Digital Printing Expanded

Imagining more to expand digital printing I found this kind of brass colored screen last week.  My favorite is still copper, but this is pretty neat stuff.  We'll be printing this in the workshop coming up in my studio "Not Just Digital Printing".

Couple of new printers plates printed

and some collaged silk.

Silk on carrier sheet.

Finished print

Printed the printer plates and collaged silk surface while working on my new mini workshop for members of KathyAnneArt, "Digital Printing on Silk Surfaces.

Next is building paper surfaces by layering, not sure where that will go.  I want some new tested surfaces before my digital printing workshop in July where we will get some radical new surfaces created.

Art Unraveled Workshops in August

Thought I would give everyone a look at some constructions of studies that will spill over to my Art Unraveled workshops that take place in August right here in Arizona, Phoenix to be exact.

On the first day of Art Unraveled August 2nd I will be teaching "Dimensional Collage with Digital Medium". There is nothing better then to incorporate digital pieces into your artwork.  Printing images on alternative surfaces is an amazing way to add texture and fabulous design elements to your art.  

For the Dimensional Collage Workshop I will be printing each students images before the workshop so they will have their images on the following surfaces-lutradur, tyvek, cotton and watercolor paper.  These surfaces will then be used to create collage for their pieces.  Magic happens when the students start to mix all sorts of other items into their collage.  There will be all sorts of items from my studio stash for students to use as we create their work.

Starting with smaller studies as a warm up, we will move on to putting those ideas together into either an art book or stand alone collage.  Each student will have original work that is clearly their own.  

As for my other workshop at Art Unraveled, "Can-Can Art" August 9th, we are going to go over how you can digitally print beverage cans.  Once everyone has been through that process and has a couple flattened and coated cans to take home to print, we will play with making things from  beverage cans.  

Student kits will include printed cans and there will be extras if you run out.  It is amazing how cans can be used to create art or interest to collage and art pieces.  If you are still looking for a workshop to take at Art Unraveled this year, join us.

Here are some pictures or details of some of my can art.

Join us!

Starting the Week

Not too much work going on last week- had our grandson here till yesterday.  He's 2 and he's really good at it-lol- so between him and the new puppy it was pretty wild and not much working time.  

Today I will be finishing an article for Maggie Grey's Workshop on the Web.  Recycling is the topic and the piece for the magazine is uses paperback book pages for a journal.  There is a new twist to the journal piece in which is excerpted from  an upcoming ebook.  Check out WOW- there are many interesting articles and writers and Maggie is well know for her work, workshops and books. 

Also on tap for this week is my monthly workshop for KathyAnne Art Members.  The workshop will be about digital printing in some form.  Still working out the details.  Thinking it will concern printing light weight silk and take a video form.  I want the surface to be thin enough so that any pass through printer will work.  I'll test it on my Epson Picture Mate Charm to see what type of printer will work.

Don't forget. I am teaching "Not Just Digital Printing" in my studio July 16 and 17 in a few weeks.  Two spots left. 

Another New Printer

Two weeks ago my Epson Stylus Photo R2400 gave up.  I returned to my studio one afternoon and there was ink leaking out of the printer and on the desk.  To make a long story short it was an end of life problem. Never knew there was such a thing, but if I had a PC that is what the message from the epson utilities would have been.  They say you don't get that error message on a Mac.  Seems the ink pads that collect the ink cannot be replaced on that printer or actually any in that class and when you do a lot of printing it happens sooner then in lightly used printers.  Amazing, but from research with Epson I found out it is expensive to fix, better to get new.  HMMMM and my R2400 was working so well for me.  Traveling to conferences for years, oh well.

That brings me to my new Epson Stylus Photo R3000-once again Epson has seriously improved that size printer since 2007 which is when I purchased my R2400.  I may have gotten along with my Epson 7890 (see my blog post from March 19, 2011) except that I don't want to print beverage cans on it.  The R3000 is really wonderful.  It prints a little thicker paper than the 2400 so printing metal mesh, beverage cans, heavy weight canvas, papers and fabrics are a snap.  The pic here is set up for a 7 can print.  I had to change one of my type of carrier sheets.  The cans print best when using the Epson Presentation Matte paper for a carrier sheet.  They of course have to be really smooth, no creases or anything and taped well on the edges, but I easily printed  30 cans or so and they look great.  It also did a great job on some new brass looking metal mesh I have.

Studio Dog or Actually Studio Pup:)

Today Robert Genn (of Robert Genn Twice-Weekly Letter) wrote an email entitled "The Dog Decision".  I have been getting his emails twice weekly for as long as I can remember and enjoy his perspective on the art world.  This morning was perfect because I recently made the decision to take on a 6 week old puppy for a new studio dog.

Robert writes "Every puppy begins in joy and ends in tears. Sometime ago I wrote about the loss of our former dog, Emily. The email condolences that came in here were overwhelming. As far as I'm concerned there are two downsides to having a dog. The first is when you finally lose them, and the second, an ongoing problem, is what to do with them when they can't travel with you. Lining up trusted dog sitters is vital.   Having said that, a dog will increase your studio hours and prevent you from wandering off and getting into trouble. Benjamin Franklin said that in order to be happy a man needs "a good woman, a good dog, and ready money." I've noted that none of my dogs have ever criticized my work. A loving tail-wagger in the studio goes a long way in a profession of loners."

So right now I am in the middle of the chaos of potty training and the ever present puppy finding anything she can put into her mouth.  The good news is my studio floor has never been this clean.  The bad news is that at this time, she does cut into my work time. That leads to more good news as I get to walk her on my property and appreciate my surroundings - which makes me more productive and I get to enjoy a walk outside which I wouldn't do when I am working on something.  It does keep me feeling good.  Today I will be printing wire mesh and beverage cans, so we will see how she does with that going on. I have a nice little fence built around my printers so there will be no chewing on any printer parts.

This picture is from the middle part of May.  Actually she is a puppy and at the time the picture was taken 7 weeks old.  Sage was born on April 5, 2011so she will be 2 months old this weekend.  She looks little, but is growing everyday and being a mastiff she will be quite large in a really short time.  After my lab died I missed having company with me everyday and so I finally gave in a decided to go for a puppy.