Author: Helen Bradley
Dog Days of Summer | Art Round Up
Well, here we are. The dog days of summer. Hot, humid, long days that leave plenty of time for making art before the sun goes down.
What better inspiration than Melissa Mendelson, Alicia Chen, Katie Mai, and Lexi Nelson? Check out some of our favorite canine-inspired art below and don’t forget to order from our $20 menu before August 17th to get all the best deals.
“Dogust,” by Melissa Mendelson
- Ink: CMYK
- Paper: Insides on 70lb Smooth Text/ Cover on 100lb Smooth Uncoated Cover
“Dogs I Met In The Elevator,” by Lexi K. Nilson
- Ink: CMYK
- Paper: Insides on 80lb Gloss Text/ Cover on 80lb Smooth Uncoated Cover
- Binding: Saddle-Stitch
PAUL’S PHILLY PIZZA PICKS
Paul here.
The pizza scene in Philly has come a long way! When I moved to Philadelphia almost 2 decades ago there was a lot of queasy greasy pizza 🙁 .I remember walking into a place where I could see the giant can of ketchup in the corner they were using as sauce (the slices were brown under the cheese). There is so much good pizza in Philly now! Here’s some of my favorites from the local za spectrum from slices to fancy sourdough, plus a few extras.
*I will make no comment about upside down pizza :).
OG Pizza. This is some of the best “pizza” pizza in Philly. Like what you’d think of as pizza from a slice place if you’ve spent time in NY or NJ, just delicious and made with quality ingredients. It’s also very close to Fireball (I eat a lot of OG) *pro tip – garlic knots forever! Margarita Sicilian if you want to try something different.
Pizza Richmond. Pizza Richmond and Shackamaxon are two locations of the same place. I go to Richmond more because it has a good size dining room. A little “greasy” in a good way, charred to perfection, great special slices and soft serve. Also BYO!
Pizza Shackamaxon Pizza Richmond and Shackamaxon are two locations of the same place. I go to Richmond more because it has a good size dining room. A little “greasy” in a good way, charred to perfection, great special slices and soft serve. Also BYO!
Char Delicious sourdough pies! A really good place to chill out and bring people (kids/your friends). Crazy delicious meatballs, Great soft serve, Also BYO!
Sally More delicious sourdough! Get anything you can “LOUD”, great apps, amazing wine selection. Also pretty close to the Skullykill River Trail if you want to ride your bike.
Monkey Club Focaccia pizza! Great place to hang out if you’re looking for a chill bar.
Places I want to try, but for one reason or another I just haven’t made it to. I’ve heard good things!?
Circles and Squares (I had the square pie back in the Win Win days and it was amazing)
Angelo’s South Philly is far from my house and I don’t think you can eat there (at least you couldn’t at one point when I checked). Looks fantastic though.
And if you are on the road, check out Ollies!
Ollie’s in High Falls, NY Everything they have is great! Try the “Purple Rain” with pepperoni and a side of ranch. They also make what might be my favorite chicken parm sandwich ever. Usually packed when the weather is nice.
Project Spotlight | Sacred Bones
Sacred Bones is a label born in Brooklyn, NY, with the intention of bringing great new music to light and reissuing music lost to time. With an eclectic release catalog and a rad Record Society subscription option, there’s tons to check out.
Peep the J Cards we printed for them below and explore their collection on their site.
Get your own J Cards from our $20 Menu until August 17th!
SUMMER OF SPECIALS IS NOW!
This summer is all about our $20 Menu.
Mix and Match. Collect and Combine.
We’re print’n it!
Go all out until our specials end on August 17th at 11:59PM.
$20 Business Cards!
One hundred business cards for twenty bucks. Rectangle or square. Get ’em here.
$20 Postcards!
One hundred (or seventy five) postcards for twenty bucks. Get ’em here.
$20 Posters!
Fifty large posters for twenty dollars. Or – seventy five small posters for twenty dollars. Get ’em here.
Summer of Specials Menu Art featured on this blog post by ShinYeon Moon
Proud to have Pride (All Year Long)
We feature queer artists all year, but every June we spotlight
our current faves to amplify their voices.
Check out the 2025 Update Below.
Click the name on their image to explore their work and support them.
Jen Designs
A Philadelphia-based graphic designer and artist with a passion for logo and brand identity design, Jen Designs also creates cool, entrancing prints that you can find in a variety of places around the city.
Yamz World
Denver-based Artist Brayan Montes-Terrazas is better known by his alias YAMZ. Under YAMZ, Brayan’s unwavering identity-driven art stresses the importance of putting marginalized voices at the forefront of our conversations and the stories he tells.
Juliette Boulay
Juliette Boulay is an indie music photographer currently residing and creating in Philadelphia, PA. Juliette explores music spaces, drawing inspiration from familial loss, the warmth of the music community, and the primordial soup of a sold out show.
Sophie Czark Lee
Sophie is an artist, designer, and filmmaker based in Bushwick. She has a passion for vintage ephemera, making things with her hands, and cult classics from the 80s. In her art practice, Sophie focuses primarily on digital illustrations, incorporating her love for journaling and graphic design.
Kah Yangni
Kah Yangni is an illustrator who makes hyper vibrant art about justice, queerness, and joy- using cut up paper, drawings, paint, and Photoshop to show a world where we are free. Kah’s art can be found on billboards, one 2,250 square foot mural, and on bedroom walls from West Philly to Iceland.
German Ayala Vazquez
German is a photographer and visual artist. His primary aim is to illuminate and uplift the narratives and experiences of BIPOC LGBTQIA+ individuals worldwide, with a particular emphasis on regions historically affected by colonization.
Alyssa Klash
Alyssa’s work explores the dark and powerful female psyche in everyone. She uses her sexy cat muse, known as “Albino Kitty,” as her guide to create stunning hand-drawn illustrations that are transformed into clothing, prints, pins, stickers, and much more.
Karlovy Cross
Karlovy is an Indigenous Quechua-Hungarian Illustrator, a sapphic and lover of fairies. Her work is seen as tender expression of feminine queerness and an ode to nudity in its most natural form… body hair, stretch marks, and all.
Brielle DuBose and De’von Downes
Brielle DuBose and De’von Downes host Philly Queer Life Drawing. Partnering with venues around the city, they provide a space for artists to build community and highlight the beauty of our queer bodies!! Brielle is an illustrator and facilitator in South Philly. De’von is an established muralist in the Philly/Jersey area as well a brilliant jewelry maker.
Notebooks Made Just for You
We worked with some of our favorite artists (Jean Wei, Holly Simple, ShinYeon Moon, and Brunofsky) to create this limited series of notebooks that will give you a space for inspirations, creations, and exploring curiosities.
For a limited time, you can use code “FREEPERFECTION” to get one for zero dollars (no joke) with any web order over $100.
Pick your favorite, add it to your cart, and use the code. Simple as that.
Summer Festivals, Parties, and More!
You know we love the city, and when the temps go up, it’s time to get out and see some art.
Check out some of our fave creative happenings below:
Friday, 5/23: Fringe Arts Contemporary Circus Festival
Saturday, 5/31: West Philly Porchfest
Sunday, 6/1: The East Kensington Spring Festival!
Sunday, 6/1: Philly Pride March + Festival
Sunday, 6/1 – 6/7: Odunde Festival Week
Saturday, 6/7: Emerald Street Chockablock Party
Friday, June 13 – 16: Philadelphia Juggling Fest
Saturday, 6/14: Art for the Cash Poor
Saturday, 6/14: West Park Arts Fest
Sunday, 6/22: Juneteenth Philly Events
Saturday, 6/28: The Kensington Queer Circus Fest
Plus, check out these ongoing events!
May 2 – June 28: Made in Philadelphia
June 20 – Aug 31: Chinese Lantern Festival
Now – October: Southeast Asian Market
Canon Spotlight on Fireball
Canon made a rad video about Fireball and the moment our whole game changed.
As many of you already know, we’ve been around for over 15 years, helping artists make and share more art.
Not only have we come a long way, but so has digital printing.
Learn about our work and how the varioPRINT helps us do more of it here.
SPOTLIGHT | ADVENTURES IN SEED SAVING
Since 2011, Goda has been making drawings of plants. A few years ago we printed (on recycled stock!) this amazing Adventures in Seed Saving zine that they created, and we loved it so much we wanted to share it again.
Check out Goda’s website here and follow them on IG for more.
- Ink: CMYK
- Paper: Rolland Enviro 100lb Uncoated Cover
Fireball Spotlight
PIDC is a nonprofit joint venture between the City of Philadelphia and the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. Last month, PIDC interviewed Catherine about Fireball’s history, business capabilities, and what it means to be a woman entrepreneur.
Check out some of the highlights below and click here for the full article.
- Fireball Printing is an independent print shop specializing in digital, large format, and offset printing for clients of all types, opened in 2008.
- What started as a small operation printing art prints for friends has quickly grown into a reliable print shop serving bars, venues, restaurants, schools, nonprofits and a variety of other businesses and organizations.
- While we’ve grown significantly, we’ve stayed true to our roots: offering high-quality printing with fast turnaround times and excellent customer service.
- One of the biggest milestones for Fireball Printing was when we invested in our Canon varioPRINT iX3200. This was a huge leap for us—not just financially, but in terms of what it meant for the future of our business.
- When the printer arrived and was finally up and running, it felt like a turning point. Not only did it enable us to produce even higher-quality work with better color consistency and faster turnaround times, but it also reinforced the fact that we were continuing to grow and evolve as a company.
- As a woman—and as someone who tends to be more introverted—I’ve found that being heard and making sure my ideas are taken seriously hasn’t always been easy. One of the most important things I’ve learned is the value of surrounding yourself with people who respect and support your voice. That means seeking out business partners, collaborators, and mentors who genuinely listen and value your input.
