Illustration Friday - Sink

 The latest, inspired by the challenge word "sink."

Sneak Peek

 Gregory Shearer and I are putting together a collaborative show to be displayed some time in February.  I thought I would give you all a sneak peek of the first piece I've finished for this show.  This piece, as most of the pieces in the show will be, is based on a photograph of a miniature set-up that Gregory shot and created.  His photos are quite lovely, and you can view them here.

Illustration Friday - Round

round and round she goes...

Gabriel von Max

On a recent trip to Seattle, I visited the Frye Art Museum, a beautiful little museum on First Hill.  After a painful up-hill struggle of trying to remember how to drive a stick shift over the steep Seattle landscape, I was confronted with paintings of monkeys and doe-eyed women, the creation of a 19th Century Austrian painter named Gabriel von Max.  Nothing about the paintings particularly struck me and I was beginning to think I'd wasted a trip when I came upon a tiny side room that contained von Max's illustrations for Goethe's Faust.  My trip was not wasted.  While I have not been able to find some of the most amazing etchings online, there are a few that you can check out here.  The internet, of course, doesn't do them justice, so if you ever get the chance to see these in person, you should definitely take advantage of the opportunity.

Illustration Friday - Silent

Should be seen and not heard.

Screen Print Process 2

The open areas on the edge of the screen are blocked out and then taped over.  The screen is attached to the press, which is essentially an arm or hinge that moves up and down.  Ink is added to the screen.  Every new print requires two passes with the squeegee, the first to fill the reservoir of the design and the second to press the ink through the screen onto the shirt.  The shirt is then dried under a high-heat heater to allow the ink to cure and voila, t-shirts.

Screen Print Process 1

As promised, a brief and simplified explanation of the process of screen printing:  After the designs are scanned into the computer and sized, we print them out full-size on transparency.  Printing screens are prepared with a coating of emulsion, aka light-sensitive ooze.  The emulsion is allowed to dry, the transparency is placed on top, and the screen is exposed to direct, intense light for about 8 minutes.  The screens are rinsed to remove the emulsion that wasn't exposed, and the design is revealed.

Fox Hunt

The newest piece.  It started as an English fox hunt, but evolved into a butterfly net fox chase.  It's somewhat introspective, I suppose.  One of the characters is convinced that she is inches away from success.  The other character, along with the rest of us, know it's not going to happen.

Final Screen Print Preview

A piece of the final design that will be featured on my screen printed merchandise. Siamese twins.

Screen Prints #2 & #3

My two newest designs for screen printing on tees and totes.  Look familiar?  That's because these two designs are just old designs reworked into a new and exciting screen-print-friendly format.  I've got one more design in the works, then it's time to print negatives and make screens.  The blank tees arrived today!  I'm having second thoughts about the all gray and white order.  Should have gotten some brown and yellow.

Hey you, I'm serious.  Bring me something to screen print for you.  You deserve it for being one of my fourteen followers.

Screen Printing Design #1

A preview of my first screen printing design for Q Clothing's Buy Local holiday sale.

Screen Printing

Next project: Tees and Totes.  Annie of Q Clothing has asked me to be part of their "Buy Local" holiday event by designing and printing t-shirts, tote bags, and whatever else I can think of that people may want to purchase for the holidays.  I've been meaning to do t-shirts for awhile now so I jumped at the chance.

Designing for merchandise offers me two major challenges.  1. How do I design something that will look good on multiple body types, not to mention be something that people will want to buy and wear? 2. I will be screen printing all of my own tees and totes.  Intimidating.  But I am comforted by the fact that my boyfriend is an expert screen printer (his website) and will most likely be looking over my shoulder the whole time, making sure I don't make a mess of his shop and/or destroy his equipment.

Wish me luck, you eleven lucky followers of my blog, and be sure to let me know if you would like me to screen print a design onto something of yours.  A pillowcase, perhaps?  Maybe an heirloom doily?  Your mother's best Sunday dress?

I will document my excursion into Travis' screenprinting domain, so if you've ever wondered about the process of screen printing you can check in over the course of the next few weeks to see how it's done.

Chicken

The other drawing that will be going out to Kayo today.  If you live in Utah and you've not had a chance to make it out to Kayo Gallery, I highly recommend it.  Shilo Jackson runs a tight ship and hosts some of the best shows I've seen in Salt Lake.  Her paintings are also stunning and will be on display at Stolen and Escaped, just downstairs from Kayo, this Friday for Gallery Stroll.

C'est Fini

Finished product, for display at Kayo Gallery, October gallery stroll.

Process

How my pieces start.  The drawing of the woman has been sitting around my house for months and months.  I loved the figure but had no idea what to do with it.  Finally today while wandering around the farmer's market, it came to me.  A tiger and a hot air balloon.  Why didn't I think of this sooner?

The Latest

My latest: a commissioned piece for a woman in Arizona who wanted a drawing that featured her daughter.

Testing.... Testing

Yes, I have finally decided to join the contemporary era.  I have started a blog.  Use it to keep track of where you might see my work, view my illustrative process, and perhaps even hear some juicy little tidbits from the greats of illustration....