Choi to the World

xerox lithography

This has been dogging me for months and I finally have it figured out, well I haven't tried it yet but at least I have a recipe.

I have a large painting commission that involves a lot of text. I wanted to transfer it to the canvas rather than hand letter it all. I did this in college but couldn't remember all the steps involved. I have done google searches and forum posts to no real avail aside from gel medium transfers and the citrasolv xerox (toner) transfer method found here, which is akin to methods using acetone or wintergreen, but I was looking for something that would transfer ink that would stick to the toner on the xerox so the image color could be changed and matched to painting. Seems someone may have been looking around the time I started my search and was as desparate as I, only she looked in a printmakers' forum where she got the answer below.  There is also this newsletter article which outlines the xerox lithography technique as well. The research is done now on to the experimentation phase, and to the art supply store for gum arabic, the magic ingredient missing from my memory. I am so relieved, deep breath in----deep breath out.

Below is a concise overview for reference, thanks to Mr. Maestro Nick.

1. Make a fresh xerox
2. You want to make a thin gum solution, so add 1 part gum arabic, 1 part water in a bowl.
3. Use a sponge or sponge brush to wet the copy onto the glass with toner side up. It needs to be wet, but the paper will degrade if you do too much. Just enough to wet it. The gum will help to protect the open paper. Be gentle.
4. Roll up some oil based ink and roll your brayer over the copy gently. It might roll up with your roller so start from the center and roll to the edges.
5. You need to keep sponging to remove the excess ink and to keep the copy wet, so sponge, then roll, then sponge, then roll.
6. The toner will appear glossy from ink when it's ready. Sometimes this is very quick.
7. Once it's wet, it's very fragile, so be careful when peeling the inked copy off of the glass. Run this through the press onto paper or fabric under some good pressure. I usually set it on a plexi plate, but you don't have to.

Hope this helps. It's called xerox lithography if you want to search elsewhere for this.

Best of luck! When it works it works great!

Maestro Nick
INKubator PRESS, Kansas City, MO

Image transfer research

So I am working on a fairly large commision for a painting with a recipe on it. I am really excited about this project, it is something different and it is for the best new person I met in 2010. She has made an incredible impact on me.

Back in college I learned how to do an image transfer using xerox copies paint and solvent. I don't remember the exact technique and it has been dogging me. I have searched and searched to no avail. I have come across Citrasolv and I am intrigued. It looks as though this will be what I'll use but it still not exactly what I had in mind. You have to watch this video is this stuff great or what? And it is safe, safe, safe!

a starry tutorial for you (and me too)

**** after some feedback I received yesterday it seems I'll need to make some adjustments to my photos. Since my computer is on vacation (that is my glass is half full approach, more honestly it is in the hospital) I won't be able to fix the photos for now, but if you double click on the photos they will open larger in a new window.***

I gave myself another assignment -- yesterday was leaves, today flowers. I wanted to employ the little method of making a 5 pointed symmetrical star. Thanks to Betsy Ross we have an easy way to create a perfect little star with a few folds and one snip.

So in honor of the Perseid Meteor Shower, in more magical speak, shooting stars I thought I'd offer this little tutorial for any readers and so I can find it again when I forget the order and proportions needed for this clever little trick.

(I had a star theme for my wedding so we made lots of these little enchanting polygons for decorations. Which are now the background for my tutorial.)

Start with an 8.5" x 10" piece of paper. Yes, you have to trim your standard sheet a bit.

 

Fold it in half.

 

Fold the folded sheet in half vertically and open and then fold it horizontally and open back to the original fold so that it looks like the second picture below.

 

Bring corner A to the right to meet the horizontal center line and crease. Be sure to fold from the vertical crease line. Like so below.

 

Now take point A again and fold it back on itself so the two folded edges are on top of each other like the picture below.

 

Now fold corner B over the top and crease it along the last fold.  The second picture below is a picture of the form from the underside, for reference only.

 

Lastly, fold corner B back and crease it so that the top fold lays along the fold made in the previous step. These directions sound nuts I'd be lost without the photos. 

You should have this nice point where all the folds fall evenly together this is the part that will be your star. All the top points will be cut off. There is a lot of waste.

 

Now the fun part.The one snip that makes all this folding worth it! From corner B cut on an angle down towards the point. Your degree of the angle determines that sharpness of the points on the star.

 

Now unfold...padadadadadadada (that's my drum roll)

 

Magic!

Thanks Betsy!

Now try changing that one straight snip to a curved cut. Flowers! I just love making hand cut snowflakes. Now you can do the same thing to create quaint intricately detailed, five-petaled flowers. Each one a surprise when you unfold it.