attached to one of the two string-handles, and a label on the bottom with my design logo and the featured phrase in a 'standard' font. See photo above at right. ... I like to show my cards and bags in a fanned out display. It helps emphasize that when either right-side-up or up-side-down the phrase still reads the same.
c - Infinite Chain, other than arranged in a ring fg - Figure-Ground Art h - Horizontal -- "fold on top" i - Infinite Chain, arranged in a ring n - non-ambigram art q - 90-degree rotational, usually as an acrostic r - Rotational, words read the same when viewed up-side-down
v - Vertical -- "fold on left"
# - Indicates design is available as prepackaged set of six small cards, or singles of either size. & - Design is available on a Gift Bag. * - Indicates that a card can be redecorated according to a specific theme by request. ** - Smaller-sized card has "horizontal" design regardless of the orientation of its larger version. | Partial thumbnail images will be added as time allows. Ordering I have yet to open an "E-Store," but in the meantime, to place an order please write to me. Be sure to include what titles you want, which size, and how many of each. Overnight delivery is available for an additional fee. Note: All prices are U.S. Dollars.
Customizing Your Order For an additional dollar each, you may add one or two "rotational" names from the list on the Name Art page (or request a name not yet listed, pending "ambi-fiability") on appropriate rotational or infinite chain cards or gift bags, such as wedding, anniversary, congratulations, best wishes, etc. There is no extra charge for adding "Mom," "Dad," or the phrase "Mom and Dad." If ordering "Congratulations," "It's A Party," or "You're Invited," you may specify what colors to include so it matches your occasion's theme. "A New Baby" comes standard in purple tones, but you may request a different color. If ordering a card for graduation from a different category, please specify if you want it decorated for graduation. You may also request your school colors for graduation themed cards (exact match not guaranteed). If choice of color/s is not specified, standard colors will be used.
Payment
I accept PayPal (send to PayPal ID ambigramgreetings@gmail.com) and Money Orders (please send me an email to request my mailing address). The Process of "Ambi-fying" a Greeting Card
In making my greeting cards, I start with a two to six word phrase that you might find on the front of a store-bought greeting card. I write it down one letter at a time on some plain white paper, then write it again up-side-down just below it, mixing in capital letters with lower case letters and making references for a 2-1, 3-1, or 3-2 ratio as needed when it makes the inversion look like it will work better. I try to make word divisions match to those of their inversions, but it can be tricky at times. Below that the ambigram will take its rough form, usually as single-pencil-line-width characters. Below that, or right in with it, the styling will emerge. I take into consideration how much manipulation the letters need when I decide on their appearance. I can often get cursive script style letters to be bent to my will. I might need to work some glyphs off to the sides or above the initial letters that I'm trying to invert, but I don't often find that step necessary.
I am usually satisfied with the rough sketch at this point. This process feels like it only takes about 5 to 10 minutes, but I'm sure it's more like 30 to 40 minutes in reality. Very few of the designs have actually seen physical graphing paper, but I am constantly using the "show grid" tool in the drawing program on the computer when I want my letters to have a consistent size. (A thousand "Thank You"s to fellow ambigram artist, Nikita Prokhorov, for connecting me with the Inkscape freeware!) It is at this point that I switch over to computer and drawing-tablet-with-stylus (I forget what brand). I have used my tablet and stylus so much that the tip of the stylus is starting to wear down. I had to replace its battery just recently. It had been fine for about 3 to 5 years prior, until I started using it so rigorously (or vigorously? or both?) in my new endeavor. Occasionally, I like my rough sketch so much that I will lay it on my tablet and trace it with my stylus into the computer.
Either by tracing or freehand I start roughing in the computer version with the "freehand lines" tool. I group all those strokes into one "bottom layer" and fade its opacity. When I want my letters to be consistent in size, I begin with "showing the grid" and making two to four parallel lines as a guide, including these in the faded "bottom layer." This makes the steps of working with and manipulating the final-design-to-be and deleting the rough-in much easier. Then comes either the "draw calligraphic strokes" tool, or I will use the "draw lines and curves" tool to manually shape each form. I pick an outline color, usually black or nearly black, and a fill color, usually non-black but sometimes all-black lettering just works best, and a stroke width. The width of the letter forms has a lot to do with the "occasion" of the card as well as the manipulations that the lettering will need. I make good use of the "edit path by nodes" tool to smooth out the occasional bump that comes with human hands. After I have the shape of the lettering worked to my satisfaction, I decide on a layout. Some letter strings cannot be easily divided, as ambi-fied greetings often call for stringing together two or more words whose divisions do not match those of their inversions.
Take for example the very first ambigram greeting card that I made: "Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad" ... (How It All Began)
My parents' 37th wedding anniversary was coming up and I wanted to give them something unique. They have enough "stuff" so I didn't really want to get buy them a gift. I wanted to give them a little piece of myself -- something that would incorporate my new hobby and creativity into an expression of love. I decided on an ambigram greeting card. (Don't all parents love it when their children give them hand-made greeting cards??) This is how my new hobby of ambigrams started to develop into a marketable product!
A one-to-one letter ratio works very well for the "Happy Anniversary" part. There was no problem getting the shapes to invert. That was easy. I must admit, though, that I got a little help from the Ambigram Generator at ambigram.com for inverting the "Mom and Dad" part. The tricky part came when I had to emphasize the break between the words "happy" and "anniversary" without disrupting the middle of the word "anniversary." This would be difficult to accomplish if all of the letters were in a straight line, especially since "proper" capitalization wasn't used. In this instance, I chose to distribute the letters along a wavy line, putting the "ha" of "happy" and the initial "an" of "anniversary at the peaks. This naturally led to three peaks and three valleys -- or technically "two and a half peaks and two and a half valleys," with the half peak on the left and the half valley on the right. When I was satisfied with the work I had done on the letter shapes for inverting the "Mom and Dad" phrase, I added those afterward, and then the confetti bits were added for two reasons: #1 it is appropriate for the celebration theme, and #2 it helps disguise the fact that the dot for the inverted "i" can be seen under one of the "n"s in "anniversary." I was pleased with it, and my parents were tickled with the final product. Then come the decorations and any extra flourishes that enhance the lettering or the word divisions. Lastly, I add a bit of the theme from the front of the card onto the back of the card. Since I actually started my new design with a template that already has the standard components for the back of the card in place, this is probably the easiest step. I use a "regular" font for the paragraph definition of "ambigram" and for the footnote that states the greeting in plain text, just in case the recipient -- or giver -- doesn't at first realize what he or she is actually looking at.
I tend to think that the whole process, from a thought in my head to a finished design, can take anywhere from one to twelve "working hours." But I haven't actually timed myself. From time to time I revisit a design and tweak it some, or totally redo it. Many times working on one card will inspire another expression, so I write it down on my plain white paper while I'm still working on the task at hand.
With all the work that is required for the outside of the card, I feel justified in leaving the inside blank. That is where your creativity comes in -- Write your own personal message in there. It doesn't have to be an ambigram, but if you're up for it, go right ahead! |
