JK Keller

born 1976
lives & works in New York, NY
with Keetra Dean Dixon

American Sign Language Matchbooks

You have to roll over the image to get the full effect…

This is from a series of American Sign Language hands that I made from matchbooks I found on the street.

Added: 2007 Feb 03 @ 09:38
Updated: 2008 May 14 @ 04:04
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Tags: craft, hands, humor, matchbooks

83 Responses to “American Sign Language Matchbooks”

On April 2nd, 2007 at 11:30, Gabriel said:

Reply to Gabriel

This is nice. I don’t know if you know this guy, but he also makes some nice art. He’s in my friends section of myspace and he’s called beaucoupzero. Just saying…
On April 2nd, 2007 at 13:29, fatima said:

Reply to fatima

wow!
On April 19th, 2007 at 12:26, geowulf said:

Reply to geowulf

Now all that needs to be done is to make a webapp that takes these alphabet images and lets you fill out a form and returns what you wrote in Sign Language Matchbooks.
On June 16th, 2007 at 15:35, Jonathan said:

Reply to Jonathan

I discovered your Youtube channel almost a year ago. Then noticed you finally had some new videos. They’re very cool. Great job
On June 27th, 2007 at 22:37, nex said:

Reply to nex

I have this feeling that one of them doesn’t belong … ;->
On June 28th, 2007 at 13:47, farrelley said:

Reply to farrelley

Very cool!
On July 24th, 2007 at 02:32, shaun said:

Reply to shaun

i am deaf myself and i found this and thought it was awesome!! thanks for doing this!! =D
On September 8th, 2007 at 17:46, Kate said:

Reply to Kate

I.Love.This
On October 15th, 2007 at 17:26, Jericah said:

Reply to Jericah

thats awesome how did you guys do it?
- On October 15th, 2007 at 22:06, JK said:
  
  Reply to JK
  
  By hand. Folding, gluing, holding until dry. Repeat.
On November 15th, 2007 at 18:15, vaspers aka steven e. streight said:

Reply to vaspers aka steven e. streight

Saw this on Frivolous Motion blog. I subscribe to Art Forum and love the underground music and art scene.

This is astonishing. Reminds me of an evangelical tract I saw once, for the blind. It told the gospel/salvation message with objects, like a heart, that communicated with the sense of touch.

Thanks for sharing this with us. Pure genius!

http://twitter.com/vaspers
weather » Blog Archive » There has been an explosion in visual weblogs. Does this pingback on November 30th, 2007 at 14:42
On December 4th, 2007 at 15:12, RipperJill said:

Reply to RipperJill

Ha, cool! Very cute, too.
On December 6th, 2007 at 19:08, mienna1 said:

Reply to mienna1

That is really clever; honestly.. not many people would have thought of the sign language thing.. The finger, yes. Keep it up.. you have good ideas in that head of yours
On December 17th, 2007 at 15:44, corinne said:

Reply to corinne

genius, i tell you.
On December 31st, 2007 at 13:53, MANT said:

Reply to MANT

Nice addition to the alphabet with the 28th letter!
- On January 6th, 2008 at 16:46, JK said:
  
  Reply to JK
  
  Your grasp of the English alphabet is staggering.
  
  I can only hope to have such wonderful comments on the site for each and every one of the 367 days in 2008!
  - On January 31st, 2009 at 11:22, ivane said:
    
    Reply to ivane
    
    lol your clever creations don’t appear to be the only thing that transpires naturally….you have a knack for wisecracks, too. ;]
On January 3rd, 2008 at 00:32, Victor said:

Reply to Victor

WOW – this was really clever! I love it! I can’t wait to see more of your work!

Good job!
Grinningskull.com » Random pingback on January 4th, 2008 at 13:32
מה את/ה אומר/ת? » חֶרשים מדליקים pingback on January 4th, 2008 at 13:47
Sign language matchbooks pingback on January 4th, 2008 at 14:04
samantha resnick | a portfolio : Welcome 2008 pingback on January 4th, 2008 at 17:10
Tin Foil Soldier » Blog Archive » Matchbook Fun pingback on January 6th, 2008 at 17:05
The Forma blog » Blog Archive » Photography phriday. pingback on January 7th, 2008 at 17:06
On January 15th, 2008 at 02:53, Christie said:

Reply to Christie

Fantastic.
On January 16th, 2008 at 22:27, SkyZheng said:

Reply to SkyZheng

Hello,
We are iidea Creativity Design Magzine,and we are interested in Sign Language Matchbooks. Could you give us some high resolution pics(DPI higher than 300)? After we publish the pics about supplied, we will send magzine to you. Waitting for your feedback, and wish you have a good luck.
fade theory » sign language matchbooks pingback on January 21st, 2008 at 14:22
unhappymeal.net » Blog Archive » links for 2008-01-22 pingback on January 22nd, 2008 at 02:32
On January 22nd, 2008 at 03:46, BAMm said:

Reply to BAMm

what a hoot! let’s see some1 match that spark of creativity!

mark jaquette
illustrationISM
http://users.rio.com/bamm/illustrationISM/index.html
On January 25th, 2008 at 16:09, Mike said:

Reply to Mike

Reminds me of the Larry the Cable Guy bit, where he says his friend is a deaf guy with Tourette’s. He starts spelling words with ASL and keeps throwing in middle fingers
Art with Clip Art « BladBlog pingback on January 26th, 2008 at 17:26
Sign Language Matchbooks « - + = the yeti crab = + - pingback on January 28th, 2008 at 18:41
The Inside Track » Blog Archive » Sign language pingback on January 29th, 2008 at 10:42
On February 22nd, 2008 at 04:26, lynne said:

Reply to lynne

this is fab.I’m gonna add a few matchbooks to my sketch kit as i find hands a sod to draw!Brilliant-thankyou! xx
On February 26th, 2008 at 15:27, Jenna said:

Reply to Jenna

my hearing cousin just give me this web site and i was like wow I love this … good job !!! also let ya know I am deaf …

congrats, Jenna
Light my message « * * * * ° pingback on February 27th, 2008 at 21:25
On April 23rd, 2008 at 23:39, Hang said:

Reply to Hang

This is something I and my friends would want for their Myspace profile
On May 3rd, 2008 at 12:55, Rosa Mendes said:

Reply to Rosa Mendes

YOU ARE NOT GENIUS AND NEAT WITH BAD WORD.
On June 1st, 2008 at 23:15, Eddie Kirby said:

Reply to Eddie Kirby

I am so impressive this. WOW that is one good creative… And, I sent this to my friends about this. Keep up on your creative amazing things!!:-)
On June 1st, 2008 at 23:49, fh said:

Reply to fh

PLEASE REMOVE BAD WORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On June 2nd, 2008 at 14:44, steve said:

Reply to steve

photoshopped
- On June 4th, 2008 at 21:10, JK said:
  
  Reply to JK
  
  You highly overestimate my abilities using Photoshop. Maybe this photo of the matchbooks taken from another angle will convince you.
On June 3rd, 2008 at 22:15, frank said:

Reply to frank

This would be substantially better without the flipping off matchbook at the end. Seriously, it would be something you could post in classrooms otherwise.
- On June 4th, 2008 at 21:07, JK said:
  
  Reply to JK
  
  Might I suggest that you draw a black box over what you find offensive prior to showing your students.
On June 4th, 2008 at 05:39, Liz said:

Reply to Liz

You rock dude. Keep up the creativity. You should write out some ASL sentences (nice ones) : )
On June 4th, 2008 at 08:03, putingtikbalang said:

Reply to putingtikbalang

cool! Great job with these matchboxes. No “I Love You” sign?
- On June 4th, 2008 at 21:08, JK said:
  
  Reply to JK
  
  No “I love you” on this page, but it was one of my earlier test matchbooks.
On June 5th, 2008 at 01:29, SD said:

Reply to SD

Brilliant use of an everyday object…well done
On June 5th, 2008 at 23:54, shiv said:

Reply to shiv

very clever, and as a person who understands BSL not ASL was good in demostrating ASL alphabet, sadly BSL uses 2 hands and matchbook version wouldn’t be possible. vey impressed you had the patience to do it all by hand. Take another photo and sell it to schools for posters!
On June 6th, 2008 at 08:35, putingtikbalang said:

Reply to putingtikbalang

Oh, great! thanks for the reply, JK. I’ll agree with what Frank said, that these matchbooks are a great idea to show in classrooms. Perhaps the I Love You sign can replace The Bird. whatever works, they’re still great pieces of art. More power!
On June 6th, 2008 at 09:10, Fubiz said:

Reply to Fubiz

Excellent!
On June 8th, 2008 at 01:41, Anthony said:

Reply to Anthony

wow, impressive artwork
On June 9th, 2008 at 00:35, Joshua Debner said:

Reply to Joshua Debner

Hey, wanted to thank you for posting this. I saved it in my bookmarks knowing I could use it someday. My girlfriend and I would finger spell back and forth to each other in school to avoid getting in trouble with teachers for talking. For valentines day I made bought matchbooks on ebay and made her a poster by making the letters and scanning them. It turned out awesome and I thank you for your inspiration. 300dpi blows up very nicely to make giant posters!

http://lovejosh.net/files/background.jpg
Sign Language Alphabet Using Matchbooks - Very Very Cool | Have You Heard About pingback on June 19th, 2008 at 05:31
On June 19th, 2008 at 13:30, nd said:

Reply to nd

those are really cute. you should check out the asl cookies at http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=232831.0
Links for June 21, 2008 | Melissa Wiley pingback on June 22nd, 2008 at 08:05
On June 29th, 2008 at 08:59, rayette said:

Reply to rayette

Why the bird?
On June 29th, 2008 at 10:57, paresh said:

Reply to paresh

simple but smart.
On July 1st, 2008 at 18:33, Quasivoid said:

Reply to Quasivoid

Avant Garde!
On July 5th, 2008 at 17:05, Suzanne said:

Reply to Suzanne

GENIUS!
Fantastic Fridays « MassiveTruth pingback on July 11th, 2008 at 22:24
On August 5th, 2008 at 01:44, Barbie said:

Reply to Barbie

OMG. This is awesome!!!! I work with the Deaf community.. oh man, if only they saw this! so cool!
On August 22nd, 2008 at 23:08, Lynette said:

Reply to Lynette

Wow – I am very impressed! I own/operate a sign language interpreting agency, and am developer and insturctor of a Mommy & Me sign language program for parents and their infants/children.

I think this idea is brilliant – how tedious this must have been! I also think that the “flipping of the bird” is just so classic, it HAD to be there! Furthermore, the Deaf community has a wonderful sense of humor (much better than our hearing community) and I’m quite sure that 99% of people get the humor in it.

I would love to use this as a poster for my classroom (although I would just black-out the very last matchbook so the kids wouldn’t ask to learn that one!).

Would love to see more!!!
On September 9th, 2008 at 00:10, Nancy Sams said:

Reply to Nancy Sams

IT IS COOL & I LOVE IT!!!!
Junk Lovin Links: Eggcubism, DIY Pallet Table & More pingback on September 19th, 2008 at 09:28
On October 1st, 2008 at 20:18, Keri Tate said:

Reply to Keri Tate

Jonathon,
This is Keri Tate, Britt Tate’s mom. We met when you were at Cranbrook. I just started taking a sign language class and was googling for sites, when lo and behold, your work popped up. As usual, your work is stellar. The detail is incredible and the overall graphic quality is striking. Thanks for sharing your work.
On November 11th, 2008 at 12:03, misssparky said:

Reply to misssparky

LOL I was doing a google search on baby sign language and this blog came up. I don’t think my baby would learn safely from matchbooks :p but I’m still finding that there are some really great video tutorials out there like this, even ones on how to make sign language flash cards versus matchbook cards I found them online at MindBites but you can watch them directly here: http://www.mindbites.com/person/84-MySmartHands
On November 13th, 2008 at 01:19, Ben Castle said:

Reply to Ben Castle

I have just visited your blog, read some of the posts, and would love to revisit, as I liked the simple manner in which you narrate the things.
On November 27th, 2008 at 18:15, billy said:

Reply to billy

Hello, I am deaf myself and I want to make a clarify- this is not american sign language. this is fingerspellings for ABC’s in ASL. People always confuse between the real ASL and fingerspelling portion of asl. your title is little misguided.

but its a very cool art.

thanks
On December 7th, 2008 at 16:24, nidia said:

Reply to nidia

yeaaa Emilianouss I like one please kisses nini
On December 10th, 2008 at 03:33, Dan said:

Reply to Dan

That full effect was unpleasant.
On December 28th, 2008 at 04:39, MADKAT said:

Reply to MADKAT

WOW that sooo cool …im a complete idiot when it comes to other languages so if you make it look awesome like this people like me stop and pay attention… i think this is the most up to date presentation of this incredible language and i would love permission to print it off and put it up at work.
- On January 3rd, 2009 at 15:41, JK said:
  
  Reply to JK
  
  You really don’t need my permission to print this off, though I appreciate the consideration. And while I am happy if it creates interest in sign language, it is in no way intended to be used as a fingerspelling teaching guide. Leave that to clearer design presentations.
On December 30th, 2008 at 13:23, Matthew Cory said:

Reply to Matthew Cory

That was definitely cool and brightened my day a bit — thanks for posting it. I’m sad to see so many people who’ve left comments that don’t have a decent sense of humor though… So it’s a matchbook flipping the bird people; there’s greater tragedies in life.

Good job though — I’m sure that took more than a little bit of effort.
On December 31st, 2008 at 01:21, Real said:

Reply to Real

which one means love?
- On January 3rd, 2009 at 15:46, JK said:
  
  Reply to JK
  
  None. As pointed out in a previous comment, these are merely the ASL fingerspellings of the letters a-z (well, plus the middle finger). Try googling.
On February 6th, 2009 at 15:05, Stephen J. Brown said:

Reply to Stephen J. Brown

I found it a little funny that some were offended by the middle finger, but not the fact that they were matchbooks to begin with (you know, the kind used for smoking and lighting random things on fire).

I’ll just have to make sure I black out the whole thing before I show it to children.
On March 24th, 2009 at 11:24, Cynthia said:

Reply to Cynthia

I was looking for a chart for American Sign Language and came across your website. Just had to take a moment to tell you how wonderful and fantastic your American Sign Language Matchbooks are. Even more so since you found the matchbooks on the street! WELL DONE!
On April 7th, 2009 at 00:57, yayoi said:

Reply to yayoi

GREAT!!!! This is really cool!!
ASL Matchbooks : clusterflock pingback on April 13th, 2009 at 12:22
Doobybrain.com | American Sign Language matchbooks pingback on April 13th, 2009 at 12:46
On May 31st, 2009 at 00:19, Kev said:

Reply to Kev

I really think the bird at the end ruined this.

JK Keller

American Sign Language Matchbooks

Projects

83 Responses to “American Sign Language Matchbooks”

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