Amazing Digital Printing Weekend!!!!

Well it's Monday and after such a wonderful weekend, I'm ready for a fabulous week of working in my studio.

Some professional photographers were here to take my "Not Just Digital Printing" workshop.  They created surfaces to print on 2 different metals, metal mesh, layered paper, 3 types of skins, dyed silk, collaged watercolor overprints and did test strips of inkAID precoats on organdy on pimatex.

During the workshop we took a look at how to use regular plastic bags (recycling these) melt them together to prepare to print and then printed the surface using iridescent red  precoat from inkAID.  Now this surface is still experimental and the texture is awesome while it creates a beautiful print.  I have other ideas on how to push this recycled surface further, so that will happen in the months to come.

I am not posting images from the photographers, but every time the prints are finished by the end of a workshop it is exciting to see what everyone has created.  They had some brilliant images. Here are some links you can visit to see their work.   Southwestern Photos and Dudley Bacon.

Now that major cleaning was done to my studio to have a workshop in uncluttered space (which ended up being extremely cluttered throughout the weekend)  I took some pictures of my studio wall which is coming along nicely.  I added a chalkboard painted into the joining wall on the right.  That will be one of the next walls I move to along with one in the short hall to my computer and printer part of my studio.

Clear Matte Precoat from inkAID

Last year inkAID introduced a new product Clear Matte Precoat.  In the last couple of weeks I have been using the coating on a variety of surfaces. These surfaces include: recycled beverage cans, hand made bark paper from kozo fiber, hand made cheesecloth skins, metal mesh, pima tex cotton, organdy, lace paper, lutradur and recycled printers plates.  I tested it on surfaces next to inkAID's Semi Gloss Precoat, Pearl Iridescent and Type ll since these are my most used coatings.

Clear Matte gives a translucent, matte finish which allows the underlying image to show through. If you have a dyed or painted surface, the colors will show through on the print creating an overprint. Depending on how dark the colors are on the surface of the fabric or paper, you will see sections of the print or not.

What I found with my printing is that on porous fabrics such as organdy, the clear matte will give a slightly clearer print then the semi gloss.  When printing on metals and cans, it has a nice matte finish, but still allows the shade of the metal to show.  In some cases it is hard to see the difference between the coatings used.  I encourage you to try it on the surfaces that you like to print to see what you think.  It's always good to see how coatings perform on various surfaces.

As with all the inkAID coatings Clear Matte results in a quality print.  It has some adhesive in it, so it is safe to use on metals, but may show tracking with pizza wheels from some printers.  I had none of that going on with my prints.  Each print was professional quality with a clear bright image.  My printing was all created on my Epson 4800.  I printed the same image on all the surfaces so that it could be easily compared.

I loved the comparison of Type ll, Pearl and Clear Matte on the recycled beverage cans.  All 3 of these coatings created a beautiful print on the cans.  For more information on using inkAID products on fabrics and specialty papers see my workshop, "Getting Started with Digital Prints on Uncommon Surfaces."

Design Intriguing Surfaces Ebook

Intended to inspire and spark artist’s creativity, “Designing Intriguing Surfaces” is the first ebook in a series that will combine digital printing with alternative surfaces.  Silk, canvas, lutradur, organdy, pimatex cotton, tyvek and several types of paper are included in this ebook, to highlight surfaces that can be printed on any straight path inkjet printer.  This enables the artist to work with regular non art type printers. Of course the surfaces are also wonderful when printed on archival art printers also. The techniques can be used by anyone that wants to experiment and create this type of work.

“Design Intriguing Surfaces” includes precoating surface instructions, helpful hints and a complete supplier list.  Each page is filled with visual eye candy that encompasses prints on the various surfaces discussed and also details of completed art work.

Since my work is influenced by forests, textures are evident in the process of my digital prints. I believe there are unlimited possibilities to use digital prints in all sorts of manners in art.  This book will open a series on that path.  The second book, already in the works “Assemble Intriguing Surfaces” will take the reader into the ways I construct some of these prints into art books and other art work.  From there I will be doing one on: texture, printing with a mini printer, skins with added elements, recycled beverage cans and metal mesh.  These subjects will in turn create other ideas to take this series of books further. 

You can purchase your copy of “Designing Intriguing Surfaces”  by download or on a cd.

Members of KathyAnneArt  receive 20% off the price of 9.99 for the download and $25.00 for the CD version.  Members be sure to sign in to get your discount, once the item is in the cart your discount will appear.

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For more information contact me at KathyAnneArt