Nicola Black
@nicolablack.bsky.social
530 followers 370 following 1.9K posts
Design, history, knitting, genealogy, gardening, hiking, self-employment, cooking, baking, outdoors. 👩🏻‍💻Ethical Creative Director & Design Strategist: https://nicolablack.com 🚀Community: https://joinwip.com
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nicolablack.bsky.social
Work in Progress applications are OPEN! 🥳 If you're running a one-person business and are looking for your people, this is for you! Apply today at www.joinwip.com
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nicolablack.bsky.social
I added her name to the alt text, but this is Emily Tull. An incredibly talented thread painter artist. I was in awe with her work. Beautiful.
nicolablack.bsky.social
Been watching “Portrait Artist of the Year” in the evenings (good if you’re looking for something relaxing to enjoy). This hair clip made an appearance. I need it. It was the perfect accessory as she was being seriously interviewed about her process and work. 😄
A screenshot from Portrait Artist of the Year of artist, Emily Tull saying, “Um, yeah.” She is wearing a thinking word bubble hair clip with “I?” inside. It’s perfect.
Reposted by Nicola Black
Reposted by Nicola Black
dwuff.com
To clarify: this person is gathering information to motivate for better regulation of AI. I'm not sure if they'll be talking to legislators directly or submitting a paper as part of a larger body of research, but they are esp interested in the harms it causes. Testimonies welcome.
dwuff.com
Friends: I have a potential contact who's looking into AI regulation. Please share your personal experiences losing work to AI, hearing of others losing work to AI, AI infiltrating your workplace/affecting work flow/income, etc. Also pls share any posts/articles you know of on its negative impacts.
Reposted by Nicola Black
bleary.off-the-records.com
If anyone needs me I will be in the museum, lying down next to the bog bodies.
Did people really memorize phone numbers before cell phones, or is that just a movie thing?
2? Questions
I was watching some old shows from the 90s and noticed people would just dial numbers from memory - like they'd call their friends or family without looking anything up.
Made me wonder if that was actually normal back then? Did people genuinely have all their important numbers memorized, or did most folks keep a little address book or written list nearby?
Reposted by Nicola Black
aerialembroidery.bsky.social
I've been picking out past designs for a dozen postcard designs and here are a few of the chosen ones! I'm picking out quite a range of my aerial embroidery landscapes from the past few years, its been great to go back and see them all :) which of the 4 below are you most drawn to?
A tilted photo of an embroidered aerial-view landscape. It depicts a rocky moorland scene with shrubs, a brook and boulders made of painted pine bark. An embroidered aerial-view landscape depicting late summer agricultural  fields. The woodland area in the centre has dirt paths running through. An embroidered aerial-view landscape depicting cherry blossoms and an orchard, all cut through with dirt roads. A tilted photo of an embroidered aerial-view landscape. It depicts a geometric rose garden with a fountain in the centre made from a repurposed clock cog.
Reposted by Nicola Black
Reposted by Nicola Black
Reposted by Nicola Black
nimasprout.bsky.social
TLDR my shop sale is still going on
nimasprout.bsky.social
Valid this week only, use code "ACORN" for 20% off your entire order in my shop 🫶

Prints, originals, cards, stickers,.bookmarks and more!!!

nimasprout.shop
Print with purple poppy flowers and magical shool Bea eating a snack greeting card
Reposted by Nicola Black
racheldeering.bsky.social
From American Spiders and Their Spinning Work, Henry C Cook.
The image is a scientific illustration from the late 19th century, specifically from a work titled "American spiders and their spinningwork". It depicts the web structure of an orchard spider. 
The illustration is labeled "FIG. 143."
It shows a "Section of foundation lines and orb of the Orchard spider."
The web is shown at "Natural size."
Reposted by Nicola Black
maddybellwoar.com
Another mushroom studies page in gouache 🌿🍄✨
Photo shows a sketchbook sitting open on a wooden desk, surrounded by painting supplies such as paint tubes, brushes, and a palette. The page displays 5 gouache painting studies of different types of mushrooms growing locally in the Netherlands.
nicolablack.bsky.social
Sometimes, you just need a little bread, cheese, fruit, and honey. 🍎 🍞🧀🍯
Crusty, white home-baked bread topped with mozzarella, apple, honey, salt and pepper.
nicolablack.bsky.social
Tried acryla gouache for the first time today. It’s gonna take some getting used to, but it’s fun! I’m enjoying it so far.
A leaf on a page with two in-progress acryla gouache painted versions.
nicolablack.bsky.social
Dinner tonight was a delicious squash curry w/chickpeas, mushrooms, and kale. Topped with roasted butternut squash seeds. So good! 😊
Closeup of squash curry in a white bowl.
nicolablack.bsky.social
Woke up this morning and put all but two of these into the freezer to stash. They're incredible! But there's no way I'm keeping them in my fridge to taunt me. A good dessert (or sweet breakfast if that's your thing) to have on hand.

...having one w/my coffee this chilly morning. It's so f'n good.
nicolablack.bsky.social
This should be illegal. Pumpkin cinnamon rolls. 🥹🎃🍞
A pumpkin cinnamon roll dripping with icing on a white plate.
nicolablack.bsky.social
Super happy with how these turned out! A few pics of the process. First time making them. They’re probably a once a year thing cause… these are LOADED! 😄
Pumpkin cinnamon rolls, before baking, getting ready for their 2nd proof. Baked pumpkin cinnamon rolls. Walnuts were added to top during the bake. Homemade vanilla icing in a plastic container on the kitchen counter.
nicolablack.bsky.social
This should be illegal. Pumpkin cinnamon rolls. 🥹🎃🍞
A pumpkin cinnamon roll dripping with icing on a white plate.
nicolablack.bsky.social
Pita bread baked! For the first four, I thought I'd go faster w/two sheets (of two) in the oven. Big mistake. I know better! 😅 Air circulation is a MUST for the puff! Luckily, they still separate with a little help. The last batch, however, puffed up perfectly using one baking sheet at a time. 👍
a batch of pita pockets lined up side by side in a plastic container.
nicolablack.bsky.social
Same! I'm thankful for the case study and process that Gretel provided. Seems like they had a lot of fun with it.
nicolablack.bsky.social
Of course! I had to go digging after seeing it. 🙂 It's always interesting reviewing process behind a refresh. I do enjoy the nod to the 1938 logo. Always a fan of incorporating a bit of history/roots if and when it makes sense.
Screenshot from Gretel's website showcasing the brand refresh for the Philadelphia Art Museum. 

"An icon revived and redrawn
—
The Philadelphia Art Museum’s primary logo builds on seven decades of brand equity. It features the newly revived griffin—an iconic and mythical protector of the arts. Several different griffins grace the cornices of the museum, and merchandise bearing ‘Griffy’ were consistently among the museum’s most popular pieces.

To mark this moment, the badge was redrawn based on the original 1938 version. Historical details discovered in the museum’s archives and architecture were infused, alongside cues from our custom typography. Through a meticulous process of exploration and refinement, we modernized the badge while preserving its heritage—ensuring it reads clearly from large-scale signage on building facades down to a thumbnail-sized social icon.

The logo system contains a primary badge and a secondary wordmark. These allow us to adapt to different uses and formats while maintaining consistency."