playing with filters in photoshop

Filterjam!

The Heart of California

Heart of California (2011)

Heart of California

Type: Monoprint

Image size: About 8 x 10" *

1 acrylic plate

4 layers of ink

Paper: Black Reeves
Edition: 2

 

This is my latest monoprint, a homage to Mt. Whitney. I printed two versions, both on black paper. The one pictured above is being entered into a juried show, the other is for my upcoming show in October. 

 

Balls galore

Well, actually I only have 6, and technically they aren't balls but spheres, but how else was I supposed to get your attention? This is my first experiment digitally "painting" in photoshop, and now I know why they invented the tablet and stylus. Because painting with a mouse is the equivalent to writing your name with a block of cheese.

The process and the unveiling of "The Pope Says No" comic strip

 I had to create a cheeky comic strip in illustrator with an unexpected ending for my digital illustration class. Here are the steps I took (just in case you wondering why I have no life) and the final product.

1. The Google "Sketch Up" version, better known as the part that drives me crazy.

2. The picture version, where I figured out props and staging. This is where things got tricky. Condoms are easy to find, but they don't exactly sell the Pope at Wal-Mart.

3. And the end result. TA -DAA! The actual strip, which looks much different than the preliminary stages.

Teaser

I've been working on a brand new series of monoprints (i.e. prints that can only be printed once, no multiples) and I thought you might want to see a little teaser:

The color you see is residual ink on top of the plate, and the design/outline you see is the paper underneath the plate, that serves as my template or guide. The plate is what's run through the press, with paper on top. The pressure from the press transfers the ink onto the paper, and that's how prints are "born". That's an extremely simplified explanation of the printmaking process, but I hope you understand the idea. (Maybe a tutorial is in order soon, no?)

I hope to have some prints to show for by this weekend, so keep your eyes peeled.

Eye Exam

Here's an eye project we're working on in my illustration class, using different techniques in Illustrator ( the last one is just a photo of my eye though, don't get too excited).

Just a Printer's Devil

Here are some recent pieces that I've been working on. (The lighting may look a little funky, and I apologize for that, most of these were taken when the pieces were being exhibited). So here goes nothing:

My first reductive woodblock print, using my favorite technique: the split fountain a.k.a., the rainbow roll.



Here is my most recent lino block print. It's 8 x 10, employing both reductive and multi-block plates.

Believe it or not, this baby is only 2 x 2 inches. It was made for and exhibited in a print show that featured only 2x2 or smaller prints.

To change things up a bit, here is a scratchboard piece I just exhibited. And you thought I was just a printmaker!

The half dome print. It's a multi block print, about 4 x 4 inches big. I'm not quite happy with it yet though.

And that's what I've been up to. What about you?