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Dark spots in type designType design is all about balancing the black versus white to create a consistent texture. One of the—perhaps more obscure—principles of creating well balanced type is a consistent stroke weight in certain areas—particularly in the joins. This is true even for simple geometric typefaces of which you probably wouldn't expect it if you're not familiar with dark spots.More Like This
Ink traps
Dark spots occur in places where two strokes meet and this is particularly true when two strokes meet at a sharp angle. When two strokes meet there is a weight build-up which should be optically adjusted. The letter 'M' for example usually has three dark spots, one for each bend. Adding so-called ink traps [picture below] can get rid of these dark spots but it's quite an obtrusive method. essentially you add an extra vector point in the narrow negative space area and simply widen the area to give the black room to "breathe".
Ink traps are mainly reserved for two things:
Beta Reading TutorialMore Like This
What is a Beta Reader?Apart from being a writer's best friend, beta readers provide a cross between edits and a critique. A beta reader does not edit a manuscript, but will note the errors for the author to fix. Advice and critiques are other services a beta may perform.
Establishing a RelationshipYou've just partnered with an author; what do you do first? Establish with your author what each of you expects from the relationship. A solid understanding of expectations starts the partnership on a productive path and avoids misunderstandings.Time Expectations
Is the author expecting a 24 hour turn around, while you're thinking a week? If not
Vanilla Almond Milk Crepes (Recipe)More Like This
Vanilla Almond Milk Crepes
Ingredients
1 Cup Flour
1 Tablespoon White Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3 Eggs
2 Cups Unsweetened Almond Milk
2 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
Directions
1. Sift together flour, sugar and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs, vanilla extract, and almond milk together with an electric mixer. Beat in flour mixture until smooth; stir in melted butter.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 2 tablespoons for each crepe. Tip and rotate pan to spread batter as thinly as possible. Brown on both s
Lemon Moment RecipeMore Like This
Lemon Moments
Ingredients
225g butter
175g caster sugar sugar
The zest (rind) of one lemon.
1 tsp. Vanilla Essence
1 egg
285g Self Raising Flour (or plain flour sifted with 2 tsp of baking powder)
Pinch of Salt
Crushed Lemon Wafers
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
Grease and flour a baking tray or baking parchment.
Beat the butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy.
Stir in the lemon zest and vanilla essence.
Add the egg and beat into the mixture until smooth.
Sift the salt and flour before stirring it in. You should have a slightly stick dough that clings to the spoon.
Roll the dough into balls of about
Custard Slice RecipeMore Like This
Note: Since I didn't come up with it myself (and the source is far
more helpful than anything I could put up here) I will simply link to the
custard recipe here.
Ingredients
A 400g pack of ready to roll puff pastry
150g of icing sugar
2 tbsp cold water
360g of confectioner's custard (the recipe to which is linked at the top of the
page). See the instructions for when to prepare it.
Instructions
Preheat your oven to the temperature indicated on the pastry's pack (most likely 220
degrees C).
Sprinkle some flour around and roll the pastry until it's about half a centim
Mocha Flavoured Bread RecipeMore Like This
WARNING: Keep in mind this bread will still contain caffeine equal to the amount in the coffee you use to make it (this could be anything up to 800mg per loaf depending on the coffee in question). You can, of course, use decaffeinated coffee if you prefer.
Mocha flavoured bread
Ingredients
300ml lukewarm coffee (any coffee will do, the easiest method is to prepare a few shots of espresso and dilute them, which has the advantage of cooling it down)
1-3 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tbsp. caster sugar
2 tbsp. whipping or single cream
1 packet/tablespoon of dry yeast
360g plain or bread flour (either will work)
25g of butter
1 tsp. vanilla ex
Sta.sh
