Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Escape Together
Guess I should post something in case my one million viewers and I myself start disbelieving that I will actually follow through with the 'resolution' below.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
The Return of the Sproutmonster
Since we got back from Europe I've been itching to make art and swimming in pools of ideas but this has been conflicting with massive doses of cynicism because I've been seeing the trends in contemporary commercial art and the majority of it is bullshit. All people want to buy are pictures of vintage birds with antlers on a white background and so that is what all the market stall holders are making. I've been doing birds with antlers on white backgrounds since I was in highschool seven years ago but apparently it's trendy now so it's become totally devoid of charm or meaning and makes people go 'awwww' then they forget about it thirty seconds later.
I've decided to try and go back to 2008, because that is when I made art most often, and when I freely combined different media; something which I have never done before or since. It was short like my attention span. The best part was that it was meaningless and disassociated and only for myself.
It was when I was doing this stuff. There will now be more. Stay tuned.
There will probably still be birds in it.
I might move to tumblr...
I've decided to try and go back to 2008, because that is when I made art most often, and when I freely combined different media; something which I have never done before or since. It was short like my attention span. The best part was that it was meaningless and disassociated and only for myself.
It was when I was doing this stuff. There will now be more. Stay tuned.
There will probably still be birds in it.
I might move to tumblr...
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Herbs
I made a new small collection of prints. They are cleaner and more intricately drawn than before. I present to you: the herbs series!
If you're of the buying persuasion, you may do so here.
If you're of the buying persuasion, you may do so here.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Degreasing without ammonia
A short tutorial cross posted from printsy.
How to degrease your plate
Degreasing your etching plate is important when applying a ground, aquatint, or sugarlift because it allows the medium to stick to the plate. This is traditionally done with ammonia and whiting.
If you don't like the smell of ammonia (it is like rotten fish and pee), what works equally well is household grade powder cleanser like Ajax and soy sauce. You can actually use powder cleanser by itself, but it takes three times as much wiping effort.
You apply it in the same way. Add powder, add soy sauce, and wipe with a clean, grease free rag. Rinse with water.
You'll know when your plate is degreased because the water should stick to the entire plate instead of blobbing up.
Now don't touch it with your oily fingers. The end!
How to degrease your plate
Degreasing your etching plate is important when applying a ground, aquatint, or sugarlift because it allows the medium to stick to the plate. This is traditionally done with ammonia and whiting.
If you don't like the smell of ammonia (it is like rotten fish and pee), what works equally well is household grade powder cleanser like Ajax and soy sauce. You can actually use powder cleanser by itself, but it takes three times as much wiping effort.
You apply it in the same way. Add powder, add soy sauce, and wipe with a clean, grease free rag. Rinse with water.
You'll know when your plate is degreased because the water should stick to the entire plate instead of blobbing up.
Now don't touch it with your oily fingers. The end!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
A word of warning about copper sulfate etchant
Last year I posted the recipe for an aluminium and zinc etchant made from copper sulfate. I forgot to add something very important.
Before you etch anything in this, stick an unprotected piece of aluminium into it, about 1x3 inches large. Leave it there for 5-10 minutes. This will take the edge off it so it isn't so strong. If you don't do this, the first plate you etch may become a complete mess. It will bite your needlepoint lines into lines 2mm wide, and it will even bite holes through areas protected by the ground.
Alternatively, when etching your first plate, just make sure to check it every 3-5 minutes to make sure it isn't being ravaged.
It isn't nitric acid, but it is extremely strong.
I forgot to do this just now and have suffered the printmaking equivalent of my computer crashing after drawing something on illustrator for 4 hours and not saving it.
Before you etch anything in this, stick an unprotected piece of aluminium into it, about 1x3 inches large. Leave it there for 5-10 minutes. This will take the edge off it so it isn't so strong. If you don't do this, the first plate you etch may become a complete mess. It will bite your needlepoint lines into lines 2mm wide, and it will even bite holes through areas protected by the ground.
Alternatively, when etching your first plate, just make sure to check it every 3-5 minutes to make sure it isn't being ravaged.
It isn't nitric acid, but it is extremely strong.
I forgot to do this just now and have suffered the printmaking equivalent of my computer crashing after drawing something on illustrator for 4 hours and not saving it.
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