Lick ‘n’ stick

It’s nowt to do with dogs, and it’s not anything kinky…

I recently had cause to relay my apprenticeship as a studio artworker in Kernow, c. late ’80s. Lick-n-stick was the phrase that described what we did. Using hot wax we complied type and graphics on art-boards,  juggling scalpels, type-gauges and temperamental typesetters, we spec’ed trannys and played with PMT – all sounds a tad weird and yes some folks were a tad in-with-the-planners*, probably due to the occasionally dalliance with photo-mount, too long in the dark room, or the stress of pleasing the typesetter or making do with insufficient Letraset…  ah…  Popple Exquisite, it’s all coming back to me! *Planners ah how we loved them – who has the courage to ask KT and his Sunshine Band of planners to compile a dozen vignettes and multiple graduated tints? Dare we ask hime for a 85% tint? “Bloody 80 or 90 will bloody well do ya boy!”. Ah what fun. The apprehension and nerves as we ventured into the lair of the Creative Director expecting our labour of love to be discarded with a mumbled comment about the “Seven Sacred Principles of Design”. It was good times. Brian, Tim, Paul… Valerie – Spectrum Design and Print – St. Ives.

A lot’s happened since then – I emigrated from Kernow to England and discovered creative jouissance, post-modernism and ‘The Lodge’ in Alsager, Manchester Met. Uni’s country playground. After my degree I had fun for a while in Crewe, moved to Leicester, where more fun was had. Now in the ‘burbs in Leicestershire all that went before is just memories. Memories: mere trinkets compared to the current joys with a great wife and great kids, but precious trinkets none the less.