This week is feeling a lot more normal than the previous ones have. I'm back to a lot of sketching and drawing, and this week I'm gearing up for some screen printing. I've tried some test prints with the woodblock and I really, really hated it. I don't even want to do a larger block. It feels like I wasted all those hours carving and then all that time trying to get the print right. But it's not a waste if you learn what NOT to do, right?
Which means I need to consider what I'll be doing for the rest of the week. And that's defiantly screen printing. I prepped a screen and I'm just trying to finalize and pick a design. Choices, choices. I think I'm going to go with "Punk-erina". You'll see what that is eventually, I don't like posting my designs online.
All told, the hours break down so far this week is:
Studio: 4.5 hours
Blogging/Reflection: Three quarters of an hour
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Exploring Marks
This week has been all about exploring marks making in both tried and true methods of printing as well as new techniques. I have done a lot of drawing this week, so I took a break from it with more drawing for this class. Or rather I did a different type of drawing, which counted as a break to me. I have a stack of prints that I have been working back into to add dimension and a sense of activating the prints. My methodology for doing this has been to use pastels and charcoal to give a richness to the prints that they do not have when they are just a single flat color. I wonder if adding multiple colors in the printing method would change that and will have to try it to see if this works for me.
I think that it could be interesting to put multiple colors in one printing process for me. It has a personal connection with my interest in comic book processes. While the printing process has changed for them over the years, the benday dot printing method sees to resonate with this kind of idea, I'm going to investigate it further I think.
Studio time (various locations): 7 hours
Blog time (including research): 3 hours
(One of these days I will remember to click post before I close the tab. This was supposed to be posted on Thursday.)
I think that it could be interesting to put multiple colors in one printing process for me. It has a personal connection with my interest in comic book processes. While the printing process has changed for them over the years, the benday dot printing method sees to resonate with this kind of idea, I'm going to investigate it further I think.
Studio time (various locations): 7 hours
Blog time (including research): 3 hours
(One of these days I will remember to click post before I close the tab. This was supposed to be posted on Thursday.)
Sunday, March 31, 2013
New things to test!
Like any other weekend, this weekend is going to be busy and hectic, but I am determined to complete everything I need to do. To help myself get the blog done for the weekend, I'm starting it before I do the work and as I work I'll add on to it once I've actually done the work.
That said, I am working on a woodblock test! I'm excited to try this. Learning and experiencing new media techniques are very zen for me... when they're working. I think this is because of the charge I get from learning and accomplishing something new. I'm that much more pumped to go do other artwork.
I'm starting small and working on a block that is maybe five by five to get the experience of carving a piece of wood. It has been a very unique experience I haven't done any carving before, but it's a very calming time. The block itself may or may not be successful when I go to print it. We'll find out next week, but I have high hopes. I have already used this image in litho prints and am planning to go back into them to get some more depth in them. I have hopes that the aid of the grain will give this piece a texture that the others do not. Texture in my drawing is definitely my thing, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Studio (Home): 3 to 3 and a half hours
Blog: 1 hour
That said, I am working on a woodblock test! I'm excited to try this. Learning and experiencing new media techniques are very zen for me... when they're working. I think this is because of the charge I get from learning and accomplishing something new. I'm that much more pumped to go do other artwork.
I'm starting small and working on a block that is maybe five by five to get the experience of carving a piece of wood. It has been a very unique experience I haven't done any carving before, but it's a very calming time. The block itself may or may not be successful when I go to print it. We'll find out next week, but I have high hopes. I have already used this image in litho prints and am planning to go back into them to get some more depth in them. I have hopes that the aid of the grain will give this piece a texture that the others do not. Texture in my drawing is definitely my thing, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Studio (Home): 3 to 3 and a half hours
Blog: 1 hour
Friday, March 29, 2013
Size and Sketch
My Monday was an interesting mixed studio where I was working on a few different classes at once. I did some sketching for Printmaking but nothing was really jumping out at me. I would say that I had a solid hour that was definitely dedicated to printmaking sketches that were less than successful before I gave up and moved on to other work.
However, my Wednesday was a productive, interesting day. I pulled five different prints and working on various sizes with some test sketches. I am almost certain that I finally have the correct mix of gum arabic and water down, the prints were coming out perfectly. That was an exciting discovery. I am still rushing when I go to line up the paper on the prints, but I'll get it to register right with some more practice. The typerwriter paper has been helpful to learn that more than anything.
I had a really interesting sketch happen that fits into my body-image theme. I want to use it to experiment with printing multiple colors through lithography. The basic gist is that it's a figure all wrapped up in a cloth tape. Instead of numbers there are words that the figure is thinking because of the numbers on the tape that respond to their measurements. We'll see how it goes, but I'd really love to see the figure in grey scale and the tape as bright yellow. Fingers crossed.
Studio Hours (in SCA, Monday): 1 hr
Studio Hours (in the print studio, Wednesday): 4 hrs
Blog Time: 1 hr
(Oops. I thought I hit post for this on Wednesday night, good thing I checked when I started writing my blog on Friday.)
However, my Wednesday was a productive, interesting day. I pulled five different prints and working on various sizes with some test sketches. I am almost certain that I finally have the correct mix of gum arabic and water down, the prints were coming out perfectly. That was an exciting discovery. I am still rushing when I go to line up the paper on the prints, but I'll get it to register right with some more practice. The typerwriter paper has been helpful to learn that more than anything.
I had a really interesting sketch happen that fits into my body-image theme. I want to use it to experiment with printing multiple colors through lithography. The basic gist is that it's a figure all wrapped up in a cloth tape. Instead of numbers there are words that the figure is thinking because of the numbers on the tape that respond to their measurements. We'll see how it goes, but I'd really love to see the figure in grey scale and the tape as bright yellow. Fingers crossed.
Studio Hours (in SCA, Monday): 1 hr
Studio Hours (in the print studio, Wednesday): 4 hrs
Blog Time: 1 hr
(Oops. I thought I hit post for this on Wednesday night, good thing I checked when I started writing my blog on Friday.)
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Take Number... Are We Still Keeping Track?
It's half way through the semester and I feel like this blog has been a series of failed starts and restarts... and restarts. I'm really and truly horrible at this sort of thing, but I'm going to just keep on trying... and trying... and trying...
And while I'm trying to get this wrong I'm going to be doing some studio work too.
... It's going to be a lot of studio work, actually. Which is as it should be.
I looked at my table of prints earlier this week and I was actually very proud of what I had accomplished so far. They aren't traditional by any means, but that has been the work that I have been producing all semester in all my classes. That said, I think I understand why I have to show a traditional work presentation as well as my present it how I want it method. There's a saying in the creative writing world that applies here I think. "You have to know what grammar rule you are breaking in order to break it."
That said, I'm going to try to create some works that are presented in a traditionally-bordered and traditionally-signed format. But I also want to keep playing with the presentation method if I think the piece needs something different. I even tried to size the paper correctly today! I was excited with that.
Forgive the less-than-high-quality pictures, I'll take better ones later. I was getting back in the swing of things printing-wise today, so there were still some errors in these attempts. However I kind of figured that was going to be the case with these first prints. Rather than get frustrated with them, I decided to give a new kind of paper a try and worry a little less about the formatting. I found a box of old, cream colored type-writer paper at my house years ago and thought it would be perfect for printing. I think I was right. But you should take a look and see (still sorry for the quality).
I did a little experimenting with the boarders here as well. I really like to see the color bleed and smear, but I will make an honest go at clean-edged prints... another day. :)
Studio: 4 hours
Blog: 1 hour
And while I'm trying to get this wrong I'm going to be doing some studio work too.
... It's going to be a lot of studio work, actually. Which is as it should be.
I looked at my table of prints earlier this week and I was actually very proud of what I had accomplished so far. They aren't traditional by any means, but that has been the work that I have been producing all semester in all my classes. That said, I think I understand why I have to show a traditional work presentation as well as my present it how I want it method. There's a saying in the creative writing world that applies here I think. "You have to know what grammar rule you are breaking in order to break it."
That said, I'm going to try to create some works that are presented in a traditionally-bordered and traditionally-signed format. But I also want to keep playing with the presentation method if I think the piece needs something different. I even tried to size the paper correctly today! I was excited with that.
Forgive the less-than-high-quality pictures, I'll take better ones later. I was getting back in the swing of things printing-wise today, so there were still some errors in these attempts. However I kind of figured that was going to be the case with these first prints. Rather than get frustrated with them, I decided to give a new kind of paper a try and worry a little less about the formatting. I found a box of old, cream colored type-writer paper at my house years ago and thought it would be perfect for printing. I think I was right. But you should take a look and see (still sorry for the quality).
I did a little experimenting with the boarders here as well. I really like to see the color bleed and smear, but I will make an honest go at clean-edged prints... another day. :)
Studio: 4 hours
Blog: 1 hour
Thursday, February 28, 2013
New Considerations
02/25
Today was a lot of drawing in the studio. My camera was,
unfortunately, dead. I was drawing in various locations from 1:30 to 6:00, so
when I have a working camera, I will post pictures of the sketches I have been
working on. After some consideration, I will try to have a total of eight
different litho works printed, I will at least attempt a wood block print and I
would like to create five different designs for screen printing.
Uh Oh
02/20
I met with Heather today to confirm that I was doing everything up
to standards with the blog. The previous three blogs were posted on a delay in
the hopes that I would get them right. Fingers crossed that I managed it this
time.
Research Day
02/19
I haven’t done a lot of
work lately, but I have started researching woodblock printing videos so that I
can at least try it once. I’m much more interested in screen printing and
lithography than woodblock now, but I will still try it once. Some of the videos
I have been watching are listed below. I was in the studio from 2:00 – 5:00.
this second one seems like the most promising as a how-to
I also found this vid (that follows) that claims you can use white
vinegar as an etching solution for litho. We shall see maybe.
Success!
02/15
Wednesday ended up being
a very lonely day in the studio. I working on getting a drawing ready and
printed a nine-series run of it during my 2:00-6:00 studio hours. I’m including
a series of three different prints pulled in this series. The idea that I was
getting at with this drawing was somewhere between juxtaposing the
characteristics of certain super heroes onto me and being brutally honest with
the shape of my body. I’m not certain that I completely managed it, but I’m
planning to go back into a few of these to more accurately represent my body. (Photo error! I'll reshoot)
Lots of work, Little progress
02/12
Monday was full of
drawing for my studio hours as well as my at-home studio time. I was in the
studio from 1:30 to 5:30 working on different drawings. I wasn’t very happy
with any of the drawings that I ended up doing. I have one that is promising
and I will post in my next entry.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Friday Progress
Friday progress.... posted on Saturday! The experiments I ran over the week were... well I think I'll let them do the talking. Enjoy the picture-post. :)
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Monday Experiments
Monday's experiments were interesting and I think they were also successful. I was experimenting with collage style lithography to see how the levels of paper effected the quality of the prints. The texture that was added from multiple layers of paper after going through the press was awesome.
A note for myself, water based glue makes the prints unpredictable in nature. If this is a desired effect, that can be an awesome thing. If it isn't though... it's really going to screw up your print.
I did not have my camera on me, but I will bring it with me tomorrow and have pictures in Friday post.
A note for myself, water based glue makes the prints unpredictable in nature. If this is a desired effect, that can be an awesome thing. If it isn't though... it's really going to screw up your print.
I did not have my camera on me, but I will bring it with me tomorrow and have pictures in Friday post.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Three Day Weekend Haze
This impromptu three day weekend had me a little out of it. I had meant to post yesterday for my second post of the week, but it got away from me.
My plan for posting, in the future, is to post on Tuesday and Fridays. I know I have difficulty keeping up with blogs, so hopefully scheduled posting days will help with making it happen.
For the coming week I have a few more copier-litho tests that I want to run. I'll update on Tuesday after I've seen how some of them go tomorrow.
My plan for posting, in the future, is to post on Tuesday and Fridays. I know I have difficulty keeping up with blogs, so hopefully scheduled posting days will help with making it happen.
For the coming week I have a few more copier-litho tests that I want to run. I'll update on Tuesday after I've seen how some of them go tomorrow.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
A More Detailed Proposal
Since I have been down in the studio this week experimenting with and learning a little more about lithography from Manda, I've gotten really excited about the potential this has. It has also lead me to more solid place in terms of a pacing schedule for the rest of the term. I think that the breakdown should look something like the following for the semester:
For weeks 2-6 I would like to concentrate on lithography related processes. Manda introduced me to that tutorial she has in her initial post here on copier lithography and I'm smitten already. I'm currently experimenting with pieces that I already have in existence to get a handle on this way of working and I'm chomping at the bit to design work specifically for this.
For weeks 7-10, assuming I can pry myself away from lithography, I'd like to experiment with woodcuts. I haven't ever done anything like this in my previous printing related experience, so I think it is important to try something completely different.
For the remainder of the semester, it's screen-printing time. I have some experience with screen printing from forever and a day ago and Manda got me hooked again last semester.
The breakdown of my week looks roughly something like this. I am in the ceramics studio until 12:10 for classes and will likely say an additional hour and a half before coming down to Printmaking. I plan to stay in Printmaking from 2-6 doing whatever I need the studio facilities for. The remaining four hours of my work-week will be devoted to things that I can do at home, ie sketching and blogging.
In addition, if I use my prints as a jumping off point for a project in another class, I will post pictures here to verify that there is no improper double-dipping going on with classes. I already have plans for print-based projects in another class that I don't plan to use in printmaking, but will post pictures of here anyway. This way we can see all of the influence of the class elsewhere.
That said, here's a picture of a print that I took to work into for another class. It's still a WIP, but I will be doing more to it eventually.
For weeks 2-6 I would like to concentrate on lithography related processes. Manda introduced me to that tutorial she has in her initial post here on copier lithography and I'm smitten already. I'm currently experimenting with pieces that I already have in existence to get a handle on this way of working and I'm chomping at the bit to design work specifically for this.
For weeks 7-10, assuming I can pry myself away from lithography, I'd like to experiment with woodcuts. I haven't ever done anything like this in my previous printing related experience, so I think it is important to try something completely different.
For the remainder of the semester, it's screen-printing time. I have some experience with screen printing from forever and a day ago and Manda got me hooked again last semester.
The breakdown of my week looks roughly something like this. I am in the ceramics studio until 12:10 for classes and will likely say an additional hour and a half before coming down to Printmaking. I plan to stay in Printmaking from 2-6 doing whatever I need the studio facilities for. The remaining four hours of my work-week will be devoted to things that I can do at home, ie sketching and blogging.
In addition, if I use my prints as a jumping off point for a project in another class, I will post pictures here to verify that there is no improper double-dipping going on with classes. I already have plans for print-based projects in another class that I don't plan to use in printmaking, but will post pictures of here anyway. This way we can see all of the influence of the class elsewhere.
That said, here's a picture of a print that I took to work into for another class. It's still a WIP, but I will be doing more to it eventually.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Of Intros and Purposes
Greetings and welcome to the Printmaking blog of Mel S. What I hope to be showing off in this location is the process of screen printing, woodcuts, and maybe even lithography works. I only have experience with screen printing and monotypes before this class, but I'm eager to look into other processes as well.
One theme I am specifically looking at this semester is the psychological impact of numbers. Specifically in regard to a person's weight. I feel this pressure in a different way than a lot of people in that most charts for height/weight don't cover my height as a woman.
I can't offer a definite schedule just yet, but for the first three days of work I am going to do some research in regard to lithographs, do some designs for all the types of work I want to do, and have a more definite timeline by the next post.
I don't have a whole lot to post just yet aside from a link to an image. I've got a sketch I'm working on.... that looks nothing like these shoes, but I needed a reference image. Design to come later!
Reference Image
One theme I am specifically looking at this semester is the psychological impact of numbers. Specifically in regard to a person's weight. I feel this pressure in a different way than a lot of people in that most charts for height/weight don't cover my height as a woman.
I can't offer a definite schedule just yet, but for the first three days of work I am going to do some research in regard to lithographs, do some designs for all the types of work I want to do, and have a more definite timeline by the next post.
I don't have a whole lot to post just yet aside from a link to an image. I've got a sketch I'm working on.... that looks nothing like these shoes, but I needed a reference image. Design to come later!
Reference Image
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