Workshop series- Holographic Memories

Holographic Memories or Holographic Images Workshop evolved when the computer, digital camera and printing were available in the early 2000's.  I have loved photography since I was in my 20's and now I could use it in my art! 

I print on a variety of fabrics and substrates and have a workshop dedicated to that called Digging into Digital Printing. An exciting workshop too.

This workshop evolved from printing on transparent materials, specifically  silk organza.

Fog Rising- 3 photo placement 

I began layering it on my media media work, when I noticed it created a shadow image as I lifted the printed silk from the carrier paper. 

Fog Rising detail sideways to show effect 

Whoa! 

I set to figuring out how to present this in a fiber construction that makes a 3-D image when viewed. 

The Holographic technique was born!

I published this in Quilting Arts Magazine, 2007 and was invited to do a Quilting Arts TV show, the second TV series.

It is available as a download from Interweave. (Link on the right sidebar.)

Now I share this technique in workshops. I have several coming up including a Cruise this winter. (Please click on the tab at the top of this blog on Scheduled Workshops for more information.)

Description

Create your own holographic image with this inventive digital fiber technique!

Using your imagination and digital photographs, capture your loved ones or favorite subjects with an innovative 3-D effect. 

Each student will mount and finish an 8 x10 piece. Some pre-workshop image preparation.

A Page

New Work on it's way to Interweave HQ in Loveland, CO for the upcoming DVD I will be doing on Textured Photographs

A Page 
Textured photograph of a collage work from the Page Series. 
Mounted on hand painted cotton. 9x9

Stalking the Wild Print at the Maine Event

Searsport, ME

Preparing the ink plate with gesso

Emergence- (earlier work)

Someone's fun prints!

Ohhhhh the pressure!
More on the Regional NH/ME/VT SAQA Blog- here

Digital Paint Brushes

Recently I visited a blog having a discussion about how printing on fabric is not creative. 

Yikes I thought!

  When things went digital, my work expanded ten-fold! I could do so many more things than I ever dreamed of. I married my interest in photography with my love of fiber.

      I think working digitally IS a creative tool. Not only must you have an eye and take intriguing photographs. You need to know how to interpret this into fiber, then your vision can show.

      You can then leave the photo as is, manipulate it in a variety of ways ( much like you could do in the darkroom), layer them, fuse them with other photos, tile them, collage photo's, draw into to them using a digital pencil. And more. It is a vast field.

plain rice paper

painted rice paper

Not to mention deciding how to print them. What cloth or paper to use. Add a digital underpainting, or not. Print on painted or plain substrate. Print on a collage made from cloth, paper, or tea bags. Endless!

THEN when they are printed, you can go forward with creation. Stitching, adding mediums. collageing, layering with transparent media. Cutting apart and re-sewing- any number of options.

Ink Jet Printed Fabric Collage
from my Dig it ALL,  Digging into Digital Printing Workshop
Photo Shop tools are digital paint brushes! It is a very creative technique- much as any surface design technique is! You can take it and run with it!

"It's how the artist uses the media to interpret the subject matter that makes it art - not the media used to get there."
Jayne Gaskins

Transfer the Way You Add Images to Your Art

Image Transfer Workshop

I love incorporating photography and fiber! An image transfer is transferring an image from one source to another, giving wonderful transparent effects. This allows layering of images or let the surface show through.

We had an intense but satisfying time at the image transfer workshop at my studio yesterday. We transferred with many mediums, hitting on a variety to make samples to remember and explore techniques. We used glue or what I call acrylic transfers, tried some with freezer paper and sheets labels. We even used a very non-traditional medium that works spectacularly!

transfer with trans-web, my favorite fusible.
printed on painted cloth

Secret Method

Transfers create a lovely aged and distressed image due to the natural imperfections of the technique.

I’m offering this again at Portsmouth Fabric Co. in Portsmouth NH on April 24^th.

I will be demonstrating some of these techniques at the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Meredith Gallery on June 12, 11-2.

Mono Printing- Fast, Furious and FUN!

Dreams Awaken

Whole cloth; painted, monoprinted, text silk-screened, oil sticks and free drawing lines with stitching. I was in a meditative place when I created this piece. When I view it, it serves as a reminder of that special moment. It allows me to remember this when in the throes of daily life. Rayon 23hx30w Traveling with SAQA 09 Fibrations until 6/10

detail Dreams Awaken

I have been working on an upcoming workshop- I usually review and improve every time I give a workshop. It also jogs one's memory. I REALLY like this process! It's a spontaneous print technique that layers fabrics visually.

A simple tag turns into a printing plate!
painted with basic acrylic paint
mono printed on top of another print

In the workshops we will experiment with several techniques to print fabrics. This method doesn't use a print press and is suitable for every level.

One of the best things about this technique is it's spontaneity, intuitiveness and ease of developing really great pieces. Right up my ally!

It will be hard to cover the sheer variety of methods, but we'll all give it a go.

Basic Fabric Printing

Steps
1
Choose your image and make adjustments.
2
Set up page- file>page set up.
3
Choose your printer- you will need to do this again in printer window.
4
Choose page size of your finished print.
5
Go to file>print and printer dialogue window pops up.
6
Be sure to check fit to scale box.
7
Print and you're ready to print again.

I have been printing on fabric for a number of years now. I first just used my small document printer- a Epson 60 model. I used to use bubble jet and found it was way too much work and not that effective. I now use prepared fabrics- just Google inkjet fabrics and you will find lots with different price points. I print fabric with a Epson 2400. It works very well and the Ultrabright inks on prepared fabric is just about water proof. I tested by soaking printed fabric in a glass of water. It was fine. The printer never gives me trouble except with slippery surfaces like glossy canvas. I need to help that along by lightly pushing it into the printer as it starts to feed, taping the edges or trimming the right corner feeding edge. Just cut your fabric to size and print!
Lately I have started to experiment with Ink Aid and soon Golden's Digital Grounds. The advantages to these are the ability to print on just about anything that will fit in your printer. The thickness should be listed in your printer spec's, found on the website or manual. Mine prints to the width of a flat penny. You can make a gizz-mo that is as thick and test your substrates for fit.
Everything you do will be your teacher, just try.

Silk Organza- I simply use the regular paper setting on my Epson 2400. However, I do slightly increase the Saturation or Intensify hue in Photoshop.
This slightly increases the color, which looks a little too much while in Photoshop, but when printed on the silk organza comes out just fine. Since this action is not directed at the printer, there is no ink pooling. There is some bleed though, but that is to be expected when working with sheer materials of all kinds.
I often use the paper substrates in collage. Quilting Arts offers a DVD with that goes over my Holographic Memories technique.