Art...: November 2017

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Cyber Monday Extended -- But Act Fast!

Christmas Gift Idea ... A Yesteryear Memory

Today's project -- making a gift-set of kitchen towels with silkscreen-printed appliques -- was made possible with a lot of help from Mary Ann Russo (who made these towels) and Cindy Powell (who supplied photos taken during the silkscreening process.)

Above is a close-up detail of Mary Ann Russo's silkscreen print used as an applique on a kitchen towel.

The above view shows Mary Ann's two towels in full.

Today's write-up is based on the works of many other artists who have shared their experiences and photos online, in books and in DVDs. These pioneers have broken the trail for fabric artists like Mary Ann Russo, whose lovely kitchen towels are pictured above, and Cindy Powell, whose photos will be used in the first section of this write-up.

One advantage of pairing a stencil with a silkscreen is that the same framed screen combo can be used over and over, to create repeat patterns on any fabric of choice. This approach is quicker, less costly and less involved than the alternative of using multiple silkscreens, each created with its own single, permanent design.

Another reason for using a silkscreen with a stencil is that the screen protects the stencil. The heavy pressure that is sometimes required for ink-application could damage stencils with intricate, delicate designs -- but, with this technique, the ink is never applied directly to the stencil. The framed silkscreen mesh is a porous yet protective barrier between the squeegee that spreads the ink and the cut-outs that form the design. Thus, the stencil remains totally intact, ready for use in any of the other multiple ways available to multi-media artists.

Supply list:

(1) T-pins and sturdy tape such as duct tape

(2) scissors

(3) a large padded work surface, covered with protective plastic sheeting

(4) a second work surface, covered with newspaper

(5) a wide basin half-full of clean water

(6) a length of fabric --

100% cotton is a popular choice. This cloth must first be washed in hot water to remove sizing, then machine-dried, using no drier sheets or any other form of fabric softener. It must then be stretched taut across the padded surface, and secured there with T-pins (corsage pins) or sturdy tape.

(7) a stencil

In this technique, a stencil is what gives the artist the design to be printed. For this project, Cindy Powell is using the 9"X12" Mimosa stencil, made of sturdy plastic and available here:

http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/product-p/l141.htm

(8) painter's tape

Painter's tape (a low-tack tape such as blue masking tape) is used to secure the stencil to the silkscreen frame.

(9) fabric-printing ink and a plastic spoon or any similar tool

One popular ink is Speedball fabric screen printing ink. One source:

http://www.artsupply.com/speedball/silkscreen.htm

(10) a squeegee

This tool has a sturdy handle and a soft-plastic edge. One example:

http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/1941049-AA.shtml?lnav=tools.html

(11) a silkscreen

A silkscreen consists of a frame, often aluminum or wood, which encases a tautly-stretched piece of mesh (originally made from silk but currently made from synthetics like polyester/organza.) It's important to use a silkscreen large enough to accommodate the 9"X12" stencil with enough leftover space along one edge for placing the streak of printing ink (which will be spread across the stencil.) Below is a silkscreen viewed from the top (also called "the inside") -- it shows the white central area, which is sunken; this part is called "the well."

This photo is courtesy of Cynthia Powell .

For this technique (as shown above), the artist uses a screen containing no previously established design -- so this screen can be considered a "blank."

The other side of this silkscreen has no indentation/well; it has a flat surface that will be placed upon the fabric -- after that flat surface has had the stencil attached.

To attach the stencil to the silkscreen: Lengths of painter's tape are firmly pressed all the way around all four edges of the stencil, creating a snug fit on the side of the silkscreen that will be placed onto the fabric to be printed. The painter's tape must cover the entire area between the outer edges of the stencil and the outer edges of the silkscreen, since the artist wants no ink to print in these outer areas.

Having taped the stencil to the silkscreen, the artist places the un-inked screen on a flat sturdy surface covered with newspaper.

In this photo, viewed from the "well" side of the silkscreen, you can see the 9X 12" Mimosa stencil through the thin mesh fabric. The stain is not going to print. It is permanent, the result of a previous silkscreening project.

Now, the artist adds a stream of the thick ink into the sunken area, "the well," on top of the silkscreen -- the side opposite the flat side where the stencil has been added.

When placing this stream of ink onto the silkscreen, the artist is careful to place it along one taped edge, keeping the ink on the tape, to avoid getting ink onto the stencil which can be seen through the mesh. Excess ink would make the ink pool, flooding the stencil to create a blob-print instead of a print with well-defined design.

The artist then uses the squeegee to make four or five passes across the silkscreen, to saturate the screen.

Next, the artist lifts the screen to see whether a good print has been made on the newspaper.

When the print has passed that test, the framed silkscreen-stencil-combo is then placed onto the fabric -- and it's time to make the final prints.

Mary Ann Russo, an experienced silkscreen user, makes her prints working alone.

Some other silkscreen users recommend that at this point, two people begin working together -- one holding the screen securely in place, while the other makes multiple passes with the squeegee across the screen.

It can take at least four passes with firm pressure from top to bottom, and side to side, to get the ink to penetrate the fabric.

(Still other silkscreen artists use the Provo Craft Yudo machine, which comes in several versions with corresponding price ranges; this machine makes it easier for one person to do the operation alone. One source:

http://www.silkscreeningsupplies.com/yudu-printing-supplies?gclid=CN-s5rPqubgCFUOd4AodCWUAPA.)

Once the first print is completed, the artist lifts her screen and sets it aside on clean newspaper.

Above is a close-up of a just-completed silkscreen print, done by Cynthia Powell, using the 9" X 12" Mimosa stencil. Note the reflected light on the left side, indicating the ink is still wet.

If the artist wants to make more prints on the same piece of fabric, she must first use a hair drier to dry the just-printed section.

As soon as the printing is finished, the stencil is un-taped from the screen and both are placed in a basin of water until time allows gentle cleansing away of the ink.

Some artists work outdoors so as to cleanse the screens and stencils with water from a hose.

The printed fabric is allowed to dry overnight. Then the artist heat-sets the prints with an iron, following directions supplied by the ink manufacturer.

No further washing is needed; the fabric is now ready to be cut into shapes for use in appliqué-making. To learn about appliqué-creating and application, many online tutorials are available. To list just a few of the possible choices of method:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOX4WcVB4iY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ljl_O2aOT1M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwcaC2dnuLo

To shop for a DVD giving detailed silkscreening instructions, here are just a few of the many choices out there:

https://smartflix.com/store/video/6255/Screenprinting-University

http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/10564898-AA.shtml?lnav=books.html

http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/1880188-AA.shtml?lnav=tools.html

http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/5454012-AA.shtml?lnav=books.html

I'm happy to say that I've designed 70 stencils for StencilGirl. The multiple pages of my stencils start here.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

Monday, November 27, 2017

Cyber Monday Sale at StencilGirlProducts.com!

Sunday, November 26, 2017

Watch for a StencilGirl Cyber Monday Sale Coming Nov. 27!

Saturday, November 25, 2017

Stencil Sale on November 27!

Friday, November 24, 2017

Stencil Sale is One Day Closer!

Thursday, November 23, 2017

Stencil Sale Coming Monday November 27!

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

My Stencils on Sale on Monday!

Monday, November 20, 2017

WROUGHT IRON GATE, a 9" x 12" Stencil with Outside-the-Box Applications

My 9" x 12" stencil Wrought Iron Gate has turned out to be good for more than a background pattern.

After making the print below --

-- I cut out a vertical strip and turned it into a birthday candle for the greeting card shown below. (If I'd used different colors, it could have become a Christmas candle on a different greeting card.)

In making that candle, I noticed something that had escaped my attention before: hearts!

It had been easy to freehand cut out a candle, because of the vertical lines that are part of the design.

But within those vertical lines were hearts -- one upside- down, atop another right-side-up, in vertical columns.

So I cut out several hearts and used them in collages on new greeting cards, shown below.

Above: This heart from Wrought Iron Gate is collaged onto a background print made with my 6" x 6" stencil Sassy Spray.

What to do with leftover scraps? One answer was to trim the top and bottom edges of a journal cover that I had already imprinted with my 6" x 6" stencil Ornamental Iron Curls...

Above: the journal cover before scraps were added.

Above: the journal cover after the scraps were glued into place.

To give you an idea of scale, this journal is small enough to be carried in a purse. Or into a Christmas stocking!

I'm happy to say that I've designed 70 stencils for StencilGirl. The multiple pages of my stencils start here.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

Friday, November 17, 2017

More Black-and-White Collages Made from Original Stencil Drawings

Over the summer just ended, I had the pleasure of taking an online art class under Jane Davies that focused on black-and-white art.

During that class, I posted some class-project collages that I'd created using cut-outs from drawings I'd previously developed; drawings that had become stencils.

Today's post shows two more:

Above: Anyone familiar with my 9" x 12" stencil Loopy Ladders will recognize which part of this collage came from my original drawing. Hint: the original drawing was done with black pen on white paper. But in the final stages of developing the stencil, I reversed blacks with whites. So the stencil itself looks like this --

Loopy Ladders

Below is a collage that includes a leaf cut from my original drawing for my 9" x 12" stencil Clustered Leaves.

Again, the cut-out above is color-reversed from the stencil itself, which looks like this --

Clustered Leaves

To see all my stencils, please visit here.

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Thanks for your visit here today!

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Artist Louise Nelson with StencilGirl Stencils that include 6" x 6" SASSY SPRAY

Saturday, November 11, 2017

Black and White Art with Stencils

This past summer I had the fun experience of taking an online class with Jane Davies, a class focused on black and white art.

Collage was the topic of one of our lessons. Below are some of the collages I created for that class. You can click on any of these images for enlargement, to better see details.

Above: in the center of this piece is part of my original drawing that became the 9" x 12" stencil Clustered Leaves. On the far left, a very small piece was made with my 6" x 6" stencil Links.

Above: In the upper central area of this collage, I used a piece of the drawing I did when designing the 9" x 12" stencil Loopy Ladders.

Above: The central and largest piece in this collage was made with my 6" x 6" stencil Sassy Spray.

Above: In the upper right and again in the central right are two pieces made with my 6" x 6" stencil Links. In the lower left is a collage piece made with my 9" x 12" stencil Blooming Where Planted.

Above: The central collage element was made with my 6" x 6" stencil Palm Fronds Silhouette Small. (There is a Mini version measuring 4" x 4".)

Above: Again -- this time in the upper right, as well as in the central area -- I used collage elements printed with my 6" x 6" stencil Palm Fronds Silhouette Small. The central area is dominated by a heart-shaped cut-out from a print made with Blooming Where Planted. And in the upper left is a sliver of paper made with Sassy Spray.

These stencils in their entirety are shown below:

Sassy Spray

Palm Fronds Silhouette Small

Links

Blooming Where Planted

Loopy Ladders

Clustered Leaves

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To see all my stencils, please visit here.