A Visit to the Digital Art Studio
An Interview with Karin Schminke, Dorothy Simpson Krause, and Bonnie Pierce Lhotka, authors of “The Digital Art Studio”
By Jackie Richards, Margaret Suchland, Barbie Adler, and John Nemo
(Published recently in the Spring 2008 issue of “PaperWorks,” the quarterly journal of PaperWorks Sonoran Collective for Paper and Book Artists, in Tucson, Arizona)
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Q. How did the three of you get together? Do you have the same basic art background?
A. We met in a workshop in 1994 and collaborate on processes and technique only from our three studios in distant states of Massachusetts, Colorado, and Washington. For more info on us refer to links at the end of this article.
Q. Do readers and artists need to be Photoshop experts in order to make productive and creative use of your book?
A. Only basic Photoshop skills are needed to use most of the techniques in the Digital Art Studio book. You have to be able to create (or scan) digital images and send them to the printer. Traditional artists will find the book easy to follow as they will be familiar with most of the materials, but will need to learn a bit about digital imaging to complete any project.
Q. How important is it to own a printer that can accommodate and adjust to different thicknesses of paper and fabric?
A. Since a photographer probably only needs to print on photo papers provided by the manufacturer, no extra thickness is needed. The HP Design Jet Z3100 produces very fine photographic images but is limited in media thickness. The Epson printers will print on material up to 1.5mm thick. This extra thickness allowance allows artists to experiment with a wider variety of both processes and substrates.
Q. What do you see in the future for artists working digitally or in combination with traditional art materials?
A. Of course we see more integration of digital and traditional techniques in the future!
Q. How can artists learn to print for use on 3D objects, irregular shapes without more error or trial?
A. The easiest way is to print on a paper or thin cardstock and then laminate to the desired surface shape before cutting or folding. Alternatively one could use the transfer or decal process from our book and then attach it to the surface.
Q. For artists who want to get started printing on fabric, please explain the comparative advantages of consumer inkjet printers versus specialty or professional inkjet printers versus service bureaus versus laser printers. Where does cost intersect with quality or versatility?
A. If artists wish to print on fabric that is washable they need to have access to a steamer and washer to set the fabric inks. For most artists, the investment in a dedicated printer/inks and steamer suggests using service bureaus for creating wash and wear fabrics. However, if the fabric is going to be used as collage material in a work of art (which would not be washed), the cost and process is similar to printing on a custom paper and substrates. inkAID White Matte Precoat can be used to coat fabrics (or any other material) to make them “inkjet receptive†and print colors beautifully. Fabrics will need to be mounted to paper before precoating and imaging. This process will work on desktop printers as well as wide format printers, but the artist will have to keep the fabric mounted to paper thin and flat enough to feed through the small printer. With the new HP Design Jet Z3100, standard fabrics can be profiled with the built in spectrophotoer. This will produce a good image on some fabrics even without an inkjet precoat.
Q. I’ve done simple gel medium transfers. I wanted to learn more. I was trying to find better ways to do transfers using my HP/PSC-1315 consumer inkjet. Is this possible, or unrealistic? Suggestions for beginners?
A. Technique for transfers in the book is best. A replacement film is available from Bonny Lhotka. Email Bonny@Lhotka.com for information.
Q. Do you have another book planned? If so, what additional techniques would be introduced?
A. Dot is working on a new book with a working title, “Book + Art: for artists who want to make books” to be published by North Light.
Q. Is there any new software that you can recommend to artists?
A. At this time we see no competition to Photoshop.
Q. inkAid plays an very large part in preparing various substrates for your print work. Did you collaborate with them to develop this product and/or was it developed to be used in another way?
A. The idea for inkAID, a brushable precoat for artists, originated from us. We helped the manufacturer launch it as we needed this product after our inkjet printers started using pigment-based inks. We did all the application development.
Q. How important is working with archival materials? Do you compromise your techniques and media in order to maintain an archival piece?
A. Using archival products is as important to us as to any fine artist, and we compromise on that as little as possible like any serious artist.
Q. What is your answer when some people view digital art as not truly fine art?
A. We do not work at convincing people about the legitimacy of “digital art.†We don’t even use the term. We just list the media used for any work and let it stand (or fail) on its own merits.
Q. What occupies your time now? Are you teaching, or working in the studio?
A. We are all concentrating on working in our studios as a first priority at this time.
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Many thanks to Karin, Dorothy, and Bonny for this interview.
For the resources direct link to their site:
http://www.digitalatelier.com/reshardwaresoftware.html
To link to the book excerpt:
http://www.digitalatelier.com/bookbasemethod.html
Digital Art Studio — Techniques for Combining Inkjet Printing with Traditional Art Materials
by Karin Schminke, Dorothy Simpson Krause, and Bonny Pierce Lhotka
Watson-Guptill Publications
http://www.wgpub.com
ISBN 0-8230-1342-1
160 pages in full color
$29.95
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