Experiment: Screen-printing (Part V)

One thing I dislike about being in college for art is having to share studio space with other students. I won't get into the details, but let's just say I don't necessarily see eye to eye with certain other students regarding space and cleanliness.

But I digress.

Here's the image from Part IV, printed on a transparency, a large and small version. I've decided they will be they will become two different prints. The paper I tore into the sheets for the large prints left over pieces of paper conveniently sized perfectly for the small transparency. The large print will be an edition, and the small print will be... something a little freer, crazier, unplanned.We'll see.

I didn't get as far as I would have liked today, but here's a taste of what's to come.I'll be printing in yellow, red, and blue. Below, you can see the shapes of color I'll be using. The jagged shapes are for sound-effect bubbles. There will be a red one and a yellow one, on the same spot but slightly offset from each other. The bottom shape is the blue of Superman's suit, in the middle, the red, and on top, the yellow. There are a few more shapes unpictured, but these are the big ones.

The shapes shown below are cut out of cardstock to be used as stencils. However, one reason I didn't get very far today was because the cardstock failed me. I need to retreat to the store and pick up some contact paper instead. That should work out much more nicely.

Researching the Experiments

I'll admit it straight up right now: I don't do as much research as I should

In fact, one might say that I scarcely do any research at all.

I know, I know: I'm a student at a university with a fantastic art library full of anything I could wish to know about many many artists and art movements. I have access online, thanks to this university, to hundreds of good databases of articles and books and so forth. I should have no excuses for not making the most of these things before I graduate. Because once I leave this school, I'll wish I had this same access, since it's just that amazing.

One reason I suspect I haven't really researched anything on my own is because I've never made the proper connection between research and the art world. In high school, research happened in science and geography classes, maybe in English as well. Art classes were about color and technique and expressing yourself. Art was for bringing what was inside of you, out, and research was about bringing what was outside of you, in. Only this far into college am I realizing that these two viewpoints really need to merge in order to broaden my horizons as an artist. My professors will ask, "Have you heard of So-and-So?" I'm forced to admit, "No, I haven't." At sophomore review, they asked, "Who are you looking at?" And I replied, "Um..."

When I do have subjects for potential research, they are usually given to me by friends or professors. Sometimes I come across them by accident. I was first introduced to Alphonse Mucha, one of my influences (as discussed here) in a poster sale on campus several years ago. I found a beautiful poster, pictured below, bought it, and hung it on my wall, then thought nothing more. A full year later, someone brought up Mucha and showed me one of his images. I was stunned to find out my poster had opened up new possibilities for me.

Over the spring quarter, the summer if possible, and definitely all of the next (and my final) year, I intend to make researching new-to-me artists a bigger part of my artistic career. As sarcastic as I was at the beginning of this post, I'm sure that someday, I will look back and regret not taking greater advantage of the resources available to me. Anything I can do to lessen that potential guilt would be great.

Meanwhile, at the Pendleton...

Last night I attended the Final Friday event at the Pendleton with some friends. What an experience. I didn't know anything about the event or the location before I went. The Pendleton is an eight story building that houses hundreds of artist studios. The studios are private, but the last Friday of every month, they open their doors and let the public poke around.

It was pretty exciting to see artists in their own studios, displaying their work. It was a little awkward at first; we came earlier in the evening than most of the crowd. Walking into the studios felt like entering someone's home (which, in a way, it was). Everyone had wine, cheese, and crackers set out. I could have gotten quite drunk, if I'd been in the mood. Many of the artists greeted us as we came in. The first few floors of studios felt real and lived-in. You could see piles of canvases and book stacked in the corners and desks with supplies in the back, often behind a curtain. As we progressed up the building, however, with a few exceptions, the studios become more and more business-like. Some had counters, like you'd see in a small store, for checking out. They were cleaner, neater, almost cold. Many artists higher up didn't say anything unless spoken to and didn't make themselves known. It was intimidating.

There wasn't a large variety of media among the artists. Most people were painters. There were a few photographers, a jewelry artist, and a print-maker. Many of the painters painted realistic natural landscapes, although there were also several portrait painters. One man had a whole wall of self portraits he'd done throughout his life. (He probably had the most work displayed; it was inside his studio and on all the walls outside as well! He was very nice, too.) It was interesting talking to the artists. I had a list of questions for a short interview, and I tried to talk to different kinds of artists. I expected them to answer mostly the same. "How do you support your artwork?" "Um... by selling my artwork." But several of them had second jobs they did on the side. One even said he was a substitute teacher, which took up the majority of his day.

I would like to go back to the Pendleton, perhaps on a Second Look Saturday instead of another Final Friday. The crowds got to me, and the halls and studios were almost too small to fit everyone. My visit really inspired me to work hard so I can get a studio of my own one day.

Co-Conspirer

Megan Newton is a fabulous person I am glad to call my friend. She is in her second year at the University of Cincinnati's fine arts program. I am really impressed with where she is right not in her work, and I can't wait to see where she is going. I hit her up for a short interview. To view more of her work, please visit her blog, The Batcave.


What first got you into art?

What first got me into art....hmmmm I would have to say watching cartoons as a child really got me thinking about art. I wanted to draw like the illustrators of tv shows like Batman or Bobby's World. ( which are both totally awesome shows. WATCH THEM!) But I never really took my art seriously until I started taking photographs, which was my freshman year of high school. Once I got a camera in my hands things seemed to come easier as far as the creative process was concerned.

Lab Exercise: Making a Notebook (Part II)

In Part I of Making a Notebook, I showed you how to make a hardcover notebook, much like a printed book. Today, you will see a Japanese style of book binding. Try them both out and see which you like better. The Japanese style has less components and is potentially much quicker and easier, provided that you don't mess up during the sewing (as I did. Often.)

A reminder again: this is how I do things. You might have a better idea for certain steps. By all means. This just works for me and is not the be-all-end-all. If something works better for you, do it.

Required ngredients: insides pages (halved computer paper again, this time cut instead of folded), two pieces of cardboard for covers (I'm using a thinned cardboard this time from a cereal box), two thin stiff objects, clips for the stiff objects, need, some kind of thread, awl, ruler (not pictured because I forgot)

Optional: glue, bone folder

Experiment: Screen-printing (Part IV)

A sketch of my new screen-print project. I wanted to try out the process you use to screen-print photos. I'm obviously not using a photo here, though. The process work with whatever image you want. You make it bitmap and print it on transparent film, coat your screen with a photo emulsion, expose your screen with the transparency on it, and wash away the coating. And there's your image on your screen, ready for printing!

The image I wanted to create is a comic book page that eventually crumbles and crashes at the bottom of the paper. There's no real reason behind this image, I just thought it looked interesting. I also wanted to bring together the worlds of comics and of screen-printing, for me. The image, as sketched, is black and white. However, over top and possible underneath as well, I will add in splashes of color, in the form of sound effect bubbles. There will be no text in the bubbles, just the shapes that dramatic sound effect bubbles have. Think old-time Batman.

Here's the final image that I have used with the photo process to put on my screen.

Experiment: Photography

Here are some of my favorite pictures I've taken from the last year. Some were taken in Oval Beach, Michigan, and other in Chicago, Illinois. I sort of forgot I took them. I really need to organize my photos better.

Funding the Experiments

I worry a lot about money. A lot. I currently live at home with my mom, so my biggest expenses are gas, art supplies, and food. But, since I go to school full time, I don't have a lot of time to spare to work at my part-time job, so what little money I do earn goes to those expenses. My undergraduate experience is beginning its wind-up, too; I'm almost done with my fourth year with only one more to go. Soon enough, I'm going to have to pay back loans, pay rent on an apartment, pay for insurance... so yeah, I worry about money a lot.

In my professional practices class (the initial reason for this blog), everyone has been posting on the class discussion board about various topics we might be interested in, such as internships, networking info, and non-profit organizations. In the section called "Finding Money: Scholarships, Grants, etc", I found this link posted.

http://www.foxtaxservice.com/taxinfo.html

Tax info for artists? I don't think I need it now, but guaranteed, I will need it all too soon. I have only been filing my own taxes for a few years (several of which a family member took care of them), so I know nothing about taxes. This link taught me some useful things.

1. As a small-business artist, I can deduct losses from my taxes as long as I can prove I am, or am attempting to be, a for-profit business. To prove this, being organized is essential.
2. I will need to choose a business entity type. Is my business a Sole Proprietorship? A Partnership? A Corporation? The type I choose will affect how my taxes are filed.
3. I might as well think about retirement now. Here's an interesting blurb: "If you are 25 years old and put away just $10 per week till retirement, earning an average 7% return on your investment, you will have $132,663.36 by age 67. If you start five years earlier, you would have $191,187.39. The extra $2600 saved turns into $58,524." Can I afford to wait to think about retirement??

Experiment: Screen-printing (Part III)

The final product of my project:

A series of four prints of the rising, waxing moon. I like how they turned out, which can't always be said for my projects. I usually end up hating them. Maybe I'm more easily tapping into things I really want to create. Or maybe it's because I finished in a timely manner and didn't have to rush around like a crazy person. Tough call.

Lab Exercise: Making a Notebook

I hope I'm not generalizing, but every artist I know, including myself, is obsessed with sketchbooks and notebooks. We love to buy them and fill them up with our ideas, thoughts, and inspirations. But I am often poor and cannot justify spending $20 or more on yet another notebook (especially since I am notoriously bad for never finishing them), no matter how pretty it is. So why not make your own? It's much cheaper, and very satisfying to use. I've made several, and I get many compliments on them, or at the very least a surprised, "Where did you get that?" There are many ways of putting your own notebook together. Today I will show you a hardcover notebook. Also, I maintain that my way may not be the very best way of doing things, so if you have a better idea for a step, feel free to try it. This is just what works for me.

Your essential ingredients list: decorative cover paper, cardboard, plain paper (I use regular computer paper), scissors or Exacto knife, ruler, glue, something to spread glue with, some fabric, two full soup cans (bear with me), a pencil, two thin stiff items, clips to hold the stiff items together

Optional ingredients: decorative inside paper, bone folder

Experiment: Screen-printing (Part II)

Here's the sketch of the goddess figure to be featured in my screen-print. I was afraid to just start drawing blindly on my screen without really planning out which part you would see for each phase of the moon, how exactly it would look, all that. For drawing her on the screen, I used blue drawing fluid, which is a positive drawing technique (as opposed to crayons or stencils, which are negative and block the ink). I actually like how she turned out: a bit wilder and perhaps more primitive than the sketch.

Printing was wonderful this time around, full of happy accidents as opposed to being a comedy of errors like last time. I'm not finished with the prints (I have eight in progress), they still need one more drop of ink. If you look at the sketches in part I, you'll see it's the graphic black layer, which will also be created on the screen with blue drawing fluid.

One of the happy accidents: you can see the whole figure through the dark grey layer. I'm ok with that. I think it will work out well. Look at all my prints!

Fueling the Experiments (Part II)

Another one of my influences, this time an American Comic: Elfquest by Wendy and Richard Pini. I discovered Elfquest at a week-long summer church camp years ago. I only knew one girl in my cabin, who was from the same church as me, so I was nervous. When I walked in, it seemed all the other girls knew each other, and they were reading Elfquest. They happily introduced me to the series, and it was a wonderful fun week. And I am still reading Elfquest.

I love that this series brings up a rather original concept of elves. They are short, proportionally the size of children. The main tribe lives in the forest, as traditional, but there are other tribes who live in the desert, in the snowy mountains, and it is implied that all elves originally came from space. The comic deals with nature, which I am all for, and I love the characters' designs and personalities. There's not much about this comic I don't like. Elfquest hasn't really influenced me yet, but  as I delve deeper into the comic world, it surely will.

Elfquest is actually available to read for free online at the official website.

Experiment: Screen-printing

Screen-printing is a very interesting process. Before this year, the only printmaking I had done was relief (woodblock), which I loved. While similar, relief and screen-printing are different enough that I am excited to explore them further. For example, in relief, the bulk of your time is spent on carving your wood to create what is basically a stamp. Then you ink up, zip zip, and you're printing. For screen-printing, the physical act of printing takes the longest. This is because you usually do many layers. You're able to have much more flexibility with your prints, changing up the colors and design on the fly. Relief prints are often a single color, and doing multiple colors on the same print is difficult (maybe that's just me, being inexperienced in it). Screen-prints are almost expected to be at least three colors and are often many more.

Here's my sketch for my next screen-print. (I may or may not post pictures relating to my first group of prints. It was, shall we say, a learning experience.)

The first print was also of the sky, so I wanted to continue with that. I'm fascinated with the sky, even attempting to do a daily sky-photographing a while back (didn't end up panning out). The moon has always been an aspect of the sky I love. So this print will be the moon on a grey (probably not that shade) background, with black markings around the edges. Yes, they will be graphic and choppy as I have sketched them. There will be four variations, with the moon rising across the sky and growing from crescent to full. To mimic the markings on the real moon, there will be a faint picture of a goddess-like figure behind everything else. As the moon travels across the prints, it will reveal a little bit more of the figure, as I attempted to depict in the top-right corner.

The edges of the print will not be straight, flat edges. They will be jagged, rough, to correspond with the graphic mark-making of the black. The effect was achieved on the screen by using a pressure washer to take out the red block-out around the edges from a pre-existing composition. I'm excited to see if they will work as well as I imagine they will.

Moon goddess, eh? I guess Sailor Moon will never really stop influencing me.  (Although, in my defense, I liked the moon before I got into Sailor Moon, so there.)