first ever >> screenprints!

yes, thats right these are my first ever attempts at the skill of silkscreen printing! like any other new medium there are trials & errors. lots of them. believe me. every screen and technique i had to do some trouble shooting in an attempt to salvage my full class worth of work (they were only 3 hours long! which sounds like a lot, but boy oh boy the clean up is messy!)

the first assignment we had to draw a handful of thumbs of an object from our surrounding and kind of abstract it into shapes, or even textures... and then separate it into 4 layers.
we were also to combine the use of stencils and drawing fluid to form our 4 layer print.
here is my trusty cactus- with some blob like spikes on a few of the prints :)



the second project we were asked to make a collage and create an appropriation where we could combine found imagery and our own drawing to it. we used the photo emulsion technique which is excellent for mass producing prints.
i used an image from an anthropologie catalogue and created a frame around her & added some fun woodland doodles.



back when i was like 13 years old i always wore those screen-printed looking tees (my fondest memory is one of felix the cat) and my dad always told me i could make my own! i thought that was the coolest thing ever. since then, i've always wanted to try the technique. in my mind i thought i could just teach myself, which i still think i could of- but taking this course really just set the time aside and made me jump right in! learning something new is always a tad bit scary, because what if you jus plain ol' stink at it? i'm not exactly proud of these prints, i'm proud that i tried my hand at something i had absolutely no experience with!

inspiration >> from the philadelphia art museum

matt and i hopped in the car tuesday for a semi-belated valentines fun day and headed east to philadelphia!! it's been 2 years or so since i've been to the art museum (well over 3 for him!), so it was a long over-due trip considering we've frequented NYC museums more than philadelphia.
it was a wonderful trip filled to the brim with inspiration overload.

of course we brought our cameras along & snapped away.
& of course one of my favorites were the dutch tiles.
they are just so fun & simple, i can't help but love them.





i suppose i really enjoy ceramics and delicate paintings? because these asian dishes are so charming!




this shot came from one of matt's favorite sections- the armory!
the detail work on all the armor, swords and yes, even this gun was just so unreal.


there was also a small exhibit showcasing embroidery- my favorite piece (which photo didn't turn out due to lack of lighting) was a stitch sampler that dated back to the 1600s! the stitches created intricate lines, shapes, flowers, designs and looked like a well thought out pattern, it was oh so lovely & inspiring!

hello from sunny florida>> in progress peeks

i always love seeing the behind the scenes/development of a piece of work... so just in case you missed it on flickr here are all stages of the florida postcard!!


the initial sketch done with 4 other concepts for the commissioner


playing with placement of all the landmarks- they were each drawn/scanned in/placed separately for easy moving around. here i was also testing a watercolor bleed...


the finished digital image! complete with watercolor bleed in the shape of florida, & interstate signs!


kept the back of the postcard simple but fun!
everything turned out so lovely that i'm currently working on a maryland map for a personal piece! i've been wanting to do illustrated maps and this commission was the perfect excuse to get started.