Throwback Thursday Artroom Edition

[Frog]

Going through a drawer in my art desk/lightable and found these puppies

[Sbrem]

Going through a drawer in my art desk/lightable and found these puppies

We loved the Silver Genie pens, so much better than etching with a needle cutter (at least that's what I used).

Steve

I'll bet there are more than a few wondering what the hell that is...

[Audifox]

I was going thru a drawer the other day and found a roll of rubylith.

Does this mean we're old..........

[mk162]

I was going thru a drawer the other day and found a roll of rubylith.

Does this mean we're old..........

I have a big box of it out back.  I can't bring myself to toss it since it's tucked nicely down the side of the expo unit.  It looks like it's still sold...maybe an art school or some local artist would want it.

[inkman996]

I remember them when i worked at a screen supplier many moons ago. I recall that they were like erasers on old stats I think?

[mk162]

I remember them when i worked at a screen supplier many moons ago. I recall that they were like erasers on old stats I think?

Woah, I NEVER knew such a thing existed.  We always scraped the crap off with an xacto blade.  I would have loved these things.

[inkman996]

I seen guys with swivel exactos that could cut out detail unimaginable today, sign printers mostly.

[Frog]

I seen guys with swivel exactos that could cut out detail unimaginable today, sign printers mostly.

Actually, with a little learned and practiced technique of relaxing my grip, I could usually rival them with a standard fixed #11 blade

[ABuffington]

Rubylith has great edge quality.  The key we found is to develop a great cutting technique in one direction with a steady arm and hand and then spin the art underneath to use that same precise motion on all cuts. Easy to repair mistakes with opaque ink and a #2 Rapidograph on the back side.  Save that Rubylith, it is so hard to find nowadays.  Being able to cut arched block lettering or Times New Roman was sheer magic back then that we can all do now with warp in Illustrator in a split second. We made our own cutters out of old #2 Red Sable touch up brushes by breaking off a bit of a straight edge razor blade and sliding it into a slot on the wooden end of the brush and gluing it in after lashing it with dacron fishing line(before swivel knives and monofilament mesh were invented!).  Allowed for much easier smooth tight curves since you could spin the thin wooden brush handle. Great tool for the screen room. You can lay a rectangle over a top of screens to prevent light contamination, block out one end of the screen to do different exposure times if needed on fine copy, put over lights or windows to make screen room safe or use a large rectangle in a step test.  Love the stuff.

[Frog]

Rubylith has great edge quality.  The key we found is to develop a great cutting technique in one direction with a steady arm and hand and then spin the art underneath to use that same precise motion on all cuts. Easy to repair mistakes with opaque ink and a #2 Rapidograph on the back side.  Save that Rubylith, it is so hard to find nowadays.  Being able to cut arched block lettering or Times New Roman was sheer magic back then that we can all do now with warp in Illustrator in a split second. We made our own cutters out of old #2 Red Sable touch up brushes by breaking off a bit of a straight edge razor blade and sliding it into a slot on the wooden end of the brush and gluing it in after lashing it with dacron fishing line(before swivel knives and monofilament mesh were invented!).  Allowed for much easier smooth tight curves since you could spin the thin wooden brush handle. Great tool for the screen room. You can lay a rectangle over a top of screens to prevent light contamination, block out one end of the screen to do different exposure times if needed on fine copy, put over lights or windows to make screen room safe or use a large rectangle in a step test.  Love the stuff.

many of us in prehistoric times getting into "Silk Screening" later to be named "Screen Process Printing" first made our stencils with indirect film, cut similarly to rubylith, but, no in-between photo step. Once cut, applied directly to the screen (still actual silk)
These were either lacquer soluable films for use with water based inks, or water soluable for solvent based (or even plastisol).
Sold be Ulano, my first lacquer films were wax paper backed, which worked as a great indicator and learning tool because to retain a sharp edge, one barely kissed their cut through the lacquer. No bright white lines should show on the undewrside, and heaven forbid cutting all the way through the wax paper as well! These were then applied similarly as capilary film, but using lacquer thinner or proprietary "adhesion liquid" Even that had a learning curve!

[Orion]

My how times have changed. Stat cam and film processor, rubylith or amberlith, halftone sheets from the art supply store. Wood frames hand stretched and stapled. Pulled my first squeegee 31 years ago.

[tonypep]

Check the book out "History of Screen Printing. RH had a bit to do with getting it republished. BTW I need old fashioned grease pencils and such to hand draw on screens if anyone is in the know

[ABuffington]

Not sure if these are what you are looking for Tony:  https://www.artsupplywarehouse.com/finelineDisplay.php?id=292030  I have used them in the past to draw directly on the screen.  For those who have never tried this it is an amazing way to make a screen.  You draw directly on the screen and achieve incredible tonals, coat with white glue and the wax crayon resists the glue.  Been awhile since I've done this.  The hard part is you can never make another screen like it again.

[Audifox]

Not sure if these are what you are looking for Tony:  https://www.artsupplywarehouse.com/finelineDisplay.php?id=292030  I have used them in the past to draw directly on the screen.  For those who have never tried this it is an amazing way to make a screen.  You draw directly on the screen and achieve incredible tonals, coat with white glue and the wax crayon resists the glue.  Been awhile since I've done this.  The hard part is you can never make another screen like it again.

The true meaning of custom....

[Frog]

Not sure if these are what you are looking for Tony:  https://www.artsupplywarehouse.com/finelineDisplay.php?id=292030  I have used them in the past to draw directly on the screen.  For those who have never tried this it is an amazing way to make a screen.  You draw directly on the screen and achieve incredible tonals, coat with white glue and the wax crayon resists the glue.  Been awhile since I've done this.  The hard part is you can never make another screen like it again.

My first screen printing in college had us also learn the Tusche Resist method of stencil.
https://books.google.com/books?id=WjbDAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA84&lpg=PA84&dq=tusche+resist&source=bl&ots=Li-OI4ipuL&sig=ACfU3U1FTSpCOXJMgoTBKJOITMeqoGySuA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiE5873-ofkAhUGHDQIHWdXDFQQ6AEwBXoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=tusche%20resist&f=false