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Lino-Style Relief Print

I’ve been using this 3D Printed Printing Plates method for almost a year now, and one of the issues I’ve had is that most of the designs tend to avoid thin lines, and the reason for that involves the limitations of 3D printing. Thin lines get delicate because of how 3D printing works. (There are some workarounds but they are… complex.)

The other issue is that I really like the look of linocuts, including chatter, but since I am not carving away materials in a reductive process there is no chatter, unless we add chatter.

Here’s an illustration of a cassette audio tape I did in Procreate. Instead of drawing it like I normally would, I flooded the layer with black and then erased to get white, so this is sort of a reductive process since I am taking away ink (or pixels, as it were) which is somewhat similar to carving away materials.

I have not perfected this technique, and I think there are some good possibilities with it. I’ve noted before that I don’t carve linoleum for a few reasons, mostly arm pain. Besides that though, the digital to analog process offers a few great advantages. You can resize things, you can easily fix mistakes, you can make multiple plates since they are 3D printed (so iteration is built-in), and they are extremely cheap. Most of my 3D printed plates are less than $0.75 USD.

Once I finished the Procreate drawing I exported it to a PNG file, brought it into Inkscape, and then created a vector file from the bitmap file. Since this is a “rough” style of art I wasn’t too concerned with anything being precise, but it looked like a pretty good translation. From there I used the method outlined in How I 3D Print Printing Plates to make the 3D file to print.

Here’s a render of the 3D model of the printing plate. I usually use 1mm for the bottom flat part and 2mm of “raised” art which has worked well for previous designs, but I’m also wondering if I can get away with 1.5mm or 2mm for the flat part. It’s worth testing and easy to do!

The reason for changing the flat backing plate versus artwork ratio is to help those thin lines be a little stronger sine they would not be as tall. Hmmm, something to consider!

This is what the sliced plate looks like before sending it to print. I printed it on my Bambu Lab A1 mini 3D Printer which is a small printer and actually perfect for these small plates.

Ready to print! Here’s the first print along with the printing plate all inked up. I’m using my Provisional Press for this. I love the Provisional Press because it’s under $200 USD and works great for my needs.

Finally, here’s the print framed. (Yes, I 3D printed the frame.) I like where this is going, and will definitely be working on this idea in the future. I think part of what gets me excited is that I am still figuring this stuff out as I go, and there is learning and exploration as part of the process. Always room for improvement, and always new discoveries and surprises along the journey.

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Komelon Tape Measure Sketch

It’s a tape measure… it’s not too exciting. I remember hanging out at Milwaukee Makerspace in 2017 doing something with Maks and he had complained that the tape measures there were all imperial. I got on the mobile and found this Komelon tape measure that had Metric and Imperial measurements and I ordered four of them as they were less than $5 USD each! I think I kept two and gave one to Maks and maybe one to Marcus. (Maks and Marcus both grew up outside the US and were fans of the Metric System.)

The Komelon quickly became my favorite tape measure. I still have both of mine in my shop and use them all the time. We do have a bunch of other tape measures around the house but I’ve had a favorite. We’ve also got Komelons at work, which is nice. It’s also worth noting that Komelon US is located in Waukesha, not far from where I am in Milwaukee.

I really enjoy doing these sketches! I do them with an Apple Pencil on an iPad using Procreate. If you ever want a framed print of any of my sketches get in touch with me and we’ll work something out… Also, check out the Illustration page to see them all!

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Fisher-Price Tape Recorder Sketch

I didn’t have one of these Fisher-Price Tape Recorders (Cassette Player) but they seem familiar and since the came out in the 1980s I’m reasonably sure I’ve come across one over the years. See more about it, including packaging, at This Old Toy.

I had a tape recorder as a kid, and it was a ton of fun. I’d record things, play them back, and do that over and over again. Eventually I learned how to connect two tape recorders together and “edit” audio into something new. I remember I cut up one of Reagan’s speeches and made him say things he never said. (Reminder: Ronald Reagan was the devil.)

I’ve been bothered by the order of the forward and rewind buttons on this thing. It seems like they should be swapped. Maybe it doesn’t bother anyone else? I don’t know…

I’ve been using Procreate for about two months now, and I’ve learned a lot about it, but there is still plenty to learn. I think I’ve come up with a technique that works for me, but it’s still evolving, which is exciting. The “exciting” part is great, because that’s when you get into something, and stick with it. I am almost positive that within a year or two I’ll just stop making these sketches, because that seems to be how it goes with me. Which is fine, and I’ve wrote before about being a serial enthusiast and I’ve come to accept it. But for now, I’m enjoying myself.

How do I do these sketches? I use an Apple Pencil on an iPad with Procreate. If you need a sketch or illustration or a print or something, let me know! Also, check out the Illustration page to see them all!

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Skull Sketch

Skull

Here’s a skull, and yeah, I’m a huge fan of skulls… I mean, we’ve all got one. (Sorry for those of you who have been beheaded, as you may not have a skull anymore… but then, you’re probably not reading this.

Skull

Here’s a fun fact about this skull, I drew it based on a photo I took, and I took the photo of the skull that I 3D printed. So I got a digital file of a skull, then 3D printed it in two parts, glued it together, coated it, painted it, “weathered” it, and photographed it. And then years later used the photo for this sketch! Sometimes I really do take the long way around.

Skull

But when you’ve been making art (in various forms) for years, or even decades, you might find that things come back around. Themes, ideas, objects, methods, and all of that. It’s all about looking at something with a new perspective. I didn’t imagine five years ago when I printed the skull I’d even use it for a digital sketch.

Skull

And I hate to break it to you, that’s not all… You may see this skull pop up in another form, slightly different. Different medium, slightly different style, but somehow related. Maybe that’s what art is… a long string that connects disparate (or similar) things over time.

Skull

Hey! You probably already know that I do these sketches with an Apple Pencil on an iPad using Procreate. If you need a sketch or illustration or a print or something, let me know! Also, check out the Illustration page to see them all!


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Hermes 3000 Typewriter Sketch

I really don’t know a lot about the Hermes 3000, but it’s a pretty sweet looking typewriter if you ask me. I believe this is a newer/later version, as the original was more rounded and this one is more squared off. William Kotzwinkle wrote a novel and named it “Hermes 3000″… He also wrote the screenplay for Brokeback Mountain.

Other users of the Hermes 3000 include Sam Shepard, Stephen Fry, and Jack Kerouac, who wrote his final novel on a Hermes 3000.

And then there’s typewriter aficionado Tom Hanks (owner of over 250 typewriters) who said the Hermes 3000 would be the luxury item he would chose to take with him to a desert island.

Anyway, typewriters are beautiful machines and I like drawing machines and I like typewriters… so here we are!

In case you’re wondering, I do these sketches on an iPad using Procreate and an Apple Pencil. If you ever want a framed print of any of my sketches get in touch with me and we’ll work something out… Also, check out the Illustration page to see them all!


Note: This post contains an Affiliate Link. Read More.