April 2013
1 post
dandifying cakes
Some very special cakes, or at least cakes on an upcoming very special day, are about to spring into existence in the world, in Asheville, in our family. What better occasion on which to send some lowly violets into apotheosis? Anyway, it was easier than I thought, should anyone ever need to know how this feat was accomplished … making certain your violets are violets and not some...
January 2013
2 posts
My art show is still up at NC Stage Co. in Asheville through Feb 7 so if you’re downtown … stop by from 12-5 M-F. It’s been way more successful than I imagined. Lots of good feedback and sales, which means I’m flush with paper and ink again. I guess that means I need to get this stuff out there somehow. Hmmm.
3 tags
tiny printing press
Bought this Speedball Model B block printing press for about $70. I have a bunch of Speedy-Cut soft blocks which aren’t printing as well by hand as they used to. I was hoping that the even pressure of a press-type-thing would help resuscitate them for a while. I usually use a rolling pin and/or a baren. At the end of the little photo reel you’ll see some before and after prints. The ‘after’...
November 2012
1 post
ergonomics sounds like a made-up word
And yet. After spending hours leaning over a desk height table cutting envelope shapes from butcher paper my back had some severe words for me, so, with some of my not so ill gotten gains after MY SUCCESSFUL ART SHOW! I bought a nice bit of table top and, with some sawing help from my youngest, built a table to work at standing up. In the photo it stands next to the small screen printing table I...
October 2012
2 posts
A home-made press that works?
Anyone out there have experience with a diy printing press? For block prints, mainly. I’m thinking of making one with a bottle jack that you use to lift your car when you have a flat. There are some good plans out there, but I’d like to talk to a human about it.
Hurray for the miniscule ART SHOW!
I have about a dozen Block and Screen Prints on display at the NC Stage Company in Asheville through mid November. I rolled a big butcher paper stripe on the wall and tacked the prints on top of it. Super cheap and easy and it looks nice too. Come see or visit the ‘opening’ on 11/3 at 6-7pm!
September 2012
1 post
Desk Set
Made these last week from those great Speedy Cut blocks. Old office equipment. Looks great and lasts more than a month. Anyway, who doesn’t like pencil sharpeners? They’re on my etsy site.
May 2012
1 post
3 tags
emulsion schmulsion
Relearning how to develop a new emulsion. This was hand painted onto positives then developed with two 150 watt photofloods for about 5 minutes. The Diazo instruction sheet estimated 45 minutes. Go figure.
Anyway, a 3 color grolsch bottle. May add a dark grey shadow. Who knows.
Beer city and all that.
January 2012
1 post
October 2011
2 posts
2 tags
What to do with a stained black jumper
I have a black jumper that I like a lot. It has a stain on it right in the front. I usually spend a long time picking out a collection of varied interesting colored strings of old Mardi Gras beads to hide said stain each time I wear the thing. Today, I made a mistake.
I was trying, one more time, to scrub a stain remover into the fabric. Unfortunately I used the same brush which I’d just...
July 2011
2 posts
the mural project
.. . proceeds apace. I bought some tileboard, cut it to size, primed with an oil based Kilz type primer, and am now transferring the drawing to the primed surface. Since I’m a cheapskate, I didn’t rent a projector, but made a copy and transferred the drawing by pencil. Basically, I covered the underside of the inked areas of the full size copy with pencil so that when I traced the...
May 2011
3 posts
How to curve plywood?
A good question. I am absolutely happy to have the chance to paint a little mural for my library. The surface it’s to be on is a curved tower about 4 ft in diameter so the substrate needs to be curved. I wasn’t sure how to curve plywood or if I should use plywood at all. I have a couple of good fellows at the library willing to help, but I just needed more information first.
I joined...
3 tags
Big Love Fest
What a nice town. The Big Love Fest, a celebration of all things Asheville, was yesterday. My first craft show in a while. Nice weather. So many good people in this town. Good feedback. Sold a few things, which is always nice. Too bad about the prints that were boosted, but, hey…if imitation is flattery what is larceny? How better for the anarchistically correct trustifarian to decorate his...
April 2011
10 posts
3 tags
A towel of many colors
Printing on paper is fine. I can register colors fairly well in a primitive way. Fabric, however, moves. Just because the corner is in the same place doesn’t mean the rest of the fabric is where it was before. That’s why multiple colors are laid down at the same time on a t shirt press. Even the professionals can’t make fabric behave. I don’t have a press but I wanted a...
2 tags
You know that stuff
That glop of semi transparent glue that adheres cards, keys and magnets mailers. You pull the card, key or magnet off like pulling taffy. Vaguely satisfying in an addictive bubble wrap popping way. You might even roll the stuff around in your fingers. Well, that stuff is lick and stick glue. The same stuff they paint on envelopes and stickers. And, you can make it at home - should you ever want...
2 tags
What a mess!
Trying to marble fabric for some pillows I may or may not sew up. I always forget how much of a MESS marbling is. Once you get everything the right consistency (size, alum, paints) it’s fun for a while and even the mistakes look good, but still. I did print with diluted textile inks this time and that worked fine. I also added a tiny bit of laundry detergent (mixed w/water) to act as a...
3 tags
Make your own kraft envelopes
I couldn’t see paying $12.50 for 50 envelopes when I can make them for much less than that. At the hardware store I bought a roll of contractor’s paper, which is basically butcher paper at the price it is supposed to be. The price escalates when it becomes ‘art paper.’ For $8.98 a roll 35” x 140 feet. My envelopes are 7.25 x 5.25 to fit my 5x7 cards. At that size I...
3 tags
Cardboard 'vintage' cabinets
I just finished these for a craft show display. The cardboard is free and the finish supplies were either things I had around the house or not too expensive. Nothing too toxic. A pretty fun project. I cut four pieces the entire width of the cabinet and two side pieces. The interior was strengthened front to back with a number of interlocking supports made like the interlocking strips of...
March 2011
12 posts
1 tag
1 tag
Painting on Laptops
This is a project I finished a year or so ago, but thought it might be helpful to anyone wanting to paint on their laptop. Pictures above. I couldn’t find much online about it at the time. I had about 35 laptops that my library wanted to cover with a very visible logo image - in case any laptops tried to leave on their own steam w/o permission. They’ve been in public use (some 6 mo.,...
Well, that didn’t work. Couldn’t get even enough lines for something that detailed. I did discover that using the little drawing nib my son gave me for something else entirely works much better than nails. Brushes were too big. I can actually draw short lines. On this design, though, the sawing motion I had to employ to get the fluid to drop down sawed through the screen. Oops. Maybe a...
I’m going to try and paint this on my next screen with screen drawing fluid. I haven’t had much luck with fine lines/text but I figure if the image is organic the wonkiness won’t hurt it. Will screen in two colors onto tea towels I hope.
Finished my postcard. I’m pretty happy with it. Some of the French Paper Co. colors I have on hand are unusual and I’m glad to find a home for them. It started snowing huge golfball sized flakes while I was printing downstairs. I love Asheville.
Screen printing w/chemicals or not
I may change my mind, but now I’m happy printing without photo emulsion. The emulsion always seemed toxic and the bleach I was washing out the screens with isn’t something I enjoyed showering in. One could, of course, be more careful than I habitually am, but there you go.
I’ve been using Speedball Screen Drawing Fluid to draw on the screen then coating it with Screen Filler....
Norman Wilkinson was the king of British Rail posters. I think they were mostly lithographs but the flat colors look like some of them could have been screen prints.
I’m working on my first multi color screen print in years. Two colors down, two to go. Nice to be in the middle of your 9 to 5 and find an occasional spot of color from your stealth printing life (on fingernail, sweater or...
February 2011
7 posts
1 tag
Line drawings.
I can do those.
