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No. 9 posted:I hope this is the right place, I can't find a general web design thread. It's a JQuery based image gallery. Here if you want to learn how to build one. Here if you just want to C&P.
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Oct 22, 2009 02:30
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Thank you so much!
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Oct 22, 2009 02:43
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I've got a few questions about woodcut printing. I want to make my own wedding invitations (maybe 40 invites total). My dad is a woodcarver and is going to carve, in relief, my wood block. I've got it designed and given it to him but I was doing some reading online yesterday and a website recommended a soft wood, like pine, or linoleum. Is this because it's easier for most people to carve in soft woods or does it make an actual difference in the printing process? He has wood all over his workshop and he usually just hunts around until he finds "the piece he wants" but if he needs something specific I need to be able to tell him that. Secondly, paper. I know I want acid free, and since they're invitations I want to use cardstock. What I'd really like to use is metallic gold cardstock, does anyone have any idea what the ink will do on something like this? I'm familiar with calligraphy ink and know what kinds of paper it will bleed into but I've never done any printing at all so I'm at a bit of a loss. I'm specifically concerned that the ink won't "stick" to something metallic, is this crazy? As for the ink, I figured what I need is something like Speedball water-soluble ink, does it work as well as the oil based? I got the impression that it's much thicker than the ink I am used to, in fact in the pictures it looked almost like acrylic paint. Is this the case or not? Can I just blend a bunch of colors together or do I need to add some sort of medium to it? Also, when I roll the ink onto the block can I put multiple colors on it at once or do I need to print colors in layers? I want a dark brown trunk/branches with almost a batik look to the leaves in fall colors. Should I have him carve two sides of the block, one with branches and one for the leaves? What I don't want is a big muddy mess that looks like crap. Can I print once in dark brown, clean the ink off the wood, and then print again on top with my colors, only putting the ink on the parts I want to print? Finally, for the actual text on the invitation I was going to have that printed by a local print shop in a single color. Can I do my woodcut printing first and then send those to the print shop or do I run the risk of ruining my printing by having them run it through their machinery (is the ink thick enough to flake off or something)? I know I'm going to make more mistakes than they are and I'd much rather have 40 invitations with my tree already on them and then send those to be printed than to try and guess how many mistakes I'm going to make ahead of time. Thanks!
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Oct 23, 2009 15:31
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Does anyone know a good fantasy writing forum like this one, for critique and poo poo? I have the feeling any fantasy work would get torn to poo poo shreds here but I really want some worthwhile feedback on some stuff I've written. This seems like the only appropriate thread in which to ask this question.
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Oct 23, 2009 15:35
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Psexpean posted:Does anyone know a good fantasy writing forum like this one, for critique and poo poo? I have the feeling any fantasy work would get torn to poo poo shreds here but I really want some worthwhile feedback on some stuff I've written. This seems like the only appropriate thread in which to ask this question. People hardly post anything but fantasy. Just make sure it's not fanfiction and go to town.
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Oct 23, 2009 15:40
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Nione posted:I've got a few questions about woodcut printing. I'm a printmaker but haven't really done woodcut, so if I'm wrong I hope someone is here to step in. I think that the soft wood is for the carver, not as much for the process. If it's metallic, you will most likely have issues with the ink absorption. But the best idea is to do some testing before you select a paper. In other types of printing the paper is a very absorbent one like rice paper or Rives BFK. I don't know that I can answer anything about ink for woodcuts. Do a bit of googling. Technically, woodcuts should be carved in layers: each layer being a separate color. So you carve the first step, which will hold one color, print all the pieces, and go back and carve the next step, apply the next color, print all the pieces again. Again I say, do some googling on the process. It's best to ask a printshop about the printing. They may not want to sent a printed piece through.
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Oct 23, 2009 17:12
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Nione posted:I've got a few questions about woodcut printing. The best thing you can do is go to the art store, buy some pieces of linoleum (of different hardness) and some cutting tools, and a piece of wood, and some water based ink and oil based ink and a brayer and get a feel for it yourself. There's no telling what kind of look you want, or what results you will prefer. As far as the mediums go, you can cut a relief into just about anything you can cut. Some people use styrofoam or potatoes. For longer runs of prints people use wood or linoleum because it can hold up better. All these different things end up looking very different once printed. I'm not going to bother trying to articulate how, they just do. After you look at relief prints for awhile it becomes pretty clear which ones are lino cuts and which ones are wood cuts. As for wood a lot of people use pine, sometimes people use stuff like balsa, but with time and patience you could probably cut into drat near anything. Linoleum is not wood, by the way. It's a class of products that are manufactured from renewable materials but not very wood like... Aside from the visual differences in how the prints look, people use wood and linoluem because they stand up to multiple print jobs better than softer, less durable products. You can wash linoleum with solvents like mineral spirits, where you cant do that with styrofoam, that would be more or less one time use if printing with oils. The difference between water and oil based inks is really night and day. I have been using both but for different reasons. Oils, to me, look better in terms of a "fine art" sense. They are clean and vibrant, and when dried on good paper they look to me like something that is "saleable." But what's saleable to me, is not to everyone else. SO for doing serious stuff I prefer oil based inks. The problems of using oils are what you would expect: clean up takes longer, you have to use solvents, if you get some on your clothes or something you're basically hosed so you have to wear old art clothes. I use water based for doing test prints and things that I paste up on the street that just get torn down in a few days anyway usually. It's fast, easy to clean up, the ink dries quicker, and its a bit cheaper (I think the price of the ink is really a toss up actually since neither are very expensive if you buy in bulk.) It does not have the vibrancy or texture that I think makes doing poo poo like block printing worthwhile - if I'm going to spend 40 hours cutting a block to make a print to sell my end goal is to print it using ink. You can print multiple colors on the same block but if they're next to each other they will bleed and mix. I have no problems with this effect, some might. As far as paper, you just gotta buy and experiment. I don't know about cardstock, I have used it for block printing and its been fine but I dont know about dyed stuff, or what they're using for the metallic effects (aluminum?) and how those things will take the ink. Basically all your questions are things you would be better served by just buying some supplies, sitting down for a couple days, and working out on your own as nobody will be able to tell you your "preferences." However, for the wedding invites I would suggest using oil based ink (leave ample time for drying) because the water based inks will rub off of the paper if it's cheaper paper, and people will have flakes of ink coming off onto them whereas the oil, once its dry it's more or less fixed there. I don't think any commercial printer will print onto paper that already has stuff on it. You could call people locally but probably a better idea to get your message printed onto the stock first then do your prints on it afterwards. I've never done that.  Click here for the full 1000x669 image. this is just a piece of newsprint I used to soak up leftover ink after doing some prints  Click here for the full 725x1000 image. this is an example of 3 colors of ink on one layer print, 18 x 24 For water based ink the speedballs are fine. I have not used speedball oil inks because I thought they were expensive, so I just got them from graphic chemical. Graphic chemical is a good place for relief printing supplies in general. Beat. fucked around with this message at 17:32 on Oct 23, 2009 |
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Oct 23, 2009 17:28
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Thanks Zap and Beat. I've never done any printmaking so it's a completely new thing for me.Beat. posted:The difference between water and oil based inks is really night and day. I have been using both but for different reasons. Oils, to me, look better in terms of a "fine art" sense. They are clean and vibrant, and when dried on good paper they look to me like something that is "saleable." But what's saleable to me, is not to everyone else. SO for doing serious stuff I prefer oil based inks. The problems of using oils are what you would expect: clean up takes longer, you have to use solvents, if you get some on your clothes or something you're basically hosed so you have to wear old art clothes. This is exactly what I wanted to know. I'll definitely use oils, I'm familiar with oil paint and the clean up process and wanted to avoid it if possible but I care more about it looking good than about cleaning. quote:Basically all your questions are things you would be better served by just buying some supplies, sitting down for a couple days, and working out on your own as nobody will be able to tell you your "preferences." However, for the wedding invites I would suggest using oil based ink (leave ample time for drying) because the water based inks will rub off of the paper if it's cheaper paper, and people will have flakes of ink coming off onto them whereas the oil, once its dry it's more or less fixed there. Thanks again! I didn't want to go out and buy a bunch of ink if it wasn't going to work at all. I'll get several kinds of cardstock and see what I like best.
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Oct 23, 2009 19:20
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Nione posted:I've got a few questions about woodcut printing. Woo printmaking. Linoleum is super easy to carve, you can also heat it up in an oven a little bit and then it's like cutting butter. I also like oil-based inks for woodcuts. Then you don't have to worry about it drying mid-printing. Multiple colors... you can ink it all up at once or do one at a time but that would be kind of a pain in the rear end. What I would do is carve the whole block and then cut it up like puzzle pieces. Ink each piece separately, reassemble (you can make a guide to hold everything in place), and then just print it in one go. You can also make separate blocks for each color but then you have to worry about registration. I would talk to your printer about the text, they should be able to do it. You will probably need to provide 2-5% overage since they will probably gently caress a few up getting it set up. You could also have a letterpress shop make you a plate with the text and print it yourself.
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Oct 23, 2009 20:05
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If I have a photo in Photoshop that is CMYK but the blacks are standard PS 75,68,67,90, is there any way to convert them to lets say 40,30,30,100 for 1/3 less ink and less chance for color bleeding?
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Oct 23, 2009 21:02
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brad industry posted:Woo printmaking. I know I can carve this myself, I could actually do it out of wood, I even have the tools, but my Dad really wants to do it. He usually carves in butternut or walnut, so it'll probably be one of those. (My dad collects old letterpress blocks, letterpress trays, etc. so I think he likes the idea of carving his own. He made his own Roman coins once.) quote:Multiple colors... you can ink it all up at once or do one at a time but that would be kind of a pain in the rear end. What I would do is carve the whole block and then cut it up like puzzle pieces. Ink each piece separately, reassemble (you can make a guide to hold everything in place), and then just print it in one go. You can also make separate blocks for each color but then you have to worry about registration. I like the puzzle piece idea, I'll try some things out and talk to my dad about it and see what he thinks. Thanks everybody for all the assistance. I'll post pics in a few months. As for the text I might cave and just write them all out. I considered it from the beginning, but I'll have to play with it.
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Oct 23, 2009 23:38
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I enjoy stream of consciousness poetry/songwriting and personal writing. I also(at least according to others) am good at writing in general but I have always struggled with procrastination, lack of motivation and often perfectionism. On a similar note, I have become interested in the visual arts--drawing, graphic design, etc.. Throughout all of school I have always hated anything relating to art or anything remotely artistic and I avoided any creative projects. Now back in college I find myself drawn to the same things I once repelled. Basically a former math/science guy forgot math and is interested in exploring the creative arts. How common or realistic is this?
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Oct 24, 2009 11:07
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What are some really good DVD authoring programs for PC? Thanks!
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Oct 24, 2009 11:08
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Resmarted posted:I enjoy stream of consciousness poetry/songwriting and personal writing. I also(at least according to others) am good at writing in general but I have always struggled with procrastination, lack of motivation and often perfectionism. What the hell does being common or realistic have to do with anything? If you want to do something, just do it.
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Oct 24, 2009 15:51
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Resmarted posted:I enjoy stream of consciousness poetry/songwriting and personal writing. I also(at least according to others) am good at writing in general but I have always struggled with procrastination, lack of motivation and often perfectionism. As a creative person that is also a scientist I feel like I need to tell you to shut the gently caress up. They aren't mutually exclusive. But if you imagine that they are, they will be. The best advice I can give you is stop thinking and start doing.
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Oct 24, 2009 16:21
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And it's not just that they're not mutually exclusive. Where I sit the link between art, creativity, and everything in "harder" sciences is so strong that just implying it isn't there makes you look very short sighted.
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Oct 24, 2009 16:42
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xposted to the hobbies/crafts megathread because I'm not sure where the crafty people hang out... I'm making a costume that will involve bleaching, dying and possibly painting spandex. The bleach/dye part of the process I'm not too worried about but I had some concerns about the paint: if I use regular fabric paint and put it on a modelform while I'm painting, is that going to be enough to avoid cracking/warping, or is that still going to be a problem? If I want to make sure it's machine washable, what's the best kind of paint to use, and/or should I use any special kind of sealant? Also, is there a 'fabric safe' medium I can mix regular acrylic paint with to turn it into fabric paint? *edit: Actually, now that I think about it, is a light coating of bleach (I'd be using a bleach pen to fade designs into only specific areas) going to physically damage the fibers of the spandex and possibly eat holes through it, or just stain it which is what I want? kundalini rinsing fucked around with this message at 23:14 on Oct 24, 2009 |
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Oct 24, 2009 23:06
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etard knievel posted:
I don't know about the fabric paint, but try this for the bleach: mix 3 parts water, 1 part bleach together and put it in a spray bottle (check beforehand to make sure it has a wide, misty spray). Make a stencil for your design, then spray it. Press paper towels to the spot to immediately soak up the moisture so the bleach mix doesn't seep under the stencil. http://reubenmiller.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/08/secret-bleach-s.html
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Oct 25, 2009 15:33
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I could have missed this way earlier in the thread but I have only skimmed. I wasted years of my art-life refusing to use references because for some reason I got it in my head that "copying = referencing = unoriginal & bad" and now I'm trying to make up for lost time using my own photos since it's one of the few ways I can do it without feeling too much guilt (eg: "oh god is this a copyright violation? Even if I don't sell or post it I never asked permission!"). I don't have a printer and I'm trying to draw up a Luna moth from a photo of mine for a tattoo idea. So far this is my overlay--I sketched it a few days ago, went over it again just to fix some spots, and then scanned to see how close to my reference I was. Way off, apparently. Without tracing what is a good way to make sure you're drawing your references as true to life as you can? I'm interested in trying realism and it requires a great eye for detail and an almost mathematical approach to getting proportions and lines correct--especially for portraits, if the eye is even 1cm off it's not the same person as you're drawing it seems. I know to practice but right now I find that I draw from my reference, think it looks fine and the same, but when I scan and overlay they are way off. Should I try using graph paper or what? Is there any technique recommended that helps, should I use rulers, compasses?? Here's the sketch overlay in question: 
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Oct 26, 2009 00:32
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I have a studiomate who using the grid method really well. He puts his references in photoshop and creates a grid over it. Then he works from the monitor, with the same grid on his canvas. He paints fast and freakishly accurately, though super realism is not his goal.
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Oct 26, 2009 01:11
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huskyjackal posted:I think your sketch is an improvement on your reference, actually. It's more stylized and interesting looking. The way I think of it, if you are happy with the drawing that comes from reference, you've accomplished your goal. The only reason I would grid/trace/etc is if I used reference and just couldn't "get" it for whatever reason. Photographs are tricky because some angles don't translate well, so I find myself "correcting" references more often than not. I love reference for the amount of specific details it helps you add, but you shouldn't feel like you need to make a carbon copy of something for it to be a good drawing. Edit: I found this picture that compares Norman Rockwell's reference photos to one painting. You can see that even he didn't copy it exactly, just used it for its essence. 
vonnegutt fucked around with this message at 21:47 on Oct 26, 2009 |
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Oct 26, 2009 05:17
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I've been tasked with creating a video background presentation for my band to have looping on stage for the duration of our show. It'll be meant to advertise the band, possibly merchandise, but also just be a cool video presentation. We're a top 40 cover band which plays for a wide age group, so I'm not looking for video of cows getting their eyeballs sliced open or anything. But some seemingly drug-induced animation in the spirit of the Beatles would be cool. I was thinking of putting it together in Powerpoint just for ease of transitions, but I will admit to not knowing much about what software options are available to me. I'm interesting in seeing what other people will suggest to create a high quality looking product.
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Oct 26, 2009 23:08
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sizemon posted:I've been tasked with creating a video background presentation for my band to have looping on stage for the duration of our show. It'll be meant to advertise the band, possibly merchandise, but also just be a cool video presentation. We're a top 40 cover band which plays for a wide age group, so I'm not looking for video of cows getting their eyeballs sliced open or anything. But some seemingly drug-induced animation in the spirit of the Beatles would be cool. If you've got a mac or a friend with one you can use iMovie. That's about as easy as it gets for free software. I guess Windows Movie Maker might do the same thing, but I've never actually used it so i don't know how good it is. edit: Also, http://www.archive.org has a lot of free, public domain movies and videos up online that are perfectly legal to chop and drop into your own compositions.
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Oct 27, 2009 01:12
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I do have a mac, I'm not sure why I didn't think of iMovie earlier. I'll have to give it a go. Thanks for the link too, things like that will really spruce this up.
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Oct 27, 2009 03:56
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I have a web design problem. Mostly that the graphic designers here have problems designing websites. I'm not sure how to tile this image to be used as a webpage background. I was planning on making that white part a solid white and just have the gray background repeat itself, but the designer who did it is pretty adamant about not changing the white part, so that makes things kind of hard for me. He'd rather just have me ask him to increase or decrease the size of the background in photoshop. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
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Oct 27, 2009 17:54
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sneakycatmachine posted:I have a web design problem. Mostly that the graphic designers here have problems designing websites. You need to explain to him that "sizing up" images in Photoshop always results in worse image quality. He's either going to have to make you a HUGE image to start with (width = 1000 px or more, height = 5-10x that) or make a tiled solution. However, this problem looks easy enough. I'm assuming the grey on top needs to be some kind of header? Ask for an image of solid grey, either the size of the screen, or able to be tiled. There are tutorials for tiling in Photoshop, I believe there is a dialogue called Offset that can specifically be used to do that. I think if you use CSS, you can specify the alpha channel for the white so that it's slightly transparent, to show the grey texturing underneath. Furthermore, you can specify that the background does not move when you scroll, and have a solid grey background, with a translucent moving white column above it. Sadly it has been a while since I've done something like this, but it IS possible, and fairly simple.
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Oct 27, 2009 18:29
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vonnegutt posted:You need to explain to him that "sizing up" images in Photoshop always results in worse image quality. He's either going to have to make you a HUGE image to start with (width = 1000 px or more, height = 5-10x that) or make a tiled solution. He's not backing down on the background so I guess I'll have to use the giant image. The only thing that concerns me is the rounded edges, but I'm sure I'll be able to figure something out. But thank you for reminding me about the alpha channel.
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Oct 27, 2009 19:01
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Is there a non-toxic alternative to sharpies out there? I use them a ton just like pretty much everyone else here probably does, but I think I'm starting to get an allergy or something to them. Oh yeah and stay the gently caress away from these fuckers  They stunk up my sketchbook so bad I had to throw it out 
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Oct 27, 2009 20:23
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If you want water based marker, poscas are good, there are a ton of different brands. Just go to the store and ask for water based markers... The issues you're probably having are from solvents, but I doubt its from using the markers alone, but if you've had other exposure to solvents from other art stuff it's pretty common to develop chemical sensitivity. Protective gear kids, protective gear. For sketch and black and white drawings on good paper I usually use india ink based markers like those pitt artist pens.
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Oct 27, 2009 21:03
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How can I get into inking comics? One of my friends is familiar with my work and suggested the idea to me. He has a friend who inks professionally and said the work would be right up my alley. Pen and ink is probably my favorite medium, so I'd be really jazzed to have the to opportunity to work on my skills AND get paid for it. I understand inking for comics is very tedious business and I am totally okay with that. I also understand there is more to it than just tracing. So basically I was wondering if anyone had any tips/resources for someone looking to get into this business. I'm going to start sending out samples because I have a bit of a hookup with this friend of a friend in the industry, but I'm kind of just blindly jumping into this. Also, would something like this http://www.amazon.com/DC-Comics-Guide-Inking/dp/0823010295 be a good resource? I have a pretty good background in art but if there are any techniques in particular I should be mastering I would really like to know. Thanks!!
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Oct 27, 2009 22:05
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vonnegutt posted:I think your sketch is an improvement on your reference, actually. It's more stylized and interesting looking. I appreciate the advice and I definitely see what you pointed out in Rockwell's art, I never would have thought he had those references. I'll practice some more and see how far I can push myself without burning out. I do love the detail a photo or reference can give you and information you might miss but I'll focus more on the basics before getting upset that I missed a surface detail or two.
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Oct 27, 2009 23:56
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Screen Printing logo on shipping boxes... I've been looking all over and found some references for ink, mesh count but just wondering if anyone has actually printed on boxes - these are standard corrugated for shipping and the ink would need to be single color (probably black) - I would like to go with water washing type but afraid that a box caught in the rain would be hosed - I've check Naz-Dar 2700 ink - which seems to be the best fit... any recommendations or past experiences on here?
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Nov 2, 2009 19:55
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For printing on cardboard I would do like 200 mesh, use water based acrylic ink which won't wash out (avoid "water soluble" which is not the same thing as water-based). Basically exactly the same as printing on paper.
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Nov 2, 2009 22:51
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My local printer is running InDesign 2.0 while I have my files saved in CS4. How would I go about making my files compatible with 2.0?
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Nov 3, 2009 20:21
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alphaoenz posted:My local printer is running InDesign 2.0 while I have my files saved in CS4. How would I go about making my files compatible with 2.0? I'm not sure about InDesign but a lot of Adobe products have an option in the SaveAs menu to save under an older format.
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Nov 3, 2009 21:04
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Is it taboo to use "films" in your production company's name if you aren't shooting on actual film? I was once scolded by my friend's father for saying "film" instead of "video" when talking about a movie we were making with a digital video camera. Now, my friends and I are starting to make movies on a regular basis and are shopping around for a good name. Should I steer clear of using "films", since we are shooting everything on an hvx200?
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Nov 4, 2009 04:50
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JimmyStewart posted:Is it taboo to use "films" in your production company's name if you aren't shooting on actual film? I was once scolded by my friend's father for saying "film" instead of "video" when talking about a movie we were making with a digital video camera. No that's retarded. Tell your friend's father he is dumb. That's like complaining about calling CDs "records" or something. Films are what we call movies when we take them seriously. The recording medium doesn't matter in the least. And definitely don't put "videos" in the name, unless you want to get hired to shoot a lot of weddings.
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Nov 4, 2009 05:01
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Slashie posted:No that's retarded. Tell your friend's father he is dumb. That's like complaining about calling CDs "records" or something. Films are what we call movies when we take them seriously. The recording medium doesn't matter in the least. And definitely don't put "videos" in the name, unless you want to get hired to shoot a lot of weddings. poo poo! I love filming weddings! Thanks man.
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Nov 4, 2009 05:11
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alphaoenz posted:My local printer is running InDesign 2.0 while I have my files saved in CS4. How would I go about making my files compatible with 2.0?
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Nov 4, 2009 11:36
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I've been warned time and time again to draw from life rather than photos if you want to truly understand depth and perspective. Well, I want to do just that. We have a walk in figure drawing session at our local university every thursday from 10 to noon. The only problem is that I work 9-5 monday to friday. Since I can't have a model stand in front of me for two hours I'm going to need to start drawing strangers in public places. I've done this in the past (on busses and bus stops) but I usually just end up drawing peoples backs which is not really what I want to be sketching. I've decided that I'd like to start drawing in coffee shops and places like that (stationary places with decent lighting) and my question to you is: + Do you have any tips on drawing people in public without looking like a total creep?
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Nov 4, 2009 12:43
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