I’m in between jobs so I finally have to time to write about the ways that I’ve been trying to expand my practice. I’ve grown tired of my style and am hoping that a new fabrication mode can spark creativity. Inspired by my partner’s friend Eliza I started with paper weaving prints together:
I’m in love with the tactile process and patience it took but feel that the weaves aren’t tight enough to get the effect that I want. I know with more practice I can create the polished look I’m envisioning so I’ll probably revisit this.
Second up is a series of letterpress prints that I made in collaboration with Archie’s Press:
This is probably one of the most crisp prints I’ve ever made. The quality of the paper combined with the soft emboss shows off the quality that letterpress has a medium. Seeing my design rendered transmedium is delightful. Originally a pen plotter design, I love how the moire effect of the design is reproduced in letterpress. If each tool has its own grain and characteristics, then how might the same design be rendered in each? I’ve been wanting to explore this idea further by taking my risograph designs and screen printing them. I think in the future when I have more studio space that I will be able to work in all of these different mediums simultaneously.
Lastly, I’ve been testing out different archival inks. Archival inks improve the quality of your prints by making them resistant to sunlight and fading. Using an Isograph Technical Pen, I’ve been testing different inks based on color and composition:
By far this is the most exciting exploration. Where previously I’ve been using pens with fabric tips mostly intended for handwriting, the Isograph is a technical pen made for drawing. The lines are extremely precise and the biggest difference is the number of times I can blank blank without my pen tearing a hole in the paper. This unlocks a number of design possibilities for me and I’ve been able to revisit old designs that are now possible.
It’s great to remember that making art should be fun and about experimentation.
-mello
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