I use the phrase stepping stone in jest, as one of the objects I am considering making would be stepping stones, like the Hollywood Stars in Los Angeles, except as clouds. The issue with making such an item is that it has to be durable and I have gone back and forth as to how to make an equivalent item, but with updated imagery an a different aestetic. The polyester resin and epoxy resin systems I have been playing with have showed promise when I mix in atomized metals like aluminum, steel, bronze and brass. I have even been able to screen print these mixtures with a varying degree of detail. Yesterday I applied an acid finish to one piece and got a nice patina effect that showed up the next day, so the final results are interesting.
The problem has been the smell and toxicity of the chemicals as they bug everyone around me, including myself. There has also been a significant number of bonding issues and cracking that has happened after the pieces have been made, so these techniques are difficult to apply in my current setup.
Back in the day I used to mix bronzing powder with water based inks and get a printable medium that I applied to t-shirts. I am desperately trying to make something other than another t-shirt, but these materials and skills may be the only marketable product that I can make that can help pay for the process itself. I was wondering if the atomized metal would work similarly to the bronzing powders as I assumed they would and hopefully they may work better and print through tighter screens. My big question now is what materials to print on to try and replace the need for the polyester resins and what or how should I use the final product?
My original inspiration to the harder materials like plaster and the fresco process came from transfering images into the wet plaster itself with varying degrees of success. I did not have luck using water-based screen printing inks, at least not consistent luck and eventually I moved towards gouache because of the opacity and I was able to get some of the pigments to bind with the plaster more consistently. I don't get a lot of bleeding with the gouache pigments, but I do get a pretty good bond to the plaster.
Now I am repeating the process of trying a water-based medium that will bind with the plaster and I jumped right back where I was with the t-shirt inks. The difference this time is that I am thinking about a multitude of carrier materials as the polyester resins have made me rethink how to sustain the prints until I can laminate them into a more permanent piece, as printing on silicon sheets, vinyl, water-slide decal paper, transparencies and such. The myriad of materials I have worked with all lack something and are questionable when it comes to creating a thick painting like final product because of the difference in the materials themselves as I have previously described the many failed attempts at bonding the image laminate to something of more character. This is where t-shirt printing comes in handy because it usually doesn't matter the thickness and there is always a desire to get the thinnest possible layer that will do the job of making the image stay on the shirt.
First I printed an Ultraman image with a Black Steel atomized metal mixed into an extender water-based ink (which really means a heat-setting acrylic ink). This had a nice asphalt grey type of look and I printed it on vinyl and some transfer materials as well as a t-shirt. Didn't really look any different than using a black ink, so I don't see a lot of rationale for continuing this mixture on t-shirts, but it could work in molds if the other materials I use like plaster, Gorilla glue or polyresin adhere to it.
I can't seem to figure a reason why it won't be as good as polyester resin as a binder since t-shirt inks are made to endure washing, drying and wearing. Next I mixed a bronze atomized metal into the t-shirt ink and it had a milky look, but I am hopeful that it will be like glue and dry clear. I printed this on a variety of materials including films, vinyl sticker paper and a t-shirt, of course. My goal is to apply some acid to the printed surface and cause the patina effect to happen before I transfer the images to another surface or material. My concept is to make bronze stickers for cars or transfers for shirts that have this effect, yet the toxic effects can be removed before the image is applied to the final product. I now have these materials drying in the hot box trailer and I am trying to think through the many possibilities here.
If it wasn't for my experience in the fashion business I wouldn't be thinking so commercially about these items, but I can't justify spending my time making prints and photo frescos since nobody buys them and I have to pay my bills. The funny thing is that because I am forced to keep working with t-shirts, the thing I sort of hate, it is only because of these skills that I have so many solutions with materials that may get me away from the Polyester and toxic materials, which I hate for different reasons.
I want to do something extreme like coat my Chrysler 300 with bronze and then patina the whole thing green, or pass out Y-Que stickers that have the patina effect and then see them show up around Los Angeles. These projects won't be possible if I don't get a product that I can make and sell and as always I am back to doing t-shirts first so that I can have fun later. When will later arrive?
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