Music Makes Music “MMM” is a non-profit organization that goes to schools to perform and educate students about the importance of music. MMM inspires students to get involved with music which in then impacts students interest levels to finish their education. Schools that have a music program are seeing higher attendance and graduation rates. A 2006 Harris poll, showed that schools who have a music program are getting 97% of students to attend and graduate versus 72.9% for schools without a music program. Karen Zgonc, the VP of Marketing and Development, contacted us and we are excited to work with them. Here are the picks we have created for them. If you would like to support the Music Makes Music organization you may go to their website musicmakesmusic.org
This week, we wanted to draw attention to our pink delrin custom picks at Steve Clayton. Shown here are some pink delrin pick designs that we really like. Black is the only printing option for pink delrins, but we think that the black and pink look great as a color combination. Pink delrins are also preferable for some customers because of the gauge sizes offered. We have other colored delrins available for custom printing, including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. For these, the color of the pick always dictates the gauge. With the pink delrins, we offer three different gauges: Thin (.5) Medium (.8) and Heavy (1mm). Pink picks are perfect for guitar players who want to have personalized picks to play with or give out to fans. They can also be great for events, such as weddings or birthdays. Next time you are starting a new design on our custom site, consider picking pink!
This week we selected a beautiful pencil sketch that we reproduced on our Acetal guitar picks by Dylan Duncan. Dylan explained the purpose of the bicycle on his pick to us below: “The bicycle art and Bicycle on the Ice song on the record, is inspired by an old photograph taken in 1962 by my dad in Vermont. It’s a great photo of a bicycle alone on an iced over lake and the feeling I got from the picture seemed to take on a whole new meaning that related to my own life. At the time I was feeling like I didn’t belong where I was currently living and so when I stumbled upon the lone bicycle on the ice, I realized it, too, didn’t belong where it was. I felt the need to write about it and it became one of the central themes and inspired the album artwork, including corresponding materials like
buttons and these guitar picks.“ We thought this was an amazing way to let your music be inspired, even by the most unexpected things. Dylan has an album set to be released this summer called What To Keep & Let Go. He currently has a great blog that you can follow while he creates his album located at: http://www.dylanduncan.com/whattokeep
Here are some picks that demonstrate what the over bleed option does to a design. If you notice the picks on the right have a border around the design, yet the picks on the left have no border and the ink “bleeds” to the edge. When placing you next order if you would like to see what the over bleed option does to your design here are the steps to make sure you select the over bleed option.
1. Start by going to claytoncustom.com and click on the guitar pick “START NOW!”
2. Click on the pick material of your choice, and click continue
3. Choose your shape, gauge, number of sides, print color option, and quantity number.
4. After selecting your quantity number underneath you’ll notice the “Full Bleed” option. If you want your design to go to the edge of the picks click the Full Bleed “On” box. You should then see a check mark letting you know the design is setup for Full Bleed.
The full bleed option will maximize your design space and your creativity. Try it yourself and see the amazing results!
If you need some help with any of your designs be sure to call our custom design team and we’ll be happy to make sure your design looks the best way possible! You can reach us at 877.752.9484
Here’s another look at some cool designs that we have been producing recently. We have noticed that some great spring-time art has been submitted throughout the months of March and April. The designs shown here all use birds and trees, and we feel that this art is both aesthetically pleasing and works well on the small design space of the custom picks. It seems that birds and trees are a trend in the world of graphic art currently…and now they are showing up at Steve Clayton, Inc.! The pick materials vary for these designs. Included in the photo here are ultem, white delrin, and white pearl. Both of the bird design picks shown are also further examples of wedding picks. If you would like to try out your own spring design, visit our custom pick design website!
Robert Kearns is now our featured artist! He is the current bassist from Lynyrd Skynyrd and will be touring with them for 2010. The band talks about his audition and how they were impressed by his talent in the video below. Kearns chooses to play with our acetal rounded triangle picks. He enjoys how they feel when he plays with them and says they create a better tone than other guitar picks. Kearns is also from the south and fits right in with the band. We are looking forward to his year with the hall of famers and wish the best luck! To find out more about Robert Kearns and Lynyrd Skynyrd you can visit their website www.lynyrdskynyrd.com
Some customers choose to put photos on their picks, others just want text or a logo. Then there are the few customers that want to have a really cool animal design on their picks! We wanted to show off a few of the animal designs that we have produced recently. Even though animal designs can have a high amount of detail, such as the tiger pick shown here, they can look really great on our picks. The pick materials shown include white delrin, blue delrin, and white pearl. As you can see, we are able to create these picks whether they are black and white or color designs. So, for a new and interesting twist, you might want to consider using your favorite animal as the basis for a pick design! These are also a great idea for those customers who are looking into using our custom picks for promoting the environment and preservation of wildlife.
This week we selected a pick from the band Forgetful Jones . They are a really cool band from Boston that plays a eclectic style of Hard Rock, Funk, Reggae, and Blues. They are quoted as their music being a “reflection of their individual and collective struggles, trials and triumphs” Their music is influenced by legendary artists which include James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Their pick is printed on our white delrin .80mm material. We love this pick, because it really shows how detailed we can get with our printing. All of those little tiny circles really came out crisp and clean. We also love the red and black combo. It is great pick that really gets the bands name out to their fans. You can find out more about the band Forgetful Jones on their myspace page at: http://www.myspace.com/fjrock. If you are in the Massachusetts area please be sure to check this band out!
Formed in 2005 the band Kauze is a heavy-metal band located in Southern California. They enjoy using our acetal picks and are big fans of our picks. They created a debut EP titled “Waiting for the Punch” released in 2006. They just had their latest EP release “Epiphany.” The new EP was supported during their 2009 tour and have up coming shows for 2010. Kauze likes to say they sound like old-school hardcore punk and metal. We look forward to supporting the band and hope the best for them this year. You can find out more info on the band at www.myspace.com/kauzetunes
Lately, at the Clayton custom department, we have been noticing some really cool black and white designs created by our customers, and we wanted to show them off! All of these designs were created for white delrin picks, and they have a really classy look. Using a full bleed black and white design can create the illusion of having a patterned pick, such as the pick shown on the farthest left. There is a lot of freedom with these kinds of designs, even though only one color is used, and they are always eye-catching. Whether they are for a band, a wedding, or a business promotion, black and white art is an example of how simplicity can often be the best way of creating an appealing design.
Music Makes Music “MMM” is a non-profit organization that goes to schools to perform and educate students about the importance of music. MMM inspires students to get involved with music which in then impacts students interest levels to finish their education. Schools that have a music program are seeing higher attendance and graduation rates. A 2006 Harris poll, showed that schools who have a music program are getting 97% of students to attend and graduate versus 72.9% for schools without a music program. Karen Zgonc, the VP of Marketing and Development, contacted us and we are excited to work with them. Here are the picks we have created for them. If you would like to support the Music Makes Music organization you may go to their website musicmakesmusic.org
