Addicted to Love

I really want to make a good showing at Renegade Brooklyn this June so I've been busy drawing and printing new designs. My friend Ashley did printmaking in college and has been helping a bunch. Last week we had both Goccos going at the same time. It is so nice to work with her because time flies on the stationery assembly line. The best part is that good company and hard work is the perfect excuse to order PIZZA!

Last week we printed these dik dik cards. I've been meaning to create a design featuring the dik dik ever since Justin showed me one on Cute Overload. They are the most petite, flirty eyelashed, tufty headed little African antelopes you will ever see.

As sweet as the sentiment is, the idea was born from pure pain. At work we always listen to the same 60s/70s/80s radio station and despite the diversity of those thirty years, the DJs play the same small bunch of songs daily. At first it was fine. I enjoyed a little Elton John and Bruce Springsteen and tolerated the Fleetwood Mac moments with grace but eventually the predictability started to grump me out. I would seethe silently that "the boys are back in town" twice a day for the past six months. Anyone who does not have control of the music in their workplace understands the way a sweet sentiment like "you've got a friend" can seem like a personal attack on your happiness when heard too often.

Instead of letting this situation turn me evil crazy, I decided to modify the tunes in my mind to keep me amused. Retreating to my imagination to deal with an annoying situation is the kind of crazy that I embrace. "Addicted to love" is one song that wormed it's way into my ear a few times too many and I was able to enjoy the song ten times more if I deliberately misheard the lyrics for entertainment. "Might as well face it you're a dik dik to love" is a song I'd be happy to hear over and over again. There are plenty more songs that I've bent to my liking. Maybe I should draw them all in case somebody else has to listen to WROR in the morning.

Speaking of work, I now have permission from my boss to post all the upholstery tutorials I want so check back soon for part two of my dining chair recovery mission.

alumni printmaking night enthusiasm!

I graduated from Montserrat College of Art a whopping four years ago and though I loved my time there, I hadn't been back much since. That was the case until I was invited to attend the new best thing in my life... alumni printmaking studio night! Every Tuesday evening, I get to go back to one of my old favorite places and make some art with my friends!

One thing I wasn't expecting is that I couldn't really remember how to do different print methods or where to find supplies. Four years is a long time to try to recall which solvent cleans what ink and how much pressure does it take to make a nice clean monoprint.

I was very lucky that the coordinator is my friend Chris who is super knowledgeable and a patient teacher and that Chelsea wanted to complete her etching/aquatint project and needed him to show her the steps. I tagged along while he showed her and I got to learn a new process! Next week I'll be ready with my own plate to etch. I think it will be a hedgehog!

I can't wait until next Tuesday!

The above photos were my way of taking notes. If you visit my Flickr, you can get a better description of what is going on in each picture. Also, if you were wondering what kind of creature is etched in Chelsea's plate, it is an aardwolf and they are neat. Here is a video of an aardwolf eating a bowl of termites.

Yudu FAIL

I have had a frustrating time in the last few days struggling with a machine.

I excitedly purchased a Yudu screenprinting system after reading some reviews that touted it as the savior for those of us who are running out of our no longer manufactured Gocco supplies. Like the Gocco, it is a self contained screenprinting device and it has the added bonuses of being bigger, geared towards printing on fabric, and it's screens are reusable.

I thought I'd have no problem transitioning from Gocco to Yudu but I was very disappointed.

Before I started printing, I watched a few tutorial videos, perused the Yudu user forums and read the manual. I completed every step slowly and thoughtfully but ended up with imperfections in my three separate attempts.

I spent two whole workdays trying to conquer the Yudu and ended up with unsatisfactory results. I printed 20 "foxy like a crafter" tote bags and most needed touching up by hand and in the end, probably only 6 of them are good enough to sell.

I'm planning on returning the machine later this week.

Here is a ranty rundown of all the annoying details for those of you wondering about the specifics:

The application of emulsion is probably the trickiest part of the process, the screen needs to be wet (but not too wet and not too dry) and then the emulsion is applied in a sheet like a giant green sticker that needs to be smoothed out. My emulsion didn't stick perfectly in all three of my attempts. It was drippy once and un-stuck to the screen once and generally irregular in my last try.

The waiting between steps was expected but annoying and always took longer than the manual suggested.

The machine is pretty clunky. It's very large and feels a bit cheap. For example, the little door flap that holds the screen in the drying rack never stays shut and the top frame part did not hold the screen in very securely. The screen fell out onto the floor once and I spent the next half hour plucking bunny fur out of the ink.... nice.

Once I finally got to start printing on my halfway decently burned screen, I ran into problems getting an even application of ink. I tried to apply an even pressure across the squeegee but I always ended up with un-inked spots which forced me to have to squeegee again thus losing line crispness.

All of the aforementioned grumbles were not insurmountable and I thought that I could get over them with some practice. Then, I realized that my screen needed to be washed between every 7-10 printings because the ink started to dry. Seriously, no. Washing the screen between printings is such a sad waste of ink and time (especially considering the screen needs to be dried after washing too). Yudu ink also only comes in tiny bottles that are prohibitively pricy.

The worst part for me was when I finally had started pulling acceptable prints, I noticed a pink haze had begun to show up around my images. The ink I was using was red and I speculated the screen was wearing down with use and letting a little ink through the blocked parts. I'm not really 100% sure what caused the haze though.

I stopped for the day feeling beaten and went to clean the ink off the screen hoping to pull a better batch tomorrow with the same screen. Sadly, while I cleaned the screen, one or two tiny details of the emulsion lifted off rendering it un-reusable. Reusability was one of the main draws to me for trying the YuDu.

I think the Yudu is a great concept but ended up being not such a great product. It has huge potential but didn't make the cut in my book. I wouldn't recommend it and especially not if you want it for making more than a handful of prints at a time.

I'll be home for Christmas

I'm leaving this afternoon for Connecticut where I'll be staying until the first week of January. I don't get to go home too often and this is the longest I've stayed since I was in college. It'll be really nice but lots of work since I'm staying to help my parents clean their basement. I surely hope I have no spider interaction while I'm down there.

I am cleaning out their basement to make room for a big project of mine that is in the works. Plans are in the formative stages but I'm pretty sure I'll be setting up a remote screenprinting studio! I am really thrilled by this concept because it means I can work much bigger and I am also happy that I'll be going to Connecticut monthly for weekend print marathons. It will take a long time to finish this project but it's definitely something to look forward to.

Due to my parent's ancient computer, this may be the last post I make for a little while. I hope everyone has a pleasant holiday!

The above image is by Doodle and Hoob of whales on a trek. I thought it was pretty prefect.

1-2-3 Gocco!

Forgive my cheesy title. I thought I'd share this neat trio of images captured when I burned a screen using my Gocco. Justin shot a quick video of the explosive moment while we closed our eyes and the images above are stills from the video. I always close my eyes while I burn a new screen (for obvious reasons) but I was always tempted to look. I never realized quite how bright it gets!

This part of the process is my favorite. I always tense up.
I lower the top of the machine pressing slowly and gently.
I feel a little click and hear a crinkling pop!
I can see my glowing salmon-colored eyelids (gross, I know).
I hold the top down longer than necessary and open one eye first while slowly releasing the press.
I always find that I'd been holding my breath.

rubbing elbows

It's been gray and rainy for a few days. I like rainy days but they bring out the sloth in me. I finally ventured out of my warm dry home last night to go see Tim Fite in Boston (you can read my husband's review of the show here if you'd like). I had a very fun time and purchased these two small letterpress prints of his. I held up the line of merchmongers for an embarrassingly long time chatting with him about printmaking. I told him about the print Gocco and offered my card. I think I sometimes humiliate those around me by unabashedly pimping myself out in any circumstance to anyone. I have given my business cards out to delivery people, waitresses and left them for strangers in strange places.

I have no shame.

Holy Hawtness!

Sparkling silver and gold, jazzy jewels and trendy slang are combined in this drawing that I made with Paris Hilton in mind. I have to admit that I really love Hawt with a "W"!

I found that printing on the shiny silver and gold paper was tricky with the Gocco. I don't recommend it. I think the ink had trouble clinging to a less porous surface so I got lots of sad sad smudgery. I made 50 printing attempts and only made 15 prints that were good enough to sell. Boooo!

Oh well, I know now that I'm no match for the shimmer. I would do it all over again though because this design just wouldn't be the same on regular paper. I felt I needed to go for extra glamour with this one.

I have thirteen up for sale on Etsy now.

Also, I'm excited to announce that I sold my first print at ArgyleWhale.Etsy the other day! Yes!

Patches made on my Gocco

Yesterday, I was excited to make my first attempt at printing on fabric using my gocco with the special fabric inks. I made two designs to use as freebie patches that will be included in orders from Argyle Whale. I made a llama proudly wearing handmade accessories and a bunny enjoying her handmade scarf. The bunny was inspired by a picture of the famous and always stylish, Coco.

As with most things, there were pluses and minuses to working with fabric on the gocco. I had fun making the patches but ran into enough difficulty that I wasn't inspired to make prints on fabric regularly.

the bad parts:
~ The ink was runnier and more prone to spreading so details were lost.
~ The fabric absorbs the ink pretty quickly and I needed to re-apply ink after about six prints.
~ The process is more expensive since it goes through the ink much more rapidly.
~ The prints need to be ironed to set the ink after they dry. That isn't such a big deal but it takes extra time.
~ I think that the steam from heat setting the inks is probably poisoning me.

the good parts:
~ Printing on fabric opens up lots of new possibilities with the gocco.
~ I think the fabric ink smells a little like butterscotch pudding.
~ It is still simpler and tidier than making a large silkscreen.
~ It looks pretty sharp!

I think the patch-making was a pretty worthwhile endeavor even though they took all night and are going to be given away for free. I made use of a lot of fabric that I had stashed for my LazerBeanz appliques which I don't think I'll be using anymore and I got to experiment in a low pressure way. Also, I figure that the extra layer of fabric in my mailers will protect my prints a little more.

I'm more in love with my little orange printing machine than ever with the addition of this new technique.