moddyboy80 Art, Opinions, Rants and Raves

Life Changing Book of the Day: Figure Drawing - For All It's Worth, by Andrew Loomis

2011-11-12T16:36:00.001-08:00

An example of Andrew Loomis' work from one of his art instruction books.

My father Leo was an artist. He worked in advertising for the most part, both
as a graphic designer and photographer. I was fortunate to be brought
up surrounded by mechanical pencils, airbrushes, T-squares and circle
templates. We even had a working darkroom in the basement, complete
with an enlarger. What a lucky kid I was! My father's collection of art
books and magazines also created a lasting impression on me.

Of those books, there was one in particular that stands out in my
memory: Figure Drawing For All It's Worth, by Andrew Loomis. My father
was careful about not letting me look at it while I was a child, probably
because of the subject matter. I believe that just made it all the more
intriguing to me though. So one day after he had gone to work (or
maybe he was down in the basement taking pictures of silverware for a
catalog?) I couldn't resist taking that book off the shelf to see what the
big deal was about. Well,...yikes! Barely into my teens I have to admit to
it being kind of a big deal at the time.

However, after that intial shock wore off and I actually started reading the
text within instead of just gawking at the drawings, I came to realize what
an important resource this book could be in my development as an artist,
which is what I had decided I wanted to be.

The author, Andrew Loomis (born: William Andrew Loomis in 1892)
started his career as an illustrator and artist way back in the early part of
the 20th century, around 1915. He worked in Chicago practically his
entire life until his death in 1959. He had his own studio in the 1930's
and taught classes at the American Academy of Art. He came out with
several art instruction books, including "Fun With a Pencil" (1939). His
most popular by far though was "Figure Drawing For All It's Worth" which
came out in 1943.

Loomis made sure to write in a way that was simple and even humorous
at times. He never talked down his readers even while covering such
daunting subjects as perspective and the rendering of light and shadow
from different angles. He really made learning such subjects fun. It
made you feel as though you too could attain results like his.

His drawing style was highly realistic, almost photographic at times.
Simply using a graphite pencil, Loomis could produce a rendering of the
human form that looked as though it would come to life at any moment
and walk right off the page! He was an expert at using light and shadow
to his advantage in creating a very three dimensional likeness of the
human body.

I learned a lot from that book over the years, and I still think it is the best
book on the subject of figure drawing, hands down. Nothing even comes
close in my opinion. Everything is covered, from basic anatomy and
perspective, to how to best capture the shadows cast on your model as
it is lit in various ways. There are of course many books out there that
cover the same material, but one look at Loomis' work will be enough to
convince you that his book is the best.

Out of print for many years, I am happy to report that this past year I saw
a brand new copy of it for sale at my local bookstore, and it is available
online of course. I encourage anyone with any interest at all in drawing or
painting the human form to at least take a look at this book. Compare it
to the other books on figure drawing that are available, and you'll see
how far ahead Loomis was (and is) on the subject. Especially for those
who are considering a career in comics, drawing life like characters...
this book will become an often used reference. You will learn so much
from it.

Life Changing Book of the Day: An Illustrated Life by Danny Gregory

2011-07-25T17:51:00.000-07:00

There are many art books that fill my shelves. Some purchased years ago, others more recent. Some of those books I've read once and placed back upon the shelf, never to be opened again. They serve little purpose other than to collect dust. But then there are those few volumes that I refer to almost daily. Usually, they sit on a table in plain view rather than up on a shelf. That's because I know I'll be thumbing through its pages again soon; most likely that very day. Those are the books that serve as a source of constant inspiration to me. Every page turned reveals something new each and every time. I can honestly say: This is a book I love.

"An Illustrated Life" by Danny Gregory is just such a book. Within its pages lies a collection of artworks, (drawings mostly) reproduced from the pages of artists private sketchbooks. Some of these artists have enjoyed years of training at universities, while others like myself are completely self taught. Some keep sketchbooks as part of their work, and some sketch simply for the pleasure it offers. There are even those who reveal the practice to be a daily compulsion that they have little control over. They must, in fact record every minute detail of where they are, who is around, and what they are doing. Some of the artists in this collection use a pencil to record the world around them, some use a pen, others brush, paints or inks, and then there are those who use a combination of media. Every image within tells a story of some sort, and is a joy to behold. Intended or not, each piece of art inside reveals something about the artist as well.

There is such beauty to be found within the pages of this book, that one cannot take it all in simply by browsing through it in one sitting. Dense with drawn images, things can pop out at you that seem brand new even after months spent studying it. Not only is this book full of engaging artistry, it also contains the personal stories, memories, and advice of each artist. They even go to such lengths as to reveal to the reader what kinds of tools and equipment they use in creating their sketchbooks; what kinds of paper and pens for instance.

It may be a cliche, but really, words cannot do this book justice. However one may rave about it, one must really see it themselves in order to truly appreciate it. Whether you have ever kept a sketchbook or not, is not important. That's something that will have absolutley no bearing at all on your enjoyment of this book. However, if you've ever harboured a secret desire to keep a sketchbook, then you'll find loads of inspiration and advice within. In fact, I would be surprised if anyone, of any artistic level or inclination could come away from a single viewing of this lovely collection and not be inspired themselves to immediately put pen to paper and start documenting their lives in some way.

Paraphrashing the artist who brought this collection together in one volume: 'This is the book I've been searching for my whole life'. Because he never found it, he had to put it together himself. I'm so glad he did! Because with my my first flip through its pages, I immediately felt the exact same way: This is a book I've been searching for! It is highly recommended.

An Illustrated Life, by Danny Gregory

Scooter

2011-07-05T16:25:00.000-07:00

Here is a drawing I did today of a scooter. I used a mechanical pencil and a variety of markers to create this rendering. I based it on a photo I took of a Vespa in Paris last September. I think everybody there owns a scooter!

Relief Print Portrait

2011-06-17T15:44:00.000-07:00

Another self portrait, this time carved from a small slab of rubber using various tools including an X-Acto knife. The finished piece measures about 2 x 3 inches; just slightly bigger than your average business card.

A lot of work was involved in this, partially due to it's small size, and also due to the fact that instead of carving the lines making up my face, which would have been dead simple, I choose to carve out the rubber around each line! What a chore, especially on such a small scale. As you can imagine when carving anything: one false move and it's pretty much ruined.

Working from a recent photo of myself taken by a stranger in Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris, I'm not quite sure if it counts as a self portrait...but since this carving is my interpretation of that photo, I'm going to call it a self portrait. In blue ink. So I can claim it to be from my 'blue period'!

Felt Face!

2011-05-17T16:56:00.001-07:00

Here you can see the various stages involved as I created this colourful self portrait. The face, in particular the eyes were the hardest part to get right. I used a combination of embroidery and sewing thread, as well as craft felt (made from recycled soda bottles of course!) I'm really pleased with the way it came out.

Teapot

2011-05-16T17:56:00.000-07:00

Well, technically not a teapot, just teapot shaped! You put a tea light candle in it, and it glows rather pleasingly. This is a drawing I did of it using a black fine line marker. Crosshatching too which I rarely do, but I like the way it came out, so I may do more work like this...

Telephone

2011-01-22T14:52:00.001-08:00

I can remember when a telephone did only two things: made calls and received calls!

I was initially inspired to make this piece because of the colour scheme I had in mind. I wanted a red background, handpainted with a bit of texture, and I wanted to feature a black item drawn in ink. I actually own and use a telephone like this and had always wanted to draw it, so here was my opportunity.

A failure to find my little bottle of India ink lead me to break out the Sharpie markers again. I thought using the markers on manila folder stock would add a nice little contrast to the finished piece as well.

The completed work bares little resemblence to what I had in my head initially. Like always, the concept and artwork took on a life of it's own and I was just along for the ride. It was fun to work on though, and I really like the way it came out!

2010 My Year In Review

2010-12-28T15:15:00.000-08:00

Phew! The holiday season is over at last. That was a busy one wasn't it? Far busier than I had expected. That's alright though - I came extremely close to my year end goal of 100 sales in my little online shop, and I was happy to add several new countries to the list of places in the world where my art can now be found.

As this year comes to a close, I look back amazed at the fact I have made and sold nearly one hundred of these handsewn masterpieces in felt. My art masquerading as product! If you had sat me down two years ago and told me I would have to hand sew a hundred of anything, I would have thought myself incapable of doing it. But here I am, and I've done just that.

Not only did I design and sew them all by hand, (note: without the aid of a sewing machine) I also packaged them each by hand, one at a time, and sent them off to customers all over the world! What's more, I did all this (for the most part) without the advantedge of having a computer at home. That's right - I still don't have a computer; not since the beginning of the summer.

Shockingly, for most of the last two years I have operated a shop on Etsy, I have been without the 'luxury' of a home computer; losing it first to a malicious bit of malware for several months back in 2009, and then a final loss caused by a hardware failure this past summer. And unfortunately, my financial situation at the moment just doesn't allow me to purchase a new computer any time soon.

That means I have had to run my Etsy shop from any public computer I can get my hands on. Which entails almost daily trips to the local library, (which isn't all that local by the way) public computers in lobbies like the one I'm writing from now, stopping by the Apple Store to check my shop for sales and answer customer emails, and evading sales people at BestBuy as I check for blog comments and new Twitter followers. Yeah: Fun. With a capital 'F'! It hasn't been easy, and I suspect I may be the only madman out there attempting to run an online enterprise like this.

My sales were good this Christmas holiday season however. Better than last year for sure. There were dry spells earlier this year when I sincerely believed I may never sell another thing to another person ever again. That's how bad it got. But eventually, my promoting paid off, and the sales started up again.

I've learned a lot along the way. First off: You can never be too prepared for Christmas! I thought I was fine, but as prepared as I thought I was, I just wasn't ready for the onslaught of not only sales, but daily customer emails, special requests, Etsy treasury notifications, standing in endless lines at the post office, and a sudden shortage of supplies I needed and couldn't for the life of me find anywhere. (There's also that pesky little thing called 'regular daily life' which tries to intrude every now and then, just when you're busiest. Emergency car repairs anyone?) So, I am preparing for next years holiday season...now! I won't be caught off guard again.

Things this year also came into focus clearly for me professionally for the first time, and finally clicked. In other words, I finally know what it is I want to do! I struggled for a long time with questioning what it is exactly that I do, and what did I want to do. I had no clear vision of where I was going. Was I simply a crafter? What about my painting? Did my future lie in fine art? I love drawing as well, in all types of media. What about that? Did I have to pick one and not the other? What about my pop-art leanings, my love of zine making and the whole punk/indie aesthetic that attracts me? I want to work on sculptural pieces as well. What does that make me, I often wondered aloud?

Society loves a label - in fact, society gets really uncomfortable when it can't neatly categorize something and tie it all up in a neat little bundle for your easy digestion. And I'll play along if need be. It certainly made me uncomfortable not knowing how to answer someones question of "What do you do"? (Or, "What do you want to do"?) Now here I am at the end of 2010, and I have decided that the role(s) that best fit me is that of an illustrator and designer. Within that field, I can explore all the methods and media that I am attracted to. It gives me a clear path to follow, and concrete goals to be met.

So yeah - 2010 has been a good year for me, with growth in both the business and personal parts of my life. I'm really looking forward to 2011 now. What more could one ask for?

My Patio Table and Chairs

2010-11-15T19:32:00.000-08:00

What to do when the power goes out? In my case today, the answer was simple: draw something! I had already started this piece but had been putting off finishing it. Today, there were no excuses left - and little else I could do! Good thing I have a large window and lots of California sunshine!

This is a drawing of the table and chairs on my patio. (And some fictitious geraniums thrown in for good measure. There is a pot of geraniums there, but they all died some time ago)

When I first started drawing all this, I was just going to do a very simple line drawing in pen and ink. I don't know what happened, but it seemed to take on a life of it's own!

I drew this using markers and coloured pencils. So many times while drawing it, I was convinced I had ruined it. I almost tore it up more than once. But I was determined to save it, and through the use of some judicious stippling, I believe I did.

It's funny - this drawing makes it look like I live in a jungle! But that's really what my patio looks like.

Flowers With Bird Watercolour

2010-11-10T14:05:00.000-08:00

I'm really proud of this piece of artwork. It's a watercolour collage that I just recently finished - the first of many similar pieces to come!

I wanted a nice piece of original art, specifically for my sidebar, to link to my Twitter. It seems everyone has a blue bird on a brown, curly cue branch and I just wanted to try something different.

Starting off with a small sketch done in felt tip markers, I ended up with pretty much the same layout and colour scheme you see in the finished work.

I then set to work with my watercolours and discovered, kind of by accident, that my felt tip markers were also water soluble. Hmmm, that's an interesting effect I thought. And so my marker pens ended up playing a great role in the finished work as well.

As I completed painting each part of each flower, I then set about carefully cutting out each element, experimenting with their placement before gluing them down permanently. I made one blue bird only, but I made a LOT of flowers, and parts of flowers, before I picked ones that satisfied me and looked good together.

The last part I drew/painted was the sprig of leaves. In my original sketch, the small branch jutting out of the flowers was in the same colour family as the flowers - a cool lavender that sat well in the piece and didn't draw attention to itself. But as things neared completion, I changed my mind and decided to paint the leaves in a more realistic green.

I actually went outside where I live, scissors in hand, in search of the perfect little branch. And I found it right outside my bedroom window! I brought it inside and placed it against my collage, and voila! There it was! I carefully traced the outline of the leaves as I held it firmly against the paper and gave it a nice green wash of colour. Then I set about carefully cutting it out with a scalpel.

Minutes later I was done, and had all my elements ready to be glued down. At the very last minute, I let some of the pieces go. I felt they lead to a cluttered appearance, and I am really happy I was able to edit my work that way. The end result just appears so much cleaner looking.

So, I hope you like my little pop-art masterpiece. It measures approximately 8" X 11", same as a piece of A4 paper. It's now on my small, but soon to be growing portfolio on Flickr and I may eventually offer the image for sale on some goodies I'm working on!

A Little Update

2010-09-09T12:14:00.000-07:00

'Ello there everyone! Hope all is well with you all...

Today, I took MeowMeow to the vet, and I'm missing him already! (No worries - he's fine. Just taking a little kitty vacation) It's weird not having him around, and not having to be careful about opening the door for fear he escapes up a tree, (see picture above) or have to wait until he is asleep before I do any sewing, (He always thinks I'm playing when I break out the needle and thread!) But he's a good boy, despite his mischievous habits.

Speaking of needle and thread, as you can see my Etsy shop is currently closed. I will be reopening towards the end of the month when I've a little less on my plate, and not so much going on. I'll have a lot of new items up as well hopefully. And not just fridge magnets this time either. I've got some surprises in store, just you wait! I've been a busy boy.

Good news on the computer front: Although I haven't got my hands on a new one yet, I may have found a way to get my old desktop up and running again thanks to a few Google searches on the subject. Apparently, all it will take is a screwdriver, a soldering iron, a $.30 transistor, and a bit of patience & bravery! I have the utmost confidence however. Now, all I need is the time!

Oh, I have so much I want/need to do - in my shop, on this blog, and at home. A big moddyboy80 makeover is in the works and I can hardly wait for you to see it!

Take care all - until next time...

Time For A New Computer I Think!

2010-08-27T17:02:00.000-07:00

Hello all! As most of you know from my recent Twitter posts, my old computer has finally up and died on me. Bitten the dust. Given up the ghost. It is no more...

That old box served me well for many years, (I purchased it new in 2004) despite having so little memory and a CD-ROM only. At the time I had a finite amount of money to spend, and so had to forgo some 'luxuries'! A very basic machine indeed - some people have told me the company that sold it to me shouldn't have allowed it out the door with so little RAM. But though it struggled from time to time, it still did it's job. And it allowed me to enter the world of online commerce, where I have been able to share my handmade goodies with the world, and make friends all over the planet!

As I sit here typing away at a public computer, surrounded by people with questionable hygene, I dream of one day being able to join all of you who bathe in the luxurious glow emitting from the wide-screen of a Mac or high end PC. That'll be a happy day indeed!

For now though, I carry on. Business as usual. As long as I can read my emails, post to my blog, Twitter and Facebook, and at least renew items when they've sold on Etsy, I am ok. For now.

I'm appreciative of every single sale I make, and all the lovely customers who have purchased from me over the years. Every purchase made from now on is going towards one thing: a new computer! And no, I'm not holding out for a Mac, or the highest end PC... another basic machine will be fine for me - as long as it has enough RAM this time! (A CD burner might be nice too)

In the meantime, I have some ideas. I'm going to check out things like 'FreeCycle' and maybe visit some local businesses that are upgrading thier systems. I may even place an advert up here where I live, to see if anyone has an old box laying around collecting dust; I can't tell you how many times in the past I have come across computers sitting outside by the dumpster here. Haven't seen any recently unfortunately, but if I do...

Rubber Stamp Madness!

2010-07-09T13:38:00.000-07:00

Good day all. It's been a while since I've posted anything here, but I'm so happy with the way this little project came out that I just had to show it off to someone.

I have always loved rubber stamps, ever since I was a kid. When I was little, and my mother would take me to work with her, I could always be found in the copier room. It was there that I would entertain myself for hours on end using the companies collection of rubber stamps. Even if they said nothing more interesting than AIR MAIL, COPY, CONFIDENTIAL and FIRST CLASS. It was also there that I discovered you could place any object onto an ink pad and make an interesting mark of some sort. And there weren't just stamp pads in black, but a red one too. My favourite. Still my favourite!

Fast forward to last night, where I sat experimenting with cutting shapes from cardboard for a collage piece I am working on. I attempted to use one of them on an ink pad to see if I could get an impression of some sort. Well, that didn't work out so well. So, I grabbed a piece of rubber I had lying around, and my carving tools, and set about turning my cardboard cutout into a rubber stamp. (Note: at this time I had absolutely no plans whatsoever to make a scooter image. It was more of an Art Nouveau subject I was working on)

The stamp I made came out so good, that I was just fired up to make another - even though it was quickly approaching midnite!

As you all know, I love mods and scooters and 60's imagery. So it was an easy choice to make a scooter stamp. An easy choice perhaps, but as I started sketching, I found my drawing becoming a little more detailed than I had planned. No worries I thought, I can always carve a little tonight and then finish it up tomorrow. But as I started meticulously carving out the stamps many details, I became obsessed with finishing it right then and there. There was just so much anticipation to use it for the first time; press it against that ink pad and see what result I would get. This can really become an addiction, let me tell you!

An hour and 15 minutes later, I found myself with a completely carved rubber stamp, with a really detailed image of a 60's Vespa scooter on it. But would it work? Had I missed something? I made a lot of little mistakes when I was carving because I was so tired. Did I mess it up beyond repair?

I unwrapped a brand new ink pad for the occasion, a red one, and pressed my newly carved stamp against it. Then I brought it to hover over a small scrap of paper I had lying on the table. Pressing down, I hoped for the best, but expected the worst. Imagine the joy I felt as I lifted that stamp from the paper, and saw the perfect image you see in the photo above!

I was, and am quite pleased with my work. I plan on using this image on some brand new items I am making for my Etsy shop.

And imagine: I started this piece purely on a whim, with no advance thinking or planning at all! I think maybe I should start doing that with everything I do.

MeowMeow

2010-05-26T19:58:00.000-07:00

Pictured here is a drawing I did today of my cat MeowMeow.

He is full of bad habits, one of which is jumping up on top of the headboard of our bed early every morning. Once up there he ignores the laws of physics, in particular the law of gravity, as he walks back and forth above our heads. This means it is time to get up and feed him his beloved can of wet food. Even if it is only 5AM.

I drew this using several thin black markers, most of which are in various stages of dying (drying) out. That's OK though, as it enabled me to get some pretty interesting effects I wasn't planning on.

It's drawn on a manila folder I had lying around. Before I began drawing, I stained the background with a combination of coffee, and watercolour paints. I kinda like the total effect I achieved.

NOTE: I haven't been posting any drawings lately because my computer's operating system all of a sudden decided it didn't like my scanner! I had to dig out my point and shoot camera today to get this posted. Not an ideal solution, but it'll do for now.

Black Jack!

2010-05-11T02:02:00.000-07:00

As I struggled to find something to draw today, I fished through my jacket pocket for a piece of gum. 'Perfect!', I exclaimed as I pulled out my pack of Black Jack. And here it is!

Black Jack tastes like black licorice. I like it cause it's different from what everyone else chews. And I like to be different. I love the retro look of it's labeling too. That's what attracted me to it in the first place. And that's what made me want to draw it for you today.

Far More Than A Simple Whodunit!

2010-05-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

Fun with a Sharpie marker! No special story behind this piece. I just felt the officer pictured should be saying or thinking something, and these words seemed to fit his expression. (Note: this drawing should have been posted yesterday. Apologies, but I finished too late to use the scanner - wifey was sleeping!)

The Drive Up Window At My Bank

2010-05-05T23:30:00.000-07:00

There are times when I find myself working a regular old day job (apart from my art) to pay the bills. Many of these jobs over the years have been at different banks, in various parts of the country.

Seen here is the drive up teller window at one of those banks. This is pretty much exactly what I would see when I would turn 'round in my chair and look over my left shoulder. Can you tell it was a slow day?

Yes, so slow in fact that I had time to draw this meticulously rendered view in ballpoint pen, on the back of a bank receipt! It measures only about 4 or 5 inches across, but I managed to pack a lot of detail on there, don't you think?

So yes, today's drawing is an old one (circa 2003) because I was busy all day frantically sewing a customer's order. My apologies. Tomorrow's drawing will be a brand spankin' new one!

Tiffany Lamp

2010-05-04T22:23:00.000-07:00

Today's drawing is of the lamp in my living room. I often refer to this as my Frankenstein lamp. When my wife and I were shopping for one we both liked, we came across two in the store that day. One lamp had a great faux-Tiffany shade, but we didn't really care for the base. Another lamp right next to it had a great base, but the shade left a little to be desired.

Inspiration struck, and I ended up taking them apart, right there in the store, and then I quickly swapped shades. Both lamps were made by the same manufacturer, so it was easy to unscrew the shade I liked and attach it to the base that I liked. And Voila! The perfect lamp. (Shhh,...don't tell anyone.)

As far as the drawing goes, I first drew it in lightly using a mechanical pencil, and then went over my finished lines with a Sharpie marker. I filled it in with a variety of coloured markers. I hope you like it!

Arlington House

2010-05-03T23:43:00.000-07:00

Pictured here is a drawing in pen and ink of the house I grew up in. It is located in Arlington ,Massachusetts on top of a great hill, similar to those found in San Francisco.

My first school lay at the very bottom of the street, and so from the age of five until I was twelve, I faced a mighty climb back home every day. Probably why I was so skinny. My mother lived in fear of it in the winter time, as trying to drive down the icy hill would often find her car slipping backwards or sideways into a tree! This was one of the reasons she gave for her move to a warmer climate and flat roads.

I think of this house often, and even though I moved from there over twenty years ago, I visit it nightly and walk through its many rooms in my dreams and nightmares!

A Line In The Sand

2010-05-02T00:52:00.000-07:00

The image you see here comes from an old sketchbook of mine. I copied it from an old French film poster. It is the famous character Fantomas. I've always loved his enigmatic stare!

I used to draw a lot. Usually, I would use a simple number 2 pencil and whatever paper I happened to have on hand at the time. I am not choosy!

In recent years however, I haven't drawn as much. I don't know why exactly. The more time that goes by, the more I suffer from a lack of confidence, and the harder it becomes to even pick up a pencil, pen or marker. That blank piece of paper I used to look forward to, has become more of a chore now instead of a joy. I want to get that joy back! I really want to start drawing again.

So, starting Monday the 3rd of May, I am going to start posting a drawing a day. Of course I'm not the first person to attempt this. In fact, it was seeing another artist's endeavours recently that excited me to begin my own journey. Perhaps it will shake me from my slumber; get me over that 'hump'. I think it will really get me out of this rut I've found myself stuck in.

Now, don't expect too much! My first efforts will probably be really quick, unfinished studies depending on how much time I have that day to draw. I also get bored very easily. So, one day you may see a line drawing in pen and ink, and the next day it may be a watercolour - or maybe I'll even dig out my box of crayons!

I have absolutely no idea where this will go. I just know that it is something I have to do. Hey, at least it will get me posting here on a consistent basis, and perhaps I'll even learn something along the way!

Heraldry Lion Embroidered Tote Bag - A Work In Progress

2010-04-23T15:32:00.000-07:00

This is a tote bag onto which I am embroidering a British heraldic lion.

I actually started this project quite some time ago - almost a year. I put it away in a draw one day, and promptly forgot all about it! Just rediscovered it the other day while cleaning house. I was thrilled to find it, and immediately began working on it again. It should be completed in about a week or so.

This is the second design I have embroidered onto a tote bag. The first bag I did had an outline of a scooter on it. A customer in Indonesia purchased that bag this past February. I was very happy that someone so far away appreciated my work so much.

I love embroidery. Like all my other artistic endeavors I am self taught. I find the whole process rather calming; it's good therapy I think!

As soon as I finish this bag, I'll post a new photo. I hope you'll like it.

Cheers!

Adventures In Screen Printing - The Experiences Of A Novice

2010-04-09T15:56:00.000-07:00

Ah, screen printing...

They make it look so easy in the crafting magazines and many books on the subject. Which is why I threw myself into it head first a couple of years ago, not even thinking I would have any problems getting an immediate result. What could go wrong?

First off, for those unfamiliar with what screen printing is, here's an explanation -

In a nutshell:

Screen printing, sometimes called silk screening, has been around for hundreds of years. It is basically a way to print an image onto a flat surface, using a stencil, which is adhered to a fine mesh screen. The mesh is stapled or glued to a wooden frame for support. Back in the 1700's, the Japanese used a mesh of fine silk threads, to which they would then glue the parts making up the stencil.

In the 20th century, as screenprinting caught on as a cheap method of printing posters and the like, stencils were made of a thin plastic film. The design would be meticulously cut out by hand using a small sharp knife. The plastic film would then be adhered to the mesh screen. Ink was then pushed through the open areas of the artwork and on to the paper below using a rubber squeegee. Very hands on!

In modern times, polyester has replaced silk as a material to make screens out of, and a chemical photographic means of creating a stencil has done away with the need to create one by hand. This saves a lot of time. It also enables stencils to show greater detail than ever before. Depending on how tightly spaced the holes in the mesh are, one can achieve almost photo-realistic images.

Screen printing can be used for making anything from posters, T-shirts and stickers, to fine artwork. And with the advent of inexpensive, at home do-it-yourself screenprinting kits...well, you can see the appeal!

For me, it all began in the summer of 2008. After reading an article in a craft magazine on the subject, I got so excited with thoughts of making my own T-Shirts that I rushed right out to my local art supply store. Once I'd purchased a Diazo photo emulsion kit from Speedball, along with a few jars of ink in different colors, I headed home eager to mix some chemicals and get to work making my first screen.

Well, sad to say, my first few tries at getting an image photographically 'burned' onto a screen failed miserably. I couldn't understand it. I followed the directions on the box exactly. Yet all I was getting was a faint ghost of an image. Which was still enough to spur me on despite the repeated failures.

I tried every light source I had available, including laying my screens outdoors in the sunshine as some had recommended. I experimented with different timings and exposures as well, but all to no avail. (I should point out that there are many online forums devoted to this 'black art' of screenprinting and by this time I had visited them all, looking for help)

The worst experiences were when I thought I had successfully exposed a screen - I could see a distinct ghost of an image just as you should - but when I went to wash the screen out, either the emulsion wouldn't wash out at all, or it would ALL start tearing and coming off in big chunks, ruining everything! Arrrgggh! The frustration...

The way it is supposed to work, is that the emulsion that has been blocked by the dark black lines of your artwork from getting any light, should remain soft (as opposed to the rest of the coated screen which hardens up when exposed to light) The soft emulsion should easily wash out of the screen with a spray of plain old water, leaving a perfect stencil of your artwork for the ink to be pushed through when you're printing. But that was not happening for me.

I discovered much to my chagrin, that screen printing at home was not as easy as it had been portrayed. I was not deterred however. I pressed on with my experiments. It could get a bit costly though, so I started making my own screens using cheap wooden picture frames from IKEA, to which I stapled ordinary sheer curtain material from a fabric store. I kept the screens small so I could experiment without wasting the chemicals. (A small box of emulsion containing two bottles that you have to mix together costs about $20 USD. Not much when things go smoothly, but expensive when one is not getting any results. These chemicals also have a short shelf life after mixing)

However, after many failed attempts, I finally got the results pictured below. Success! I was over the moon, and giddy with excitement!

(The following paragraphs come from an older blog post I wrote at the time, detailing exactly how I achieved my results that day):

I went to the art store and got a brand new Diazo photo emulsion kit from Speedball. I was so paranoid that after I purchased it, I carried the box around with me all day into every store I went, because I was afraid if I left it in the hot car, the chemicals would go bad. I don't know if that's true or not, but I didn't want to waste another $20.

Once home, I mixed the chemicals to make the emulsion, not with tap water as I had done before, but bottled spring water instead. I was suspicious that maybe the heavily chlorinated tap water out here in California might have been part of a reason for things not working the way they should. This was just another precaution on my part. I don't know if it matters or not, but I wasn't taking any chances!

Again, I made a screen by hand using a small, cheap, wooden picture frame from IKEA that comes in a set of 3. It's really small. Just about big enough to screen print a single business card at a time! For the mesh I used polyester curtain material from Joanne's Fabrics which I attached firmly with a staple gun. (A heavy duty one from Home Depot. If you're going to be doing this a lot, please spend the extra $5 and get the heavy duty, metal staple gun - instead of the cheaper, plastic, light duty ones often found in fabric stores)

I coated my homemade screen with the photo emulsion using a piece of card. I couldn't exactly find a 2 inch squeegee anywhere! Then, I left the screen to dry overnight in a covered cardboard shoe box locked in a dark closet. (After you coat the screen you have to let it dry and make sure it is kept in the dark, otherwise the chemicals will react with the light and your screen will be ruined - think of it like film in a camera.)

In the meantime, I drew my art with an ordinary 'Sharpie' marker onto a simple piece of tracing paper. Some people use a clear piece of transparent plastic film to draw their artwork on, or they put the plastic sheet into their computer printer and print it out that way. That is perfectly acceptable, but for a hand drawn piece, tracing paper will work fine. And it's cheaper! I flipped the paper over after drawing on one side, and drew it again on the opposite side, carefully tracing my original lines so I would have an extra dark piece of artwork whose lines would block the light.

Then I cut a piece of black felt I had laying around to fit underneath, snuggly inside my screen. This was to stop any light being reflected from below, when I went to burn the screen with a bright light.

I set up my 'burning station', where I would expose my artwork and coated screen to the light, before I got my now dry screen out of the closet.

For a light source, I used an aluminum clip light that I got from Home Depot. Cost about $5. Cheap! For the bulb I used an outdoor floodlight of 150W, also from Home Depot. I clipped the light about 12 to 14 inches above my screen. I also set up a table fan to keep everything cool, because last time I attempted to burn a screen like this, the light got everything so hot it melted the emulsion, and the frame stuck right to the piece of glass I had covering it. Ugh. So for me, a fan to keep everything cool is essential.

Underneath my light, I placed a large formica shelf to use as a base. (At the time I didn't have a table I could use). I placed a piece of dark fabric on top of my makeshift table. This minimizes any stray light reflections. I then commandeered the glass table top from the living room end table, and placed it on top of my screen and artwork, to hold everything in place and keep it from moving around. Now, make sure if you are doing this that it is the cheap kind of glass and not the thick tempered glass that has a greenish hue to it. That green glass will often block some of the UV rays from your light source, and you need as much UV light as possible for this to work right.

So, I ran and got my dry screen out of the closet, and in my darkroom (actually my bathroom, with only a red party light on for a safe light) I carefully taped my piece of art work to the top surface of the emulsion coated screen. Then I stuck that small piece of black felt I had cut out earlier in there snuggly, to prevent any light leakage. I ran into the bedroom and placed the screen with the artwork facing up, onto my make shift table. I placed the piece of glass on top of it. It was heavy enough to hold my artwork in place that it didn't need anything additional on it to weigh it down. I turned on my clip light and then my table fan, and I let a full 50 minutes go by as my screen got exposed. Again, think of it like a camera - a really slow camera!

When 50 minutes had gone by, I rinsed out the screen with a somewhat forceful stream of water. Patience is needed here as it can take a few minutes. I gently, (very gently) rubbed my fingers over the screen as it was under the falling water. Soon, much to my delight, the emulsion washed out in just the right places and minutes later I had a finished screen with a perfect stencil of my artwork on it. I could hardly wait to try it out.

I jury rigged a wire coat hanger to hang the wet screen in front of my table fan to dry. Soon it was dry and ready to go! I grabbed the first piece of paper I could find, a manila file folder, and started printing onto it. I used one of those hard white art erasers the size of a 'Pink Pearl' for a squeegee - and it actually worked! Thrilling, and quite a relief after so many failures.

Over time, I had a few more successes, and a few more failures. I made a few T-shirts for myself, and even printed onto a couple of tote bags. The image below, the gathering of robots was a tiny, tiny doodle I did at work one day while I was on the phone. Drew it onto a scrap of paper the size of a matchbook cover. Silly, but I liked it, so I squirreled it away for future use. When the time came to experiment with printing onto a tote bag, I needed an image so I dug out that little robot drawing and scanned it into my computer. I enlarged it, printed it out and then traced over it with a Sharpie marker, again onto a piece of tracing paper. I only had two tote bags to print on: one came out too dark and the other printed too light! Oh well... I still like it.

Although my work over the past couple of years has been mostly related to sewing, embroidery and fiber arts, I do intend to get back to screenprinting soon, and in a big way. Printing, of all kinds, has always been a passion for me: lino cuts, woodcuts, even homemade rubber stamps and the instant results you can get from printing with them just really excites me.

I can't wait to share my future experiences, and adventures in printing with you all. And as I continue along in my endeavours, I hope to come out of it all with some good results that I'll be able to offer in my little shop on Etsy!

Sleeping? No,no,no - I Was Just Thinking. With My Eyes Closed.

2009-12-06T00:21:00.000-08:00

What have I been doing?!

My dear readers: please pardon my lapse, of - how long has it been - 4 months almost since my last blog post? Unforgivable! And yet you all stayed. Bless you.

Now, most of you know me from my Etsy store. So, you are aware that although I haven't been active here on my blog, that I have been a busy little bee sewing away, adding new items to my shop, and mailing them all over the country. November in fact was pretty good for me, and I'm hoping December will be just as successful.

It is somewhat late in the evening as I write this, so I will keep it short. It's more of a 'Hello' to all of you out there, and to let you know this blog has NOT been abandoned. I have major plans for it in the very near future.

In the meantime, keep up with the day to day minutiae of moddyboy80 on Twitter where I post nearly every day, (often several times a day in fact) But do keep an eye here as well. Fun is on the way!

Back On Track - No More Bugs!

2009-08-20T15:20:00.000-07:00

Hello there again: Well, it has been quite some time since I have written anything new here, due in part to my computer problems, which are now pretty much solved. Except for a short piece I'll be writing soon to help those who may be experiencing similar issues, I can promise you that I will not be mentioning them again. If I feel the need, then the answer may be to start a separate blog dealing solely with my adventures in the world of computing!

I can be quite single minded sometimes, and become obsessed with a subject when the need arises, and thus have not added anything new to my Etsy shop since May. Instead, everyday was spent researching, poking around computer forums online, and studying manuals offline in local brick and mortar bookstores. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Between Google, Barnes&Noble, and Borders, one can learn just about anything! (Sorry local library, but I found your selection of books on this particular subject to be sadly lacking...)

So, now that things are pretty much back to normal for me, what's next? I have so many great ideas for upcoming art projects, that I could stop thinking now, and never run out of material. I wish I could say I have all my ideas neatly filed, sorted, and stored away in notebooks and such, but most of them entail hastily scribbled text and drawings on the back of receipts, cocktail napkins and other scraps of paper strewn about my little workstation here,(much to the wife's chagrin).

The state I'm in now, I'm not going to promise one particular thing or another. I get bored very easily and will often leave projects three quarters of the way done before abandoning them and moving on to something completely different. A bad habit, I know! I am simply going to work, work, work, and chip away at something - everything - and just put stuff up as it gets finished. Whatever it turns out to be, I know it will turn out to be something fun!

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these pictures that I took a few months back while visiting the 23rd Annual Bug Fair in Los Angeles, CA at the Natural History Museum. When I saw Huell Howser's enthusiastic piece about the bug show on PBS the week before, I knew I had to go and experience it in person. I grew up with a great fear of insects you see, and decided it was time I forced myself to get over it. What better way than to hold a live tarantula in my hand and pet it like any other household pet? I did draw the line at the scorpion however. I got close to it, but chose not to actually touch it. Perhaps next year?

Ubuntu Linux Blank Tan Screen - A Solution!

2009-07-16T14:49:00.000-07:00

Note: Feel free to skip ahead to the important part, the actual code, which I've highlighted in red below.

Success!

After almost two months of struggling with my computer after a nasty bit of malware infected its innards, I finally got the damn thing to work again last night.

If you haven't read my earlier rants here and on Twitter, then this(in a nutshell) is what happened: (And bear in mind that when this whole thing started, I had not even the slightest inkling of how a modern desktop computer works!)

Got the malware (Trojan actually; though I refered to it as a virus before I knew the difference) on May 29th. It wreaked havoc with my system, which at the time was running Windows XP. I tried every solution offered to me, but no anti-virus or anti-malware program would touch it. I tried the system restore function. That didn't work. Even a re-install of Windows failed.

I had the idea to just wipe the hard drive altogether - and indeed THAT got rid of the malware - along with my Windows XP operating system! But I was prepared.

I would install the free, Ubuntu Linux operating system I had heard so much about. My problem at this point was that every copy of Ubuntu I came across was on a DVD, and due to the age of my computer,(as well as the fact that I can be...careful with my money...) I only had a CD-ROM on my old Dell computer. A DVD wouldn't work in it.

Finally though I did find a copy of Ubuntu 8.10 on a CD-ROM that came with a magazine. Ace! So, I went about installing it onto my hard drive, wiping away the malware and Windows along with it. Don't let the door hit you on your way out, I sniggered...

But,...wait! What's this?! After the Ubuntu login screen, when I entered my username and password, I was met with a blank, tan screen. I waited. Nothing was happening. The little white arrow cursor was there, and I could move it around, but nothing else, including my keyboard would work. The little LED that shows your hard drive is working stopped dead too. Unless you have been through this yourself, you cannot begin to understand just how infuriating it was. I was confused, angry,... then sad and depressed. My wife said she has never seen me look so defeated.

Over the next few days, I went online whenever, and wherever possible, researching my problem. All I found were forum responses to people with similar problems telling them their computer didn't have enough RAM to run Ubuntu, and that they should try a lighter version of LINUX instead, like Xubuntu, Puppy Linux, or Damn Small Linux. People with systems so low on RAM had no business trying to run Ubuntu apparently.

Embarrassed, I slunk away from the Ubuntu fora, with my 256MB of RAM, put down the Ubuntu Bible, and decided Damn Small Linux was the answer. After all, the entire operating system can fit onto a USB flash drive!

Yes, thought I...I will try this DSL!

Another problem however was where to get it from. Yes, yes...you can download it online. However, one needs a computer with the ability to burn a CD or DVD, and since I was stuck using public computers, I didn't have that ability. But you can download a bootable version on a flash drive, I hear you say. Again, yes you can. But if your computer doesn't support booting from a flash drive, (as mine doesn't) well then,...you're out of luck again! I did find a great book however, The Official Damn Small Linux, (ISBN: 0132338696) and it comes with a bootable CD-ROM. Perfect! Only problem, (for me anyway) was the lack of availability in brick and mortar shops,(actual bookstores you can walk into) and the fact that when I did find copies of it, that the pricing was all over the place. Seriously, I have never seen such a descrepancy in pricing on a book in my life. I saw three different prices in three different bookstores: $39.99, $44.99, and $49.99! I should have just gotten the first one I saw at $39.99. Oh well, you live and you learn.

I decided that I would simply order the book from Amazon.com, as I discovered in my research that even if I got the CD-ROM, and got the operating system installed and working on my computer, that I wouldn't be able to get online with the type of modem I have, so I would have to purchase a new one. Yes, I am that guy, still on dial-up. And the modem in my Dell is a winmodem. It's basically a software modem, designed to work exclusively with Windows, as opposed to an external hardware modem that will work with anything, including Linux. So, this week, after a less than fruitful visit to Fry's Electronics, (you should have seen the reaction I got when I asked a sales person if they had any serial modems! It was as if I was asking for stone knives and bear skins...) I decided to scrounge together a few bucks and order both my modem and that Damn Small Linux book from Amazon.

Sixty bucks though....my whole intention was to get my computer running again for as little money as possible, since there was really nothing wrong with the actual hardware. Damn my penny piching ways! Anyway,...something kept nagging away at my brain the whole time. Why wasn't Ubuntu working on my computer? I had done a memory test before installing it and checked the CD for defects, and everything checked out fine. It was just hanging at that tan screen after logging in. Also, other people with the same problem that I came across online had way more RAM than I did, so that was not the problem, was it?

I immerssed myself with research again. Spent a lot of time seperating the wheat from the chaff as they say; weeding out the garbage. For I saw many different solutions offered for the same problem. I made a list, writing down everything I came across. And I started to see a pattern. When I saw the same solution being offered on different sites, and a lot of positive comments from people saying that they had been struggling with this for ages and now their problems were solved, (and their monitors working again) I knew I just had to try it.

I wrote down these instructions and few lines of code:

After powering on your computer, hit the ESC key before everything loads. This brings you into what's called the GRUB boot menu. You'll see a short list of options. Using your arrow keys, select recovery mode option. Hit ENTER.
The select: "Root Drop to root shell prompt" (And I think at this point you'll see a bunch of 'gobbledygook' fill your screen. Just wait til it's done. It will stop, and you'll see a line with 'your name-desktop' (Or, however you chose to name your computer when you first installed Ubuntu) and a $ This is called the prompt.
Just type in the following lines of code, hitting enter after each line: sudo apt-get remove compiz
Hit enter and you will be asked a Yes/no question, asking if you really want to remove compiz? Just type a Y and hit ENTER.
The type sudo apt-get remove compiz-core
Hit ENTER, and you'll be asked the Y/n question again. Just type Y and hit enter.
Then, just type the word exit and hit ENTER.
Lastly, select the option Resume Normal Boot.

And guess what? That is it. Once I had the time to spend later that evening, I turned on my computer, and entered the code and did just as instructed...and voila! It worked! I got past the login screen and I had a fully functioning desktop again!! Yay! And after two months of heartache, my computer is once again amongst the living, thanks to literally 2 lines of code.

I'm sorry to have gone on a bit again. But I just had to get this all off of my chest. And hopefully, this will help anyone else out there who is suffering as I have been, wanting so bad to try out Ubuntu 8.10, but running into that same roadblock. Try those simple instructions. It works!

(Why does it work? Well, compiz serves up some special effects which some graphics cards can't handle. Getting rid of compiz from your Ubuntu installation solves the blank tan screen problem. You can always reinstall it later if you get a new graphics card and feel you need to.)

Now,...I'm off to figure out if I can get a driver for my winmodem so I can get online again without having to trek to the library!