printed on Tuesday:
Sunday, July 13, 2008
a GOOD day to dye.......
as Worf on Star Trek would say...... AND as I definitely say!
I FINALLY got to try the deconstructed screen printing that I've been gearing up for all these many months. Today was THE day!
I started this morning, mixing the dye paste, getting the screens ready. I did two screens to start. Both used leaves from my yard, one had some bubble wrap under the leaves and the other had the texture from wettened newspaper under the leaf. Here are the screens after pre-print, while they are drying:
The orange one is about 8X10" and the blue one is 10-11" square. Click on any of the images on this post, and you will get a slightly larger view (about double).
OK, so the screens are drying. I decided I'd better soda-soak some cloth, and so I did that. Next, I march myself into the house and take a short nap (well, it IS Sunday, and it IS hot outside!!). Then I routed out all the stuff I need to finish those last two print-table pad thingys.They are 3'X4', foam, covered with carpet pad, covered with vinyl, covered with another polyester felt matress pad. Got those finished, and so finally I'm ready to pin my white cotton onto one of the print tables, and have at it. I didn't try to take in-process pics, but did take one of every print. Keep in mind that ALL of these images were produced using at least one over-print from the same screen. I think that was more than half the fun of doing this. Here is the entire set of prints in one long shot:
And here are individual shots of each print on this board - I don't think I have favorites, yet, but I may change my mind as I start to work with them more:
I'm missing one of the small ones, but I can't figure out which one. I must have lost it on the transfer.... or lost track in my album. While this is certainly not the end-all and be-all of deconstructed screen printing, I am quite pleased with the results of my first effort, and very anxious to have them finish batching so I can wash them out and have a really good look! This is definitely a try again process - I loved working on it! My process info is a result of Kerr Grabowski's dvd - check her website to order - well worth the cost!
I FINALLY got to try the deconstructed screen printing that I've been gearing up for all these many months. Today was THE day!
I started this morning, mixing the dye paste, getting the screens ready. I did two screens to start. Both used leaves from my yard, one had some bubble wrap under the leaves and the other had the texture from wettened newspaper under the leaf. Here are the screens after pre-print, while they are drying:
The orange one is about 8X10" and the blue one is 10-11" square. Click on any of the images on this post, and you will get a slightly larger view (about double).
OK, so the screens are drying. I decided I'd better soda-soak some cloth, and so I did that. Next, I march myself into the house and take a short nap (well, it IS Sunday, and it IS hot outside!!). Then I routed out all the stuff I need to finish those last two print-table pad thingys.They are 3'X4', foam, covered with carpet pad, covered with vinyl, covered with another polyester felt matress pad. Got those finished, and so finally I'm ready to pin my white cotton onto one of the print tables, and have at it. I didn't try to take in-process pics, but did take one of every print. Keep in mind that ALL of these images were produced using at least one over-print from the same screen. I think that was more than half the fun of doing this. Here is the entire set of prints in one long shot:
And here are individual shots of each print on this board - I don't think I have favorites, yet, but I may change my mind as I start to work with them more:
I'm missing one of the small ones, but I can't figure out which one. I must have lost it on the transfer.... or lost track in my album. While this is certainly not the end-all and be-all of deconstructed screen printing, I am quite pleased with the results of my first effort, and very anxious to have them finish batching so I can wash them out and have a really good look! This is definitely a try again process - I loved working on it! My process info is a result of Kerr Grabowski's dvd - check her website to order - well worth the cost!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
NEW Etsy Shop!
Well, I finally did it - opened a second Etsy shop to exclusively offer my art work - fabric, quiltlets, other. I'd been housing all of that in my original shop, and it started to look like the world's funkiest mish-mash - vintage, art, de-stash - all in one place.
So now, I'm announcing the birth of PrairieArtScape, and my beautiful hand-dyed fabric has moved there, along with a couple of "new" pieces.
I added the link for ArtScape in the NavBar on the left side of the blog. Please visit if you are so inclined. Meantime, I'll share pics of a few of the new additions to my wares:
With apologies for the wonky line-up job, the blue is a full yard of a twisted-then-dyed piece. I really like the effect of the maniuplation on it. The green one is done in a similar manner, but (I think) folded first - it's only a half yard, and I wish it were bigger. It's the single piece that has had the most "views" since I put it in the shop. The other two are fat quarters of pre-printed white-on-white. I like the way the animals came out - and the other piece looks like fireworks to me - but it may just be the "season" we're in right now!
And finally, my roses bloomed last week - these are the "old-fashioned" ones that require no care - they just bloom every June regardless. The bushes were just loaded. This particular bush is out in the open near the garage; absolutley NO care whatsoever for at least the 21 years we've lived in this house (you can glimpse my life - house and minivan, anyway - in the background of the first picture). Well, I guess I did trim out the deadwood a few years ago. They need a trellis, I think, but I'm afraid to mess with success:
So now, I'm announcing the birth of PrairieArtScape, and my beautiful hand-dyed fabric has moved there, along with a couple of "new" pieces.
I added the link for ArtScape in the NavBar on the left side of the blog. Please visit if you are so inclined. Meantime, I'll share pics of a few of the new additions to my wares:
With apologies for the wonky line-up job, the blue is a full yard of a twisted-then-dyed piece. I really like the effect of the maniuplation on it. The green one is done in a similar manner, but (I think) folded first - it's only a half yard, and I wish it were bigger. It's the single piece that has had the most "views" since I put it in the shop. The other two are fat quarters of pre-printed white-on-white. I like the way the animals came out - and the other piece looks like fireworks to me - but it may just be the "season" we're in right now!
And finally, my roses bloomed last week - these are the "old-fashioned" ones that require no care - they just bloom every June regardless. The bushes were just loaded. This particular bush is out in the open near the garage; absolutley NO care whatsoever for at least the 21 years we've lived in this house (you can glimpse my life - house and minivan, anyway - in the background of the first picture). Well, I guess I did trim out the deadwood a few years ago. They need a trellis, I think, but I'm afraid to mess with success:
Friday, July 4, 2008
Independence!
Well, that's what I'm going for..... independence from the j.o.b. --- at least for today. Happy 4th!
I've been working on stitched resists lately. I stitch the design, soda-soak the piece (just wet it, really), then brush on dye solution (dye, urea water) in two or more colors, batch and rinse. I'm still tweaking the technique, but so far I like what I've learned, and plan to do many, many more of these. Here are 3 that came out of the dyebath last week:
The center one is probably my favorite of the three - the sections are clearly demarked. On the other two, the stitch is a little less obvious, but the texture is GREAT! Very crinkly, very defined. I have another piece that I hand-stitched, and it's terrific (no pic yet) However, with the arthritis my hands have started to experience, I doubt hand-stitched resist is in my future in any meaningful way. There is also a spiral piece soaking now - it's going to be nice, but it isn't ready to photograph - maybe later this weekend.
And here's a shot I got of a bumblebee on the salvia beside my back door a couple of weeks ago. I just unloaded that camera card the other day. I don't delude myself that this is great photography, but it's MY photography - just snapping bits from my everyday life!
The salvia smelled so sweet, I found myself wishing I was a bee so I could get up close and personal with it, too!
I've been working on stitched resists lately. I stitch the design, soda-soak the piece (just wet it, really), then brush on dye solution (dye, urea water) in two or more colors, batch and rinse. I'm still tweaking the technique, but so far I like what I've learned, and plan to do many, many more of these. Here are 3 that came out of the dyebath last week:
The center one is probably my favorite of the three - the sections are clearly demarked. On the other two, the stitch is a little less obvious, but the texture is GREAT! Very crinkly, very defined. I have another piece that I hand-stitched, and it's terrific (no pic yet) However, with the arthritis my hands have started to experience, I doubt hand-stitched resist is in my future in any meaningful way. There is also a spiral piece soaking now - it's going to be nice, but it isn't ready to photograph - maybe later this weekend.And here's a shot I got of a bumblebee on the salvia beside my back door a couple of weeks ago. I just unloaded that camera card the other day. I don't delude myself that this is great photography, but it's MY photography - just snapping bits from my everyday life!
The salvia smelled so sweet, I found myself wishing I was a bee so I could get up close and personal with it, too!
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