Digital printmaking is one of my favorite ways to have fun with art. There are three things to remember when printmaking. First, make sure it can fit through the printer <--- you may think that one is silly, but you would be surprised. And secondly, make sure the surface is prepared for printing. Finally, you are limited to using an inkjet printer for most substrates. A laser printer will smear the ink and ruin the printer.
I decided to print on a clear surface and I also wanted to build my own substrate and print on that as well. Dura-lar and clear-lay can both be printed on after preparation. Clear-lay is a little more economical and easier to cut, but dura-lar is archival. There is also clear acetate, but it tears easy, is not acid free and it is not archival. So, for this project I went with dura-lar that is .020” thick. After trimming it down to be able to fit in the printer, it needs to actually be made printable. And for the substrate that I was building, I got disposable cutting mats from bed, bath & beyond.
InkAid makes lots of different precoats that once applied on a surface and dried, ink is virtually able to be pushed into the coating. Since I wanted to keep my first substrate clear, I used a Clear Gloss Precoat: Type II on the dura-lar and applied it with a sponge brush. The general rule of thumb is the more coatings you use, the better the clarity. And with multiple coats, you are ensuring you covered the entire substrate. For my second substrate I used an Iridescent Medium from liquitex, an Iridescent Pearl Gloss Precoat and the Type II precoat. To put it simply, I just wanted some sparkles on this one.
Below are the exact coatings I used for each substrate:
Dura-lar
Clear Gloss Precoat: Type II – 3 coatings
Cutting Mat
Iridescent Medium – 1 coating
Iridescent Pearl Gloss Precoat – 2 coatings
Type II – 2 coatings
You should wait 24 hours in between each coating, butttt I was a little impatient and only waited 8 hours. I did wait 24 hours after the final coating before I printed.
So, now that everything is dry, we are ready to print on the cutting mat. The last thing we have to do to the dura-lar is add a colored tape to the top, so the printer will recognize that there is something there…the sensors can’t read something that’s clear.
Alright, tape applied and we have a green light. DO NOT print on the wrong side or you are guaranteeing the death of your printer. After printing is done, I always let everything sit for 12 hours before I spray each piece with a protectant coat. I personally have never seen a difference between the Clearjet Type A2000 and the Krylon crystal clear, so I use whichever.
The cool thing about the cutting mat is that the coatings have almost become a skin and can be peeled off. I chose to keep mine on the mat, but the easiest way to peel the coatings off is to cut the edges with an exacto knife and pop the mat into the freezer. I found the skin sticks in the humidity. And now we are finished!
*as a side note: the precoats tend to separate: never shake, always stir gently to prevent creating bubbles.
Gradient mesh is probably one of the most amazing tools that Illustrator has to offer. Learning to use it can be somewhat frustrating and time consuming. Creating a piece out of gradient mesh definitely requires patience. I personally work better with Illustrator than I do with Photoshop and this tool is one that can look like it was done with paint in PS, yet is in the form of a vector.
Notice how the paths that connect the mesh points follow the contour of the object, hence, why a symmetrical shape works a little better. Using the Direct Selection Tool, you can choose any mesh point you want and change the color. Keep in mind the anchor points that make up the outside edge of the circle can be colored as well.
Since there was only one mesh point in the middle of the circle, I colored it white. The white color will gradate into the blue. (top picture) The bottom picture shows where I selected the surface of the circle, not a point, which rather than coloring only one mesh point, all the mesh points that directly touches the surface I selected will gradate into the blue.
Seems like a simple concept, but it can quickly build up into something bigger. Below is one small portion of a saxophone that I did using gradient mesh.
I find it easiest to work from top to bottom when using this tool. If an object is partially covering another object, don't waste your time making it super pretty if you aren't going to see it. (or you can if you really want to) This guy here took about 15 minutes and it was only 1/100th of the whole piece and probably the easiest one to actually color.
So, my biggest piece of advice I can offer when it comes to gradient mesh is Patience. Because you will probably need it.
I never thought that I would ever become a designer. I had never been naturally good at art, but was more than willing to learn how to do it. One of my first teachers in college challenged me to push my limits more than most. Give me a pencil and paper and you might end up with a slightly identifiable caveman drawing. Sit me in front of a computer and the possibilities are endless. Regardless of whether or not I was any good, if there was one thing my slightly eccentric college professor reinforced so much that I dream about it, it was always remember to use CRAP. Yes…CRAP. These are, or should be, the first rules you learn as a designer. CRAP.
Rule #1: Contrast
Contrast is one of the main reasons you might be attracted to a page in the first place. It creates visual interest. If the elements on the page are not the same, then create enough contrast to make them look very different. Do not go halfway with this rule or it might look like you made a mistake. Small vs. big, horizontal vs. vertical, bright vs. dark….I think you get it. Just make sure it is obviously noticeable, you shouldn’t have to guess about it.
Rule #2: Repetition
Your design piece should look united and organized. The repeated elements can be across the page from each other, but as long as it is the same typeface, color, graphic, etc. a connection will be made. Do not make the mistake of going overboard with repetition. You do not want to eliminate the contrast. Too much of anything will confuse the focus.
Rule #3: Alignment
Elements on the page should be aligned with something else. Strong alignment creates a more professional look and helps direct your eye across the page. Alignment helps strengthen the unity and organization of a page, the way repetition does. Centered alignment generally has the opposite effect (in most cases). The edges appear soft and the connection is lost. Therefore, avoid center alignment, unless it is intentional to the design.
Rule #4: Proximity
Group related items, separate those that are not. One of the best examples, to make it simple, is a header and a subhead. The header might be bold and the subhead could be italicized and two font sizes smaller, but these two elements will always be near each other. By doing this, you are giving the reader instant visual clues to the content of the page. And sometimes proximity does not mean the closeness, but the visual connection, similar to the repetition rule.
So, there you have it. CRAP. I can go into even greater detail about each rule, but hearing about it will not help as much as actually doing it. Keep in mind that, although you might only use one of these rules for some design purpose, they are generally interrelated and to create the strongest design, all four rules must be applied. And with that being said: in the words of Barbossa, these are more what you would call guidelines than actual rules. I will leave you with that…
