“Look But Don’t Touch”, hardware cloth, wire, stones, paint & wax crayon on board
The Thin Artist, wood & paint
Category Archives: My Art
I know it is time to move on, but …
Printing on fabric…
I am trying out printing some digital art on fabric. I don’t want to resize down to 81/2″x11″, so that means preparing my own fabric. There is not much available in oversize sheets, only larger rolls, with high prices & shipping costs. I am trying freezer paperwith a few existing white fabrics bought long ago when I was still doing a little batik work.
The freezer paper is a success as a carrier sheet, so “thank you!” to all those who wrote up tutorials online! Cutting everthing to be square is tedious, but not too bad.
My first print, on unprepared fabrice, is quite dull however. For one thing, the minimal copper tinting & highlights did not print in color: somehow greyscale was turned on in the printer and I did not notice. I think Corel PSPX5 must send this info to the Epson print software with a greyscale image, even after I have colorized layers, merged them, and saved the file! Agravating!
I have allowed the printed fabric to dry, sprayed it with fixative, and added pan pastel & colored pencil. It still seems dull, and I don’t want to have to recreate the work, I want to print it!
So I have intensified my image, making the blacks blacker, etc. Also I have done a test print to paper, to get a better sense of the blacks and general intensity, because everything looks much more vibrant on a lit computer screen. My image (above) is pretty intense on inkjet paper now.
My next print will be to the same fabric, but prepared with a full out coat of Golden white matte digital ground, now dried overnight. I won’t print the image greyscale this time: that would be too unsatisfactory! I will print the more intense version above, and in color this time! I don’t have the patience or willingness to invest the money (in expensive inks…) for rigorous testing.
Sunday morning work … continues through the week!
After printing, I wash the plate …
Printing when I should be packing …
Dinner anyone?
From the Corvidae Print Shop
I certainly appreciate the Corvidae Press shop when trying to do a bit of “production” printmaking! I have been in twice this week to work, and it was great. I love the space! BUT I must remember watch out for hot sun on the inking station: that sets the ink up in hurry…
I need that space to mark & tear large sheets of paper, and to properly soak & blot paper as I print. And it takes two inking stations to ink this multipart plate. And the large press is SO NICE! Still, getting an edition of 15 with this plate is slow going as I experiment with ink colors. Since the theme is experimentation, I am not striving to produce identical prints… so that makes it more fun.
The above gallery of images includes an early proof, and a print using “two” plates (well actually part of the same plate, re-inked in black, and hand rubbed). I have some 20 8″x10″ prints now, so this will likely be my contribution the Corvidae 2013 print exchange, unless I spend all next week on another plate and change my mind …
Drawing on artboard
No Solid Ground
Mixed media drawing in my “transformations/mummies/burials” series. This is on grey Canson Mi-teintes art board which is a bit hard to scan. My scanner s/w auto setting makes it way too brigt & light, and much warmer in tone than it appears to the eye. The board is textured, with some variation in tone, and is perhaps a bit reflective, although it seems to be a matte surface. It is designed with tooth for pastels, etc. Not at all sure that I like it…
