This page is dedicated to projects that have been done in the past in the eStudio. Scroll to read about others' experiences, projects and even more of their work done outside of the eStudio.
Don't forget to check out our blog for more projects that have been done in the past. Want to add yours to the blog? Click here to submit!
Amanda McCavour
Amanda McCavour uses water soluble stabilizer (as featured in the last two posts) and a (regular) sewing machine to create full-scale drawings of furniture, living spaces, flowers, hands, memories, etc.
Check out her website for other inspirational pieces:
Definitely a fantastic use of some of the same technologies we are exploring.
Ashley Kreidler
Exploring the shape fill tool in the embroidery software. Background picture is of a human hair follicle. Artist: new eStudio intern Ashley Kreidler.
Candice Methe's Unicorn Book
Year end projects included an embroidered handkerchief book project by grad student Candice Methe. The cover features a laser cut unicorn:
Beneath the unicorn she embroidered the words "And Then The Pegasus Came" in silver-gray thread that is very similar to the light color of the leather used.
The handkerchief pages were embroidered with more hand written text:
And earlier experiment shows what happens when you try to fill text for embroidery that is too small:
Cardboard Plotter Automated Drawing Machine
Check out this amazing video of a simple drawing machine...Non-computer mechanical design and drawing :)
Check out the artists other work at his website for some more of the most awesome weird machines.
http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/5/4066118/cardboard-plotter-automated-drawing-machine-niklas-roy
Cloth Transfer
We remain busy as students finish up their projects: Gao Hli Yang used the ironing board and iron to make 22 little cloth transfer drawings, one for each of her classmates!
Deconstructed Horse
David Gibson created this embroidery from a picture which he cut apart, rearranged, and scanned. The arrangement creates a feeling of motion and chaos between the elements. He was able to program in some very specific textures at varying angles which added to a feeling of movement within each block of color. Hopefully we will have a picture of the final project soon!
Drafting Paper
We're super excited to be back in the eStudio! Quote of the day yesterday was "the e could really stand for anything...I like to think it stands for exciting!" (Thanks Jenny!)
Newly installed this semester we have a roll of drafting paper..:
Drawing with the Vinyl Cutter
Though the file was created with cutting in mind, it is very interesting drawn out as well. Line quality has a lot of variation even though a robot drew it. Keep an eye out for more testing done with different materials (charcoal? chalk? pens?)
Final image below:
We have been exploring more options-- using the vinyl cutter as a drawing machine (or plotter) and the results are encouraging. By having different information on different "layers" and printing each successively, we can get different colors working together:
This method of drawing can also be great for creating large scale drawings:
22" x 28"
Or all together:
30" x 21"
Equal (禁煙)
The BFA senior exhibition 0f Rebecca Hoffman using the laser cutter to cut and etch some gorgeous leather with subtle images showing the medical effects of smoking: lung cancer, coronary heart disease, macular degeneration, and really bad teeth. These images are wreathed in wisps of smoke, and are strangely beautiful. Once the laser etching was done, she brought them up to the eStudio and added embroidered details to the smoke and medical images and her own drawings of women with their fingers out as if they are holding a cigarette...No cigarettes are actually shown because in Japan, advertising that encourages women to smoke is forbidden under a voluntary industry agreement. Because the ban is voluntary, it is observed in name, but not necessarily functionally...for instance, cigarettes are sold in little flower-decorated boxes, and the pianissimo brand is pink and green decorated.The conflict between the health impacts of smoking and the urge toward equality is at the heart of Rebecca's project.
These pieces will be folded and sewn into little purses modeled on the traditional Japanese tobacco pouches and cast bronze elements were added.
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These pieces will be folded and sewn into little purses modeled on the traditional Japanese tobacco pouches and cast bronze elements were added.
Embroidered Newspaper Pictures
Artist Lauren DiCioccio uses hand embroidery on a translucent cotton laid over a newspaper to illustrate the photographs from the news.
Visit her website for more beautiful examples.
This project is from spring of 2012, but we're excited that it was recently featured in the window of Rainbow Chinese, a restaurant on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis. All of the houses were sewn in the eStudio using the digital embroidery machine, and all of the lighter blue lettering was hand sewn.
Embroidery Samples
New materials on display to help understand exactly what the machines might do to your images.
email estudio@umn.edu
with any suggestions!
with any suggestions!
Erik Olson
Though not composed using digital technologies (that I know of) the use of plastic and thread in this piece suggests some possible uses of both the ultrasonic welder and the digital embroidery machine. The amazing variety of color here is my favorite part. Remember the ultrasonic welder can handle any material 50% synthetic or more, which includes a lot of fabrics, and the embroidery machine can be used on plastics as well as papers and fabrics.
Visit Flow Art Space's facebook page and check out the rest of his work (including some awesome dimensional paintings and wild animations) at his website . The opening for this show is this Friday February 8th, at Flow Art Space which is located at 308 Prince Street Suite 218 in Lowertown St. Paul.
Journey Home by Sarita Zaleha
Check out her other art on her website, and thanks, Sarita, for sending images of such a cool project!
Check out the Artists in Storefronts website to learn more about the program, or take advantage of the opportunity the next time it's open!
Marilyn Monroe Portrait
Spring break is ending...and spring is beginning!
First project of the season in the eStudio was Gao Hli Yang's Marilyn image, pixelated, abstracted, and embroidered onto black cloth.
New Materials Testing - Vinyl Cutter
Expanding our example library of materials tested and on hand in the eStudio. We will have examples of materials that cut well, which blade to use, and what setting (gram force) to have the machine set at, as well as materials that just don't cut well, along with examples!
First few:
Paul Gill
The finished product of Paul Gill's piece has some great texture (from layering cotton behind the semi translucent fabric he used) and the blue paint on the frame contrasts better with the yellow of the fabric.
Nearing the end of the semester we have been quite busy. Just today there have been some very exciting projects.
Paul Gill made this embroidery on bright yellow fabric (yes, like for screen printing!) and put it into a frame he designed in the eStudio and cut on the laser cutter.
This creature (banana tail) was created from a little sketch:
This project is about the heated discussions that surround GMOs and the inaccuracies that are uttered by both sides. In the end, though it is made of little bits of many other things (and drawings!), this flower is still a flower.
Plastic Bubbles - Ultra Sonic Welder
New Materials Testing - Vinyl Cutter
Expanding our example library of materials tested and on hand in the eStudio. We will have examples of materials that cut well, which blade to use, and what setting (gram force) to have the machine set at, as well as materials that just don't cut well, along with examples!
First few:
Paul Gill
The finished product of Paul Gill's piece has some great texture (from layering cotton behind the semi translucent fabric he used) and the blue paint on the frame contrasts better with the yellow of the fabric.
Nearing the end of the semester we have been quite busy. Just today there have been some very exciting projects.
Paul Gill made this embroidery on bright yellow fabric (yes, like for screen printing!) and put it into a frame he designed in the eStudio and cut on the laser cutter.
This creature (banana tail) was created from a little sketch:
This project is about the heated discussions that surround GMOs and the inaccuracies that are uttered by both sides. In the end, though it is made of little bits of many other things (and drawings!), this flower is still a flower.
Plastic Bubbles - Ultra Sonic Welder
Experiments with new kinds of plastic are yielding fantastic results! Check out this beautiful bubble made from opalescent plastic gift wrap material using the Ultra Sonic Welder.
Printmaking Part I: Vinyl Cutting a Mask for Intaglio
Hi! I'm Kieran, an eStudio tech. We've been coming up with ways to use technologies in the eStudio for printmaking, and we've come up with a substantial list for the vinyl cutter alone. Vinyl cutter + intaglio, vinyl cutter + monoprinting, vinyl cutter + screenprinting...
I decided to try intaglio first. The idea was to create a mask for aquatinting, to cover parts of the plate instead of using asphaltum or sharpie. I drew an image on the Cintiq tablet (another great tool for printmaking - this is where I start with many of my transparencies!) and told the vinyl cutter to cut it out.
Since this was a pretty tiny mask (about 2"x3") with tiny lines, peeling the tiny squares out was annoying. I decided to keep many of the squares intact, just to see how it would look.
I then stuck the vinyl to my copper plate, scurried downstairs to the print studio, applied the aquatint, and removed the mask before etching the plate in acid. I learned with my second try that you can also keep the mask on while etching for a cleaner crisper result. Here's the plate:
And here's the first proof of the plate:
Note the fuzziness of the lines - this is because I took the mask off before etching. I like the effect.
Here's the proof of my other test, which was bigger, etched for less time, and the vinyl was left on during etching.
Conclusion: This totally works! Printmakers, try it for yourself! Use it to get really intricate and/or clean shapes. You also have the option of cutting "perfect" multiples, which is useful when using the same image for multiple applications.
Six Layer Pressure Print Plate
All six layers: they go from the lightest details to the darkest.
Layered up (some of the detail is hard to see; the piece is actually very dimensional, with 6 layers piled up)
Pressure Plate Ready for Printing
Cori Sherlock was back and finished making a pressure print plate that she cut a while ago. By layering different layers of cut vinyl on top of each other, she was able to create a dimensional form that will, through the varying amount of pressure it exerts, print in different shades whatever ink she applies to the roller.
Here are two of the three layers:
Here is the finished version, all layered together (there are 4 layers, but the top and the bottom are both white)
Snowflake Glazed Vinyl Resist Jar
Toni Carlstrom came into the eStudio to cut some snowflake pattern vinyl masks to use on her bisque fired jar and create patterns with the glaze. Here is the result:
She used midnight blue and clear glazes.
Toni Carlstrom brought her snowflake images to cut on the vinyl machine and a bisqued vase to use the resulting mask on.
While weeding the image, she kept all of the little pieces (of negative space) on some plastic so that she had the option of reassembling them if she wanted to.
She reconstructed a reverse image of her snowflake on the other side of the vase:
Taylor Kline at Prove Gallery in Duluth
Taylor Kline's work was recently featured at Goulash, a show of work by graduating UMD art students. His work incorporates some vinyl cut imagery, layered over a striking background developed by slicing skateboards, revealing a cross-section of brightly dyed plywood. Pretty sweet.
Each of his pieces depicts a different place that has been important to the development of skate culture.
Technique tip: he embedded the vinyl in thick clear acrylic medium which made the whole piece look very nicely finished.
Check out some of his older work on mnartists.org and check out Prøve Gallery on Facebook or on Lake Avenue the next time you're in Duluth!
Underwater Garden by Carly Blackmore
This fantastic image is the first (hopefully of many) made in the eStudio combining the possibilities presented by the DSB with the digital embroidery machine.
Carly printed her image onto silk (print-ready silk can be found at the Dharma Trading Company) using Sue, the experimental printer in the DSB. In the eStudio, she used her original digital image to choose details she wanted to emphasize.
Brava!
Update Older Embroidery Sketch
Update Older Embroidery Sketch
Here is Cassie Chvala's embroidery sketch all sewn out:
Because of the length of the stitches, the reverse side tension was off a little bit, and made an interesting texture...Here's the reverse of the sketch:
And here is a close up showing the fantastic line quality on that reverse side:
Valentine's Week
A few people came in to make valentines cards today...looks pretty sweet, right?
Shhhhh, don't tell Mike!
The machine has a large variety of stitches, some geometric, some layerable...some silly, like little ducklings...but this week it's straight cheese. There are lot's of applications for sewing books like this.
Mini book with a sewn binding. All done without the 5d software, just programmed stitches and monogramming on the machine itself:
Come on in and explore sewing on paper!
Vinyl Cutter Samples
If you're looking for a real easy way to do a first project here in the eStudio, consider bringing in a drawing from which to make a decal for your computer, the bumper of your car, etc. We have a very nice scanner to make a jpg from the drawing, and photoshop and illustrator to turn it into a vector file that the vinyl cutter can cut from.
This is from earlier in the semester:
The wolf and the triple spiral (triskel) were cut here in the eStudio. We also have plenty of scrap material of a good size to make computer decals, so your project would be free!
Visiting Artist: CB Sherlock
Beginning a low-density residency/partnership with the eStudio, local book artist CB Sherlock was been testing various materials and processes in the eStudio, including embroidery on book cloth, and using the vinyl cutter to cut out prairie grass images. On the Ugo paper, a wonderfully receptive plastickey printing surface, the vinyl cutter tended to etch but didn't always make it all of the way through, resulting in "light drawing" when we held the pieces up to the light:
Check her art out at her website or at the MCBA!
Digital and Thread
On topic again, check out this awesome blend of digital media (photography) and thread. Color analysis, pixel analysis, awesome.
