Phun With Photocopiers

Hello! Quite a lot of things are going on here. I'm working on a brand new art print for Pandora's Prints, and I had the pleasure of doing T shirt artwork for an excellent band from Germany, Bogatzke. I tried something kind of different for the process, which involved me inverting the image on a copy machine and using a sharpie to reestablish highlights. I've grown to really enjoy being able to work subtractively on my films when preparing for screen printed art. This job required no film preparation on my part, however, so I needed to complete this step in a different way.

The image on the left is the completed drawing, which is ink and sharpie on paper. I was not entirely happy with some of line hatching.

The picture in the center is the negative of the image, produced on a photocopier. I then went into the highlights (now black) and extended them into the shadows (now white) and inverted the image back to a positive. At this point I touched up the new positive, and inverted it back to a negative. I worked back and forth like this a couple of times.

The image on the right is the finished product, which I scanned and emailed to the client.

I really have no idea how to use a computer to create an illustration, and that's fine with me. I enjoy drawing, inking, cutting, and scratching at my films by hand.

One more thing before I take a walk and get some groceries on this beautiful fall evening:

My friend and fellow technophobic artist, Gina Kelly (of recent Nightmare on Elm Street fame) has a new blog up about art, astrology, animation, and things that don't necessarily start with the letter "A". Check it out! www.weathermakerarts.blogspot.com

Impending transparent astronauts

Hello! Things have been pretty busy here. I've been doing a lot of drawing lately. To the right is some ink work for a new print. I'm starting to keep other parts of film preparation process in mind when doing the art for my key plate. I'm leaving a lot of open spaces to be occupied by colors, textures, layering, atmospheric perspective (which I often like to attempt with split fountains), and this one will probably have some more hand cut cumulus clouds in the sky. I'm beginning to approach the screen printing process more like a painting and a little less like a finished drawing to which I'm simply adding color.

Shifting gears a bit, here is the information for the 2010 print subscription:

Subscribers will receive one of each print I do for the entire year (an estimated 40-50 different pieces), which includes all art prints and gig posters. Subscribers will receive matching edition numbers, there will also be a small closed edition for subscribers only, as well as some other fun bonuses.

The subscription will open on November 1st. Information regarding cost, payment, etc. can be found at justinsantora.com

X-Acto knives, soy milk, and backside disasters

I spent Saturday night cutting clouds out of rubylith. That's actually a lot more fun than it sounds.

Also, my friends at Seripop just launched a new website. Check it out: http://seripop.com

Helium balloons and hanggliders

I finished printing these last night. Seven screens, edition of 33. I'm quite pleased with how they came out. Today I'm working on the drawing for the last in the series.

Persistence

I've been back in Montreal and back to work, first on a gig poster for The Flaming Tsunamis, and I've resumed working on the third print in the narrative series. I printed the fourth color today and have at least three to go, but I might do an eighth layer for some highlights if necessary. To the right is a picture taken after the first and second screens were printed. I am using transparent inks for each of the colors on this print, including the key line, which presents opportunities for subtle underprinting to achieve additional colors, texture, and depth. Cutting films knowing that the key line will be printed with a semi transparent color changes the approach a bit. Colors have to be trapped more carefully, but it's proving to be a challenging and interesting way to work.

I have a few pictures from my recent European excursion (including some from Groningen's Vera). I'll get those posted soon!

Stay tuned--this new print will be finished and available soon, and the fourth in the series is on the way, as well.

All Roads Lead to Ausfahrt

Seriously. They do. I'm in Hamburg right now, and day one of Flatstock Europe 4 (or "Euro-Flatstock," as I've just decided would be a funnier moniker) has come and gone. It was great to see some familiar faces, as well as meet some new ones. Jay and Diana taught me some German. If you ask me how I'm doing, I know how tell you that I'm good. Awesome.

I'll be back home Sunday night, and will resume working on the new narrative series. Expect to see two new prints available at the beginning of October.

I'll be here at Euro-Flatstock, but if you're in the Chicago area, go to this:

Multimedia Benefit for the Cause and Affect Foundation
Quennect4 Gallery, 2716 W. North Ave & California, Chicago, IL
September 26th, 2009. 8PM-2AM
Live music by Black Umbrella Brigade, Isis Rose, Alltruism, Noble Savage, and Spacesuit. Live art, DJs, and screenprinted art and posters by Dan Grzeca and Justin Santora. $10 minimum donation. All proceeds will benefit the Cause and Affect Foundation.
www.causeandaffectfoundation.org

Notes from Willem II Straat

Greetings from Tilburg. Today was my second day in the Netherlands. Tilburg is a pretty quiet town in a southern part of the country. I've been learning all sorts of interesting things about the different parts of Holland. I already know four words in Dutch (one of them is the word for "squirrel"). One thing that's really great about poster events like this is having the opportunity to talk to other artists about their work and their process, as well as about the different places they come from. The poster scene is very different in Holland than it is in US. There are many talented poster artists here, but there does not seem to be a fully developed poster culture. My friend, Mara (who organized Z-Stock) is working hard to bring that enthusiasm we enjoy in North America to different parts of Europe. I will be in Groningen before heading to Hamburg, and I will have an opportunity to check out Vera, a music venue that has an in house print shop to produce all the posters for its shows. This place has produced many beautiful posters. Check it out: http://www.vera-groningen.nl/posters/

I've been eating delicious sandwiches and cupcakes from my new friends at 50 Food Combo, a small vegan food and catering company from Germany. They have a booth fifteen feet from mine. Needless to say, I've been a frequent visitor.

Okay, I'm going to head back to my hosts' house. I've been stealing the internet from a small cafe in town, and strangers keep talking to me in Dutch. And unless they're talking about squirrels or mentioning names of cities that I recognize, I can only smile and nod.