I think this project went a lot better than my previous project in a few different ways. For one, it was easier to focus on one project as opposed to trying to complete a few of them. Also, with this project I had a clearer idea of what I wanted to do from the get-go and I stuck with the project idea I had from the beginning and saw it through despite others changing their minds about screenprinting as their project. I feel like taking some time in the beginning to watch Illustrator tutorials on Lynda.com. I took the first week of project 2 to watch the "Beyond the Basics" tutorials about Illustrator, which I think was awesome because I had no idea about the different capabilities of Illustrator. For instance, I had no idea Illustrator, a 2-D program, could produce 3-D images. I had such a narrow view of Illustrator and now, I want to incorporate it as much as I can.
However there were also some struggles along the way. For one, like I just mentioned, other people in my group had agreed that they wanted to learn how to screenprint together, but then later changed their minds about their project, which I was not aware of. I had been waiting to do it with them/obtain our materials, that I learned later on that since no one was doing it anymore except me that no one had ordered any screenprinting supplies. No one's fault by any means, but the miscommunication lead to some draining of my worktime inadvertently.
Also, the vinyl led to some difficulties as well. Although it provides the benefit of allowing a super novice like me to learn how screenprint easier, while also giving the added bonus of allowing your screen to be re-usable if you peel off the vinyl, it can be fickle. I learned that vinyl definitely works better for a more simple stencil, that is also smaller and can be centered for more accuracy, because the more complex the shape, the more opportunity for the vinyl to get stuck to itself and create unsmooth bumps, which therefore lead to chances of the ink getting under the intended areas creating smudges. However, I don't regret using the vinyl, just because I was trying to learn how to do the whole process through an Instructable, but if I were to do this project again, I would probably seriously consider just going for the photoemulsion just to attempt to get a more clean product. Either that, or I learned from Keith if I put the vinyl on the back side and still put the ink through the front side, I would probably have a cleaner look, just backwards and with less issues of the bumps.
Overall though, I feel pretty proud of myself for figuring out the screenprinting pretty much without any experienced people's help. Considering that I am in the Comfort Zone/Something New, I definitely did something that was totally out of om comfort zone that is completely new to me. And that I feel like is an accomplishment in itself. That, and something came out of it that is completely usable and works. Furthermore, I think it was cool that the Illustrator tutorials proved to be very beneficial immediately, considering I needed to use one of the main tutorials on Live Trace to prep my file for vinyl cutting.
Monday, December 7, 2009
ARTD410 Project 2
So here is how my project went:
1. I needed to go out and find a chair to use to screenprint on, the two qualifications that were required: needs to be cheap and needs to be able to have fabric top and bottom that can easily be removed/replaced. I went to goodwill and instantly found what I was looking for. The chair was only five dollars and the cushions on the bottom and back could easily be removed with a screwdriver.
2. After I got the chair, I needed to get my supplies for the actual screenprinting, so I managed to pick up a yard of red canvas fabric from Walmart and the screenprinting materials from The Duck Store, which included the 8x10 screen, black screenprinting ink and the rubber squeegee.
3. Next, I needed to prepare my image for the vinyl cutter to be used as my "stencil" for screenprinting. I decided that the pattern on my unique sneakers would make for an interesting print on my chair. I took a few pictures of my shoe such as this:
I took the few pictures and them into photoshop and took pieces from them to make one custom pattern. I made selections of them so that the final product technically had no background. Then I took the file into Illustrator and used one of the things I learned from watching Illustrator tutorials on Lynda.com during the first week, called Live Trace. With this, I was able to create the outlines in anchor points necessary for the vinyl cutter while trying to make the objects I had within in smoother so the shape is simpler. I then took the file to the vinyl cutter, which I had a little more trouble with than usual, but managed to make everything come out okay. To be safe, I made two sets of the cut-outs, which later proved to be a very smart idea. :)
4. Next, I was advised by the woman at Walmart to wash my fabric before printing it, and because its a bright red color I figured that was a good idea especially if I plan on sitting on the chair without it bleeding onto my clothes.
5. Next, I prepped the screen. I unpeeled all of the spots that I wanted to the ink to go through like such:
Then I trimmed down around the piece of vinyl so that it was the right size for the screen.
However, much to my dismay, after adhering the vinyl to the screen and spending a half hour or so smoothing out any bumps with my squeegee, because the directions for vinyl screenprinting on Instructables are not the clearest, I soon realized that I had put the vinyl on the wrong side of the screen and had to remove and repeat the process over again. Unfortunately, I think that this definitely didn't help with the adhesion, because it was less sticky after completely removing it, therefore I feel like i had more bumps and more trouble trying to smooth out.
6. Then I took my cushions and placed them on the fabric and measured out the space I need to be able to wrap them around to the bottom, as well as the area I need to focus my screenprinting in.
7. Now I was ready to try to screenprint. I laid some paper underneath the canvas and placed the screen over it. I poured in some ink and because spreading it around with the squeegee. The Instructable said to go back and forth a few times so that's what I did.
However, after doing that I lifted the screen carefully and realized that not very much of the ink had gone through. So i tried to replace the screen in the same spot and go over it again. I pressed a lot harder the second time and kind of traced over where the screen was visible. This produced more visible results, however it may have been too hard because not only did the ink go through the shapes, but it also managed to push its way underneath some of the shapes creating huge smudges. I tried to do it again and the same thing happened.
8. So then I decided to clean the screen and remove the vinyl and put on the second piece.
I hoped that with putting the vinyl on the second time I could be more careful and precise about avoiding bumps, and therefore hopefully avoid smudges this time around. Funny enough however, I actually had even more trouble with the vinyl getting stuck on itself!
9. Either way, the second time around went a lot better. I tried to combine my techniques from the previous times, making sure to add pressure without pushing too hard and also lightly tracing with the tip of the squeegee over the exposed screen outlines. I wasn't able to avoid smudges, but I did manage to minimize them somewhat and allow more of the objects to be visible.
10. After letting them sit and dry for a couple hours, I took a blow dryer to them just to kind of make sure they were set in and then began attaching the canvas over the cushions. In order to really hold it down, I nailed in a nail a little ways to make a hole through the wood and then nailed a thumbtack into it. The nails were too long so that's what I opted for the shorter thumbtacks.
11. After the fabric was nailed back and fitted, I began screwing the cushions back onto the metal frame of the chair.
And then it was done! yay!
1. I needed to go out and find a chair to use to screenprint on, the two qualifications that were required: needs to be cheap and needs to be able to have fabric top and bottom that can easily be removed/replaced. I went to goodwill and instantly found what I was looking for. The chair was only five dollars and the cushions on the bottom and back could easily be removed with a screwdriver.
2. After I got the chair, I needed to get my supplies for the actual screenprinting, so I managed to pick up a yard of red canvas fabric from Walmart and the screenprinting materials from The Duck Store, which included the 8x10 screen, black screenprinting ink and the rubber squeegee.
3. Next, I needed to prepare my image for the vinyl cutter to be used as my "stencil" for screenprinting. I decided that the pattern on my unique sneakers would make for an interesting print on my chair. I took a few pictures of my shoe such as this:
I took the few pictures and them into photoshop and took pieces from them to make one custom pattern. I made selections of them so that the final product technically had no background. Then I took the file into Illustrator and used one of the things I learned from watching Illustrator tutorials on Lynda.com during the first week, called Live Trace. With this, I was able to create the outlines in anchor points necessary for the vinyl cutter while trying to make the objects I had within in smoother so the shape is simpler. I then took the file to the vinyl cutter, which I had a little more trouble with than usual, but managed to make everything come out okay. To be safe, I made two sets of the cut-outs, which later proved to be a very smart idea. :)
4. Next, I was advised by the woman at Walmart to wash my fabric before printing it, and because its a bright red color I figured that was a good idea especially if I plan on sitting on the chair without it bleeding onto my clothes.
5. Next, I prepped the screen. I unpeeled all of the spots that I wanted to the ink to go through like such:
Then I trimmed down around the piece of vinyl so that it was the right size for the screen.
However, much to my dismay, after adhering the vinyl to the screen and spending a half hour or so smoothing out any bumps with my squeegee, because the directions for vinyl screenprinting on Instructables are not the clearest, I soon realized that I had put the vinyl on the wrong side of the screen and had to remove and repeat the process over again. Unfortunately, I think that this definitely didn't help with the adhesion, because it was less sticky after completely removing it, therefore I feel like i had more bumps and more trouble trying to smooth out.
6. Then I took my cushions and placed them on the fabric and measured out the space I need to be able to wrap them around to the bottom, as well as the area I need to focus my screenprinting in.
7. Now I was ready to try to screenprint. I laid some paper underneath the canvas and placed the screen over it. I poured in some ink and because spreading it around with the squeegee. The Instructable said to go back and forth a few times so that's what I did.
However, after doing that I lifted the screen carefully and realized that not very much of the ink had gone through. So i tried to replace the screen in the same spot and go over it again. I pressed a lot harder the second time and kind of traced over where the screen was visible. This produced more visible results, however it may have been too hard because not only did the ink go through the shapes, but it also managed to push its way underneath some of the shapes creating huge smudges. I tried to do it again and the same thing happened.
8. So then I decided to clean the screen and remove the vinyl and put on the second piece.
I hoped that with putting the vinyl on the second time I could be more careful and precise about avoiding bumps, and therefore hopefully avoid smudges this time around. Funny enough however, I actually had even more trouble with the vinyl getting stuck on itself!
9. Either way, the second time around went a lot better. I tried to combine my techniques from the previous times, making sure to add pressure without pushing too hard and also lightly tracing with the tip of the squeegee over the exposed screen outlines. I wasn't able to avoid smudges, but I did manage to minimize them somewhat and allow more of the objects to be visible.
10. After letting them sit and dry for a couple hours, I took a blow dryer to them just to kind of make sure they were set in and then began attaching the canvas over the cushions. In order to really hold it down, I nailed in a nail a little ways to make a hole through the wood and then nailed a thumbtack into it. The nails were too long so that's what I opted for the shorter thumbtacks.
11. After the fabric was nailed back and fitted, I began screwing the cushions back onto the metal frame of the chair.
And then it was done! yay!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Illustrator Check-In
So it has been a few days of me watching Illustrator tutorials, and already, I have learned soooo much cool things about Illustrator I wasn't even aware of I could do, and I feel like I have only scratched the surface so far. I have learned about things such as LivePaint and LiveTrace, the important aspects within them, such as grouping and expanding and releasing and objects vs. paths and fills vs. strokes and how those effect the look of your vector work. I have also started to learn how to incorporate other programs such as Adobe Bridge and Photoshop to better enhance your Illustrator experience (Photoshop makes tweaking livetrace so much easier and precise). Right now I am almost done with learning about the 3-D effect in Illustrator. It has been a bit confusing understanding how to think about 3-D work within a 2-D based program but it has been making a little more sense with each following tutorial.
I cannot wait to see what else I can learn about Illustrator! I am completely fascinated just because I had such a narrow view of what I thought Illustrator could be used for and now I am realizing the application of it has many limitless possibilities!
I cannot wait to see what else I can learn about Illustrator! I am completely fascinated just because I had such a narrow view of what I thought Illustrator could be used for and now I am realizing the application of it has many limitless possibilities!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Project 2
So, today was the day to really try and hammer out what we wanted to do for our project 2 and surprisingly enough, I may have just accomplished that. I plan to do a few things over the next few weeks, but my main objective will be learning how to screen print and come out with a finished project from that I can benefit from and be purposeful.
The main objectives:
1. For one hour every day for a week, before getting into screenprinting, I am going to spend time exploring/studying/learning tutorials to get really familiar with Illustrator. This is a program I am just not as a familiar as I would like to be and because it is a precursor to my screenprinting, I figured it would be vital to know more about it. I may start doing this on Sunday just because I have a very busy weekend ahead of me and I don't want to start out behind!
2.After that week, I will work on trying to make my screenprint. I haven't exactly been inspired yet on what I want that to look like yet, but I think I want to attempt to make something two-color. What will be nice is that Andy, Kelcey, Russell and I will be working on screenprinting too, so we will be able to help each other out.
3. After making a successful screenprint, I want to put that onto some fabric and use it to re-upholster a chair that I can use as a computer chair since I currently lack one. I want to find one I can redo from some place like Bring or Goodwill and just re-staple the new fabric over. However, if I find this to be a struggle, alternatively I want to create some sort of storage drawers/unit for under my desk potentially screenprinting on acrylic.
4. As a side project (because it is always something I have always wanted to learn) Kelcey is going to teach me how to knit/crochet. I am really excited about this upon Kelcey showing me that the first thing she wants to show me how to make is a knit headband! I think this will be a great skill to acquire and I look forward to her teaching me within the next week and a half!
The main objectives:
1. For one hour every day for a week, before getting into screenprinting, I am going to spend time exploring/studying/learning tutorials to get really familiar with Illustrator. This is a program I am just not as a familiar as I would like to be and because it is a precursor to my screenprinting, I figured it would be vital to know more about it. I may start doing this on Sunday just because I have a very busy weekend ahead of me and I don't want to start out behind!
2.After that week, I will work on trying to make my screenprint. I haven't exactly been inspired yet on what I want that to look like yet, but I think I want to attempt to make something two-color. What will be nice is that Andy, Kelcey, Russell and I will be working on screenprinting too, so we will be able to help each other out.
3. After making a successful screenprint, I want to put that onto some fabric and use it to re-upholster a chair that I can use as a computer chair since I currently lack one. I want to find one I can redo from some place like Bring or Goodwill and just re-staple the new fabric over. However, if I find this to be a struggle, alternatively I want to create some sort of storage drawers/unit for under my desk potentially screenprinting on acrylic.
4. As a side project (because it is always something I have always wanted to learn) Kelcey is going to teach me how to knit/crochet. I am really excited about this upon Kelcey showing me that the first thing she wants to show me how to make is a knit headband! I think this will be a great skill to acquire and I look forward to her teaching me within the next week and a half!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Project 2 Ideas
Project 2 Ideas/Timelines
Making myself comfortable with Illustrator/Learning to Screenprint
-This would consist of spending a few weeks playing around/studying tutorials on Illustrator so that I can really grasp all the tools and opportunities Illustrator has to offer. I just figure this would be valuable information due to the fact that it is an important to program to be familiar and comfortable with in the Digital Arts program and it is one of my weakest programs. Then, I want to apply what I have learned to a completely unfamiliar skill, screenprinting. I have always wanted to learn how to do that and I think it would be a really cool skill to have. I would probably want to spend 2 weeks with Illustrator and 2 weeks with screenprinting. I am not sure what I would screenprint on yet, just because I haven’t researched yet what can be screenprinted, but if glass is possible, I think that would be cool, or on acrylic.
Spend 4 weeks getting into depth with Illustrator and use the vinyl cutter to print out some of my new vector drawings
This is where I would just dedicate the rest of my time familiarizing myself with the Illustrator program, to the point where I could give a demo or something. I would use the vinyl cutter to demonstrate what I have learned from the past 3 1/2 weeks. I could also make a tutorial or an overview of some of the important “Need to Know”s of Illustrator. I would just really enjoy creating some new in-depth, detailed vector images and having them for the vinyl cutter, since I only got to try it out once.
Learn to knit and make something that is actually wearable
-Kelsey said she would teach me how to knit, which is always something I have wanted to learn how to do. My great grandmother used to crochet blankets and now that she has passed away, no one in my family knows how to knit anymore. I just thought it would be cool to learn and carry on something that had been very prevalent when my great grandmother was alive; everyone in the family has one of her blankets. Even if I don’t decide to do this project, I still think it would be something I would like to learn as a side project on a weekend or if she does an in-class demo. I would even commit to buying the supplies to continue doing it on my own.
Making myself comfortable with Illustrator/Learning to Screenprint
-This would consist of spending a few weeks playing around/studying tutorials on Illustrator so that I can really grasp all the tools and opportunities Illustrator has to offer. I just figure this would be valuable information due to the fact that it is an important to program to be familiar and comfortable with in the Digital Arts program and it is one of my weakest programs. Then, I want to apply what I have learned to a completely unfamiliar skill, screenprinting. I have always wanted to learn how to do that and I think it would be a really cool skill to have. I would probably want to spend 2 weeks with Illustrator and 2 weeks with screenprinting. I am not sure what I would screenprint on yet, just because I haven’t researched yet what can be screenprinted, but if glass is possible, I think that would be cool, or on acrylic.
Spend 4 weeks getting into depth with Illustrator and use the vinyl cutter to print out some of my new vector drawings
This is where I would just dedicate the rest of my time familiarizing myself with the Illustrator program, to the point where I could give a demo or something. I would use the vinyl cutter to demonstrate what I have learned from the past 3 1/2 weeks. I could also make a tutorial or an overview of some of the important “Need to Know”s of Illustrator. I would just really enjoy creating some new in-depth, detailed vector images and having them for the vinyl cutter, since I only got to try it out once.
Learn to knit and make something that is actually wearable
-Kelsey said she would teach me how to knit, which is always something I have wanted to learn how to do. My great grandmother used to crochet blankets and now that she has passed away, no one in my family knows how to knit anymore. I just thought it would be cool to learn and carry on something that had been very prevalent when my great grandmother was alive; everyone in the family has one of her blankets. Even if I don’t decide to do this project, I still think it would be something I would like to learn as a side project on a weekend or if she does an in-class demo. I would even commit to buying the supplies to continue doing it on my own.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
ARTD410 write up/final thoughts turn in
John-
Here is my final project write up, as well as a picture of the poster I used in conjunction with my presentation today, as well as bringing in the physical items to pass around. Also, I am including picture sets from each project so that you can see the process of me making them.
-Jenna
Here is my final project write up, as well as a picture of the poster I used in conjunction with my presentation today, as well as bringing in the physical items to pass around. Also, I am including picture sets from each project so that you can see the process of me making them.
-Jenna
Monday, November 2, 2009
Final Project Reflections artd410
Soooo, its the day before our projects are due and I realized that I have been neglecting my blog a bit (midterms are catching up with me) so i figured what better time to write in it than to discuss the final results/wrap up of my project. Overall, my projects went very well, out of my 4 intended projects, only one of them was a failure and even with that failure, I have certainly analyzed how I could make it a success/different approaches.
Wall Corkboard Jewelry Hanger
What I enjoyed most about this project was that it was something I had wanted to try to make for a long time but I hadn't had anything pushing me to do it. Another thing I like about it (besides the fact that I really wanted/needed one) was that I got the main pieces, the corkboard, at Bring Recycling Center, not only giving me a chance to check it out but also to take something that had been discarded by someone else and repurpose it to something that suited my needs (not to mention it was more unique because they were circles AND it was cheap!)
Vinyl Circle Art
This project I think I was the most excited about. I am now officially obsessed with the vinyl cutter and the idea of it since I created this project and even though I made some simple circles, I really like the extra zazz it gives to my room above my bed and I still have this immense proudness of what I created. i just know too many friends who have gone out and bought their own vinyl stickers and were either settling for a design and/or found that they actually were terrible at sticking and I'm so glad that I can say that I made the exact design that I wanted for myself and they stick amazingly.
Lace Glass Candleholders
This project was one that I was also excited about trying, but ended up pretty much being a failure for me. My best guess is that the lace I picked out didn't have holes big enough for the spray paint to get through, or there wasn't enough separation between the holes to make a definite pattern. I tried stretching the lace but it didn't help so I need new lace or an even more fun idea is that someone suggested to me that I should make a lace pattern with the vinyl cutter (which WOULD give me another excuse to play with it some more) however I just ran out of time to create a new pattern, and I also wanted to give the lace I already bought another shot. (Gotta make the most out what this poor college student spends)
Iron-On Canvas Art
This was the last project I found that I wanted to try, but it has been a really cool project to stumble upon. Honestly the hardest part has been deciding what i wanted to make. I wanted it to be something actually meaningful and unique to me, so I printed out a few lines of one of my favorite poems by e.e cummings. The second hardest part was ironing on the words to the canvas (took forever!) For awhile I thought this project was also going to turn out to be a bust but actually everything worked out alright. Took some quick thinking on my part pre-ironing to realize that when working with text and iron-ons, the text needs to be backwards:)
All in all, I am happy with the projects I chose, and just the simple fact that I got to dabble with several different things. However, for my next project in the second half of class, I really would like to focus my efforts on just one project and see how that develops over time. I almost feel like it would be easier, however I also run the risk of running into a dead end if it doesn't work for whatever reason. Overall, the hardest part of this whole entire project has been determining how to present it to others that makes it interesting and relevant to others, as well as keeping a consistency with problem and solution. Hopefully others like it :)
Wall Corkboard Jewelry Hanger
What I enjoyed most about this project was that it was something I had wanted to try to make for a long time but I hadn't had anything pushing me to do it. Another thing I like about it (besides the fact that I really wanted/needed one) was that I got the main pieces, the corkboard, at Bring Recycling Center, not only giving me a chance to check it out but also to take something that had been discarded by someone else and repurpose it to something that suited my needs (not to mention it was more unique because they were circles AND it was cheap!)
Vinyl Circle Art
This project I think I was the most excited about. I am now officially obsessed with the vinyl cutter and the idea of it since I created this project and even though I made some simple circles, I really like the extra zazz it gives to my room above my bed and I still have this immense proudness of what I created. i just know too many friends who have gone out and bought their own vinyl stickers and were either settling for a design and/or found that they actually were terrible at sticking and I'm so glad that I can say that I made the exact design that I wanted for myself and they stick amazingly.
Lace Glass Candleholders
This project was one that I was also excited about trying, but ended up pretty much being a failure for me. My best guess is that the lace I picked out didn't have holes big enough for the spray paint to get through, or there wasn't enough separation between the holes to make a definite pattern. I tried stretching the lace but it didn't help so I need new lace or an even more fun idea is that someone suggested to me that I should make a lace pattern with the vinyl cutter (which WOULD give me another excuse to play with it some more) however I just ran out of time to create a new pattern, and I also wanted to give the lace I already bought another shot. (Gotta make the most out what this poor college student spends)
Iron-On Canvas Art
This was the last project I found that I wanted to try, but it has been a really cool project to stumble upon. Honestly the hardest part has been deciding what i wanted to make. I wanted it to be something actually meaningful and unique to me, so I printed out a few lines of one of my favorite poems by e.e cummings. The second hardest part was ironing on the words to the canvas (took forever!) For awhile I thought this project was also going to turn out to be a bust but actually everything worked out alright. Took some quick thinking on my part pre-ironing to realize that when working with text and iron-ons, the text needs to be backwards:)
All in all, I am happy with the projects I chose, and just the simple fact that I got to dabble with several different things. However, for my next project in the second half of class, I really would like to focus my efforts on just one project and see how that develops over time. I almost feel like it would be easier, however I also run the risk of running into a dead end if it doesn't work for whatever reason. Overall, the hardest part of this whole entire project has been determining how to present it to others that makes it interesting and relevant to others, as well as keeping a consistency with problem and solution. Hopefully others like it :)
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