I spent my day watching steel rust and loved it.

I did a print on wood with epoxy to make this steel rust for the background of a spray paint stencil design. The idea is to have the flesh and light tones made by the rusting steel pigments in the mixture. I increased the highlights too much with photoshop and this image appears yellow, but it basically shows what I have in terms of this process. I'm happy with the effect and I proceeded to make three more of these on canvas in a relatively short period of time. I am literally making these backgrounds and adding a saline solution and putting them out to dry, which means I am standing around watching them rust.

Mounting the frame and finishing the piece is still the hard part. I prefer not to have to spend my time worrying about how the final piece is going to look, but I am forced to work in a retail world and this requires me to have to make things presentable. The framing is more important than any signature, but I don't worry so much about that any more. Proliferation is more important than identity in my world, but uniqueness is a signature in and of itself.

I need to go back and work on some new stencils or I may even be able to screen print on these canvas's. These are not reliefs as I have regressed back to a 2-d concept. The benefits of a relief is a limiting factor for practical applications since reliefs cannot be applied to a wide range of products. Reliefs are basically emblems and if an image has depth within the graphic itself, then it can serve the same purpose as a sculpture without having the thickness and weight that comes along with a relief. I learned this early in my career with craft-like products when I tried to add embroidery to my screen printing business. People / Customers preferred screen printing over embroidery because of the graphic effect versus the more labor intensive embroidery process. It's like cartoons are better than photographs in some ways. Your imagination can flow into and out of a cartoon, but a photo brings you back into reality and it's not that fun; it's literally too real.

It's not easy being Glow in the Dark

It always seems kitschy when you see glow in the dark items, but it isn't easy being Glow in the Dark, just try it. Glow in the dark also isn't cheap. Currently I pay about $80-90 for a quart of glow in the dark plastisol screen printing ink. The powder to mix a good glow in the dark is also not cheap if you want it to glow enough to make it have an impact. I've been printing with my glow in the dark inks to try and make stickers that pop at night. This is a good item for cell phones and they can even serve the purpose of helping to find a phone or remote control in a dark space. I can't get a good bond with the plastisol, so I am going to have to mix glow-in-the-dark powder into clear epoxy and see how that works.

My other half-baked ideas are a new printed stencil made with epoxy. I am patiently waiting for it to dry enough to peel it away from it's form so that I can try it tomorrow and see how it works. This new spray paint stencil technique should remove the small grid lines that I have when I make wire mesh stencils.

I have made a variety of test with different abrasive techniques on the epoxy and steel sheets I have made. My favorite item to use is a sponge sandpaper square, but I also tried two types of abrasive pads and some very fine sandpaper. After sanding I coated the veneers with salt water and I am hoping that a rusted surface will appear in a day or two and then these steel veneers can be used as a background for printing lighter colors onto.

I printed adhesive and epoxy today and applied powders to see how finished the surfaces look, not bad, but they top layer is going to be vulnerable to wear quicker than with a sealed epoxy finish. I also applied some adhesive backing to some epoxy experiments that didn't work out so that I could use the flawed pieces as stickers. I printed some adhesive to some line art and am attempting to transfer the line art print to glass surfaces just from the pressure against the glass. This may work well with an epoxy background that can adhere to the glass while it dries. It was wishful thinking to think the glue would be strong enough to just work the image off my transfer paper, but more time and wetter epoxy may help the process.

Success leads to a new set of problems and a new set of solutions - Printing with adhesives

I have now found a way to print on the clear epoxy veneers with an ink jet printer and then adhere these prints to other things like sticker paper. The problems that arise from this are similar to the problems that arise with every printed material when it comes to finishing the prints and cutting them out. Without a die made specifically for an item these prints have to be cut from their background and that leaves a white or black frame around the item, unless I spend long amounts of time meticulously cutting the edges. The other option is to print these ink jet prints on clear epoxy and then print a white background just where the image is. The clear epoxy can then bleed off the edges and blend into the substrate that the sticker would be put on.

My here was to add pigment to the adhesive and print an adhesive in the white or background color. The reason this won't work is that the clear area would need adhesive too. Therefore I need I can print a white background color in a regular ink that can bond to the printed area and the epoxy around it, then apply a clear adhesive to the back. Frankly it may be simpler to just use a vinyl ink and print correctly on sticker paper with the proper ink and then let the stuff dry, then go to another color. All of this work to make an epoxy sticker will help it survive in ways that vinyl may not survive, but I am having trouble with keeping a focus on the final purpose if it is just going to be a sticker in the end. I just washed a glass with a color ink jet image printed and it didn't wash out, nor did it come off, so there is something to be said for that. However I could also do the same to a vinyl sticker it might work for the purpose of the normal life cycle for these types of things. I do like the idea of epoxy veneers that could be fused together and that is something that you can't do with vinyl stickers, but I am not in a position to make something to use that type of procedure, so that may be a waste of time also.

Thinking this through I see a solution to a non-relevant problem. Assuming I use the epoxy as the printed veneer and apply a clear adhesive to the back, then I layer these pieces, like shingles, onto another substrate. The advantage of these veneers is that they could then receive a top coat of epoxy that would connect and seal them together in a way that would be superior to an epoxy coating in that the bonds between the layers is permanent going epoxy to epoxy. Epoxy sheeting, Cold molding, Epoxy laminating? I'm not sure what to call this technique but most other films are not made out of epoxy and therefore are not able to be bonded together. I suppose Sticker Molding would be a good word for this. Vinyl tiles or floor tiles may be the equivalent process, like wall paper, but wall paper that you could blast with a power washer.

Actually I have heard of some fancy wall paper being used and sold for huge amounts of money, like $70 a roll. Whaaaaaat? This could be a practical application of the concept of epoxy veneers with prints, but I would need to research this market a bit more. A flat wall is the perfect substrate for applying stickers onto in a big way.

I did a quick review and found some wall papers that sold for around $2.50 per square feet. These were digitally printed designs on 27" paper that overlapped at 24" intervals. The total length was 27 feet for about $150. I was impressed with the color, but can't really think of working that big or competing with that type of product. Even if an epoxy version of that would be a better product, I don't think it is worth the time to work on something like that except for my own project. This does have me thinking of the types of designs on the side of airplanes and I wonder what type of sticker imaging technique they use for that. This type of picture of a whale or logo on the side of a plane would have to survive all types of abuse at 300 miles an hour or more.

Quick research review indicates that the exterior of planes are painted, not covered with large stickers. Comprende'.

The combination of practical to make and practical to use rules the day.

I have been having some success in making thin epoxy veneers, but in trying to find a final practical use for these pieces I am forced to acknowledge the products that already are on the market that are similar in some way and superior in others. For example epoxy stickers are readily available online, but they are not quite what I am trying to make in that the typical epoxy sticker on the market is a color image that is covered by a clear epoxy dome or clear sticker. In many cases these would be much easier to buy than my epoxy veneer stickers and my epoxy stickers would never be as easy to use or as cheap as what is currently on the market for epoxy stickers. The other item to compare my epoxy stickers to is cut vinyl lettering and emblems that are used on cars and boats and again, these items are readily available and in common use as stickers, but quite possibly would not last as long as an epoxy emblem or sticker. The problem here is deciding on what to finish making for markets that are already flush with items that would create problems with finding a niche for my photo fresco epoxy stickers.

Stickers still seem like the way to go since they can be used on a wide range of products without heat or additional glues. My big question here is whether or not to bond the epoxy veneers to vinyl sticker paper that has superior adhesives or to just put glue on the back of the emblems themselves. I have an old roll of double sided sticker paper and I think I will just apply a fresh layer of epoxy and then press the emblems onto the sticker. Off to try it now.

Printing with Epoxy and the Screen Printing inks on the market

I have printed with epoxy and polyester resins and much to my surprise the epoxy resins that I mixed have performed and cleaned up better than the epoxy I purchased through my screen printing suppliers. The secret is to use a wide mesh screen and mix the epoxy thick enough so that is does not keep spreading once it is printed. Depending on the mixture the screen may or may not be recoverable, but only use a screen that you are willing to destroy in the process of printing with epoxy. My next challenge is going to be detail and I am currently happy with a 20 line half tone screen for printing. My opinion is that a high contrast image without a halftone may have a better effect visually as it will look more graphic and pop against the rusted backgrounds I am trying to work on.

My next job in this process is to make a bunch of epoxy backgrounds and make them rust properly, while I work on the artwork that will eventually be printed on top of these backgrounds. Also I think the best substrate would be canvas since it is flexible and can be rolled.

This brings up the reason for epoxy versus other materials. I have found that to get a good final piece that can survive outside, it needs to be thick. Acrylics and other inks will crack as they get thicker, especially polyester resins. The ability of epoxy to bend and stay adhered to the substrate makes it a superior medium to work with.

Urethane is the other material that can weather well, but it is hard to bond other materials to it, so I have had to move away from urethane resins as a printing and cold casting medium. Similarly other inks don't necessarily bond to epoxy, but epoxy on epoxy does work and that insures a good surface for exterior use that will weather well over time. Ultra Violet light, UV, does distort or discolor epoxy, but if I am using solid pigments in the material then those pigments should block the negative effects of yellowing and discoloration from the UV in sunshine.

Nothing new here, please move along.

The old becomes the new as the new is the "New Old". Circular rhetoric won't make this concept any better, but it does make light of the idea that making new things look old is sort of my goal. I like this rusty background and although I think the rust also works well as the lighter tones in a piece, it is dark enough in this case to work as a background. This photo fresco of Lindsay Lohan was made 3-4 years ago, at least and I have left it sitting around in my yard weathering. Every time I go to destroy it or throw it away I look at the details and wonder why my other pieces haven't weathered as well as this on has?



This is the newer epoxy sticker concept, without the weathering with a Mayan Calendar design. I think I can repeat this process and end up with a background that weathers like the Lindsay piece, but it works as just a sticker, emblem or patch as I discussed earlier. The detail is sufficient for a photographic effect and because I can make the veneer smooth enough to print on then I should be able to print with epoxy or some other durable ink and keep the rough look of the metal by sanding it first. The big accomplishment that has gotten me back to this point is that I am now able to make the thin epoxy veneers by cold casting and can finish them with a canvas backing (or wood, foam or any other surface) and then apply the imaging afterwards. In the past I have been making these as one piece and as reliefs, which required sanding and finishing afterwards. Now I am going to apply the idea of steel veneers of epoxy as a gesso or background for other works to be applied on top of. Also these will be flexible and thin enough to cut and trip if required and epoxy or other paints should adhere successfully to the surfaces. These can still be made together if I want to print them in layers, but I am now thinking that I would make a bunch of backgrounds and then have them for images when I need them.

The bigger picture

Just how big is the bigger picture. I keep making things smaller and analyzing them on a microscopic level to determine what is really in the bigger picture, assuming it is just multiples of the smaller picture. The smaller the objects are that I make the more the objects themselves need to be put into something else to make them bigger. Even little pendant like objects need to be hooked on chains and smaller flat images need to be made into stickers. The bigger picture and idea of materials that could survive weathering deserves a bigger item or piece.

The last item I made was a flexible epoxy patch and it keeps making me think of scales on a fish or reptile. The only salable item I have for this is the patches or stickers that I mentioned previously and as I fondle this item I ponder the variety of ways that I could apply it to make something else. The backing is made of canvas and the top or front is made with epoxy. If I overlap these items the epoxy layers could be bonded together and create an impermeable layer or skin. My latest fancy is to apply these in a scale like pattern over a boat or boat mold to create a hull or waterproof barrier with the shingle-like effect.

I am now thinking of the shape or pattern and trying to devise a purpose or benefit to this type of layering and coating. If epoxy is on the topside and exposed to weathering then it could also be painted and protected further, or another layer of epoxy could be applied on top to bond all of the scales together. However, if they were applied properly, then the scales should provide a strong external layer themselves without an extra coating. Still I need to come up with a pattern for layering and a shape to create for the scales in order to move forward to the next step of design.

Etsy - No Big Deal

Not much excitement over on Etsy, but also there isn't much excitement in my retail store in Los Angeles either. I have gone back to the drawing board about how and what I should spend my time making. I realize that the raised effect of the reliefs is no more entertaining or relevant that coloring or shading in an image. This renders much of my work to create 3-dimensional objects pointless from a finished product standpoint. I still like some of the finishes that can be achieved with using metals in epoxy and then sanding the top surface and allowing it to oxidize or rust, but I think I can achieve this in by making thinner, more flexible layers than with the reliefs. As a thinner layer I can then print designs using epoxy and possibly get a higher resolution than with reliefs. This would be more of a photographic effect versus a molded effect and the thinner layers will allow me to use these types of veneers as stickers or patches.

I had some discussions at a photo store in Los Angeles regarding the emulsions and coatings on photographic paper versus ink jet paper. My question about photographic paper is that if the resin coated paper is completely sealed then how does the unexposed silver get released from the sealed emulsion? The associate at the store implied that the silver is sort of embedded on the top surface of the emulsion in the paper. This concept got me to thinking that a thin layer of color or shaded material is just as deep as a relief if the viewer can see the details. Thus black and white photography incorporates detail and sharpness as well as shading to get effects, albeit literal duplications of the visual world, that are interesting as prints.

As a screen printer I have been able to print with mixed epoxies with a reasonable degree of detail, nothing like a true photographic print, but with more of a high contrast graphic type of photographic effect. In screen printing this is completely acceptable if not desired over more accurate higher detail effects I could get with a direct print, digital print or photographic print. My dilemma is that I am not convinced on the type of print to create using thinner veneers of epoxy.

I could print and adhere thin layers of epoxy with steel onto canvas and make the top surface rusty, then print a layer of a different color on top of that. The background or epoxy base is like a gesso, but would be flexible and could be adhered to canvas, thus making a epoxy photo fresco patch. The canvas can then be cut out or coated on the back with other materials like heat sensitive glue, making it a clothing patch, or pressure sensitive adhesive, making it a sticker.

My other technique would be to coat and print a photographic image on the backside of the layer of epoxy and then apply the canvas backing which can have a background color of white to make the image stand out. I don't see any benefit to this as I could just as easy make any print and then cover it with a clear coat of epoxy and the end result may be the same, except for the patch aspect. I suppose if I want to make photographic patches then the embedded photo in epoxy makes some sense as a process.

With that in mind I did do some color artwork of flowers that I will post here and I am thinking on how to apply it most effectively. I did a daisy and a sunflower, both of which look the same after I overworked them.

It's production time and etsy time

I posted a bunch of photo fresco keychains on etsy, yque.etsy.com. I want to test their marketplace and see if there is any place to sell stuff online that isn't as big a rip off as eBay and Amazon. Still I am not sure that I have a salable product, sticker/keychain, but I think these items are interesting and I can make more if I need to.

Update with scans of the photo fresco rust versus the aluminum with a 2nd color painted in.

A previous post where I discussed this process in detail was moved further down the blog because I updated a bunch of failed post from my phone. Here is a link to that explanation: http://photofresco.blogspot.com/2013/06/on-road-to-ruin-i-found-what-i-was.html

This hi contrast photographic image is a good example of the rust technique versus the painting a second color of epoxy. Although the epoxy finished image of Johnny Cash is cleaner looking, it also is too generic in some ways. The mystery surrounding the rust process is far more interesting to me and although it makes the piece look like a piece of old metal, hey, that's the accomplishment because it is really a new piece of plastic and not metal. It feels like plastic and molds like plastic, but it looks like rusty old steel.

Test post images

Emblem

2 color

Carbon fiber backed epoxy molds

Punk rock lettering

Epoxy emblems

Setting up a batch of adhesive backed emblems with epoxy. Free emblem with each t shirt at y-que in los Angeles.

Is that all there is?

After all the trials and tribulations, this is what I got, magnet frames, woo hoo!

Titanium white

And ethyl cellulose, chunky.

Punk rock magnet letters for cars

Volvo swag

On the road to ruin, I found what I was looking for.

I progressed down my road to ruin, blaming the economy, growing old and of course, Obama. As the prices for everything I need continues to rise, along with my debt, I find fewer and fewer reasons to work on an enterprise that requires large overhead and expenses. Through these trying times I spend much of my time working on my experiments, or side projects and they have provided some inspiration, but not any sort of economic benefit. There were glimpses of effects and styles that I liked, but they have always been just a few feet out of reach. Then today I walked out and picked up a piece that I had left out to dry and it had the effect I had been looking for.

I have been making reliefs and one effect that I liked was the topside of the relief was a rusty light brown, like an iron oxide yellow, and the inside of the relief is black. The net effect is a naturally occurring two-color effect that I parallel to a photographic effect. The parallel is reached by understanding that in photography the black is created on a piece of white paper by exposing silver particles in a suspended emulsion to light and then rinsing the paper in a series of acids and water. The particles that are exposed turn black and the remaining unexposed particles are washed away in the process, thus leaving a microscopic black particle pattern on a white background of paper. The weak links here are that the image is on a thin layer of emulsion and that is on a piece of paper, which has a limited life under even the best of situations.

The idea of working with photo fresco techniques has been to create a more permanent photographic effect and although I can transfer a photographic image into plaster, much like original fresco paintings, the process is still only skin deep, albeit in a form of rock. The literal translation of a photograph into plaster could also be accomplished by pasting a piece of paper on a wall, so I lost interest in the final results of the direct photo process into gypsum based plasters and started experimenting with reliefs and epoxies.

I have been using a combination of screen printing methods and mold making skills to translate hi-contrast photographic designs into molds without using lasers or routers. In the end my molds are almost as good as silicon based molds, which I could also make from my original molds, which are sort of the negative in photography, or the master mold in a professional sense. I use them as working molds to keep my cost down since I can't afford to work with silicon or even urethane rubber these days. Plus the time it takes to wait for those rubbers to set always seems longer than it is. I can have a working mold in one to two hours using my techniques and at a fraction of the cost. This process also makes me feel like I am still using a photographic type of technique that provides more instantaneous results. I could move forward with this process in the future and make silicon duplicates or urethane rubber molds from the originals and do more of a production environment with the process and not have to worry about damaging the original mold, but I haven't worried about that for now, it's just there.

Once I have my mold making down, I started working and compatible with my casting materials I have been making small objects to see what type of relief I could make using hi-contrast images, like cartoon drawings, clip art, and some photos. I did a letter set for putting emblems on cars, but the weight of the material and instability of the materials caused them to lift off of the vehicles, eventually, so printing worked better for that project. I came back to small emblems of images that could be used as stickers, magnets or key chains, nothing fancy.

The big deal with making the relief effect was solved, but to make the rust effect I had to sand down the top surface and wait for the top surface to oxidize and turn yellow. My last big investment was a belt sander for sanding down wine bottles and making planters (another project), because the work of hand sanding is where I sort of stopped trying to get the oxidized effect. I finally used this sander to take off the top layer of some pieces I had made and then through them in some salt water to clean them off and speed up the oxidation process. I put them out to dry overnight, not expecting them to turn yellow, but it was worth the time of the wash and the cost of the salt. When I went out and gathered my emblems, they were yellowed perfectly in a way that created the photographic effect that I have been working on, but without a bunch of tiresome work from hand sanding.

I have also gotten a photographic effect by filling in the relief with a second color of epoxy, but that is the same as painting and a bit too much work for simple pieces. The idea that I can cast these other items in a cheap metal, buff them up with some sanding and wash them like a print in the darkroom is more entertaining and satisfying technically. This rust version of photo fresco casting adds the layer of feeling like the chemicals are doing the work and the microscopic particles are making the design effect from something that is beyond my stubby fingers ability to do.