Experimenting with photos

I spent most of my weekend experimenting with different photos and editing techniques.  Saturday was super frustrating as I wasn't pleased with my results.  But I persisted.
Sunday, better results......due to lots of learning, patience and persistence.

One of my goals is to shed the fear that many people have that they need to draw their own image for a thermafax screen.  If drawing scares you, why not choose a photo!

Here are some of my trial and tribulations.  I am sharing the good, the bad and the ugly.  It is all part of the process after all.  And......I realize as I proof this post that I need to scan in my finished prints.....the lighting is really off and I apologize.

One delightful thing I experienced and I will discuss later is the beauty of using silk screen ink.  It made my so-so screens produce beautiful prints.  Like I said....more about that later.

A flower from our garden this past summer.  I was pleased with the detail.  That was my goal....to see how much detail I can get in a thermafax print.

I found this leaf on a walk this past Fall.  I was curious in this experiment to see how the water drops would translate.  I like the affect.  I was VERY happy with the gold silk screen ink......perfect print when comparing the black and white image to the final print.

Yes, both my husband and I attended Michigan State University and now our oldest is there.  Go State!  So......I played with an image of Sparty.  I am not pleased with the print and realize that I need to try a different editing technique based on the tones in the original photo.  Great lesson to learn.

Our youngest daughter on a fun sledding day with her cousins.  So love this photo.  Need to experiement more with the ink/paint.  I can tell that it has the details (hat, smile).  I think the gold was too shimmery for this particular image and the blue paint was not the right consistency.  This one, in my opinion, still has potential.

Practice makes perfect.....or in this case.....practice makes you get better.  My troubleshooting skills have improved, my prints overall improved and I love printing even more.

Thermafax Printing with Photographs

Photography and thermafax screens go hand in hand (no pun intended.....seriously!)

What is very on trend right now is making a heart shape with your hands...and with Valentine's Day right around the corner.....it all just fell into place.

My daughter felt MUCH more comfortable posing her hands than drawing a "valentine" design....go figure from a kid that has had art materials in her hands from day one (almost literally).

We experimented with how to pose and from what angle to take the picture.

This picture.... I stood over her to take picture and we both liked this angle the best.

Then a quick editing process.....while she was at swim practice.

Then experimenting with the designs and prints.  

To add a signature or date or not.  She choose not.

The finished product.  

To say we love it....well it is an understatement.

It is her, it is love!

We didn't stop there......

to be continued...

Getting started with Thermafax Printing

What have I been up to?  Playing with thermafax printing.  Oh my goodness......so many possibilities.  What is Thermafax printing?
An alternate to silk screen printing that is economical, chemical free, fast and opens your mind to endless possibilities. Seriously....soooooo many ideas.

I have been playing around with printing since the early 90's.  I started with Print Gocco, a Japanese product.  It was a great way to use my photographs, printing cards and invitations.  Once the company stopped production of the Print Gocco in 2005, supplies were very hard to come by and expensive.  But now this....Thermafax printing, which is by no means new....it is just new to me.  Let me tell you the possibilites are endless!

Here is a quick and dirty explanation of thermafax printing.

You can take a hand drawn image.  Make a screen.  I use duct tape around the screen so that it will lay flat, yet remain very flexible (to print on a variety of surfaces).

Next, apply paint.  I use basic acrylic paint from the local craft supply stores.  You will want a thick acrylic paint.  If your paint is on the runny side....leave some out to dry out for a bit and that will work just fine.  I tend to lean towards Martha Stewart acrylic paints when I can find them on sale.

Spread the paint just as if you were doing traditional screen printing.  I use an old plastic card (old credit/debit card, hotel room key (oops!), store promotional card, etc.) to spread the paint over the entire screen.  Light pressure.....not too heavy.

Then a careful lift to reveal your art.

Since I am work in clay, and has been a dream of mine for a long time to print on clay...

I had to try it out.  

Something to get your creative juices flowing.

Coming soon to my Etsy site........you too can create your own screens.  You will be able to e-mail me your art/photograph.  I will create the screen.....slip it in the mail and in no time you will be printing.

Language of flowers

I have always been inspired by flowers.  
I have a collection of photos of flowers that I have taken over the years.
Now that I am working on my clay stamp vocabulary......this collection means more and more to me every day.  Not only do I have a beautiful catalog of photos, but I have a connection to almost every flower.  

Looking at a picture will jog my memory to the flower......where it was growing, what the weather was like, who I was with.  I feel so blessed to be able to conjure up these memories so easily.

And then I read The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh and was hugely fascinated by the Victorian meaning of flowers.

Creating a vocabulary

I purchased Amy Sanders DVD abut creating custom textures from Ceramics Daily and viola........I have learned a language that was buried deep within me.  Like Amy, I grew up with fabric....actually all kinds of fiber (but I will save that for another post).  I learned to sew at a very young age with the patient help from my Mom and Grandmother.  I spent many a day in the fabric store....all kinds of fabric stores.  My kids have grown up feeling very comfortable (perhaps not enjoying it as much as I have) in fabric stores.  The designs and textures have been simmering away all these years.

and now....I create my own vocabulary with designs carved into and out of clay stamps.  I then use these stamps to texture clay.

It is very addicting.  To sketch, to carve, to stamp.

Thank You AMY!

A place to start

This blog has been a long time coming.
Putting myself out there
has been a journey.
A mix of excitement and self doubt.
But I am HERE.

Not only am I here.  But
Soon
I will be live on etsy.