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NicholasWilton: Hey,everyone.It'sNicholasWilton,andI'mhereinAmyTorgeson'sstudioandwe'redivinginto...Amy'sacollageartistandprintmaker,andwe'redivingintoalltheinsandoutsofblockprinting,monoprinting,silkscreening,andboy,there'salothere,sowe'rejustgoingtogetgoing,becauseI'mafraidwecan'tcoverallthis.There'ssomanypossibilities.Whenyoucomeintoyourstudio,formeit'slike,"Howdidyoudothis?Howdidyoumakethat?"Howdowestartthisthing?
AmyTorgeson: Wecanstartbytalkingaboutblockprinting,whichisareallyeasythingtodoathomebecausethetoolsarereallyaccessible,itcleansupreallyeasily,andblockprintingorreliefprintingisbasicallywhereyou'recarvingintoeitherawoodenblock,linoleum,whichisstiffer,ortheserubberblocks.
NicholasWilton: Andwhat'scoolaboutthisisthatthiscanintegrateinwithyourpaintingorwhatever.
AmyTorgeson: Yes.
NicholasWilton: Thisisjustanadd-on.
AmyTorgeson: Youcantakethisblockand,withtherightink,justputitrightontoaboardthatyou'reworkingon.Thisworkswithclay,thisworkswithpaper.
NicholasWilton: Andthisisarubber-
AmyTorgeson: Yes.
NicholasWilton: Justabitofrubberthat-
AmyTorgeson: Iactuallysavedmystickyhere.ThisisaSpeedy-CarveSpeedball,andit'sjustareallyeasyentrypointintoblockprinting,becauseit'snotdifficulttocarve.Therearesomethatareeveneasiertocarve,buttheytendtocrumblealittlebitsoIlikethisparticular-
NicholasWilton: Canyougetbiggersizes?
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AmyTorgeson: Youcangetitinalldifferentkindsofsizes,yeah.Ijusttendtostartwiththefourbysix,butoneofthethingsthat'sindicativeofblockprintingaretheseextralinesthatyousee,becauseyou'recarvingaway,youcanseeinthis[crosstalk00:02:08]image,you'reremovingthenegativespace,basically,andleavingwhat'sgoingtobeprinted.
AmyTorgeson: Butstylistically,andthisiscompletelyuptotheperson,howmuchstraymarksyouleaveisuptoyou.Soyou'llseepeoplewhocompletelycutaroundtheitemandsoitbecomesmoreofastamp,oryou'llseewhereyou'vegotmoreofthemarkings.
NicholasWilton: Right,right.Whereit'scarvedout.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah.Thisisjustonanenvelope,butifyouseesomethinglikethisandyouseethesestraymarks,it'sanindicationtoyou,"Oh,thiswasprobablyblockprinted."
NicholasWilton: WhatIthink'ssocoolaboutitis,andIdon'tknowwhythisislikethis,butthere'sanimmediacyaboutit,thatit'sjustnotfussy.
AmyTorgeson: Notfussy,yeah.
NicholasWilton: It'sjustlike,boom,andit'sgone,andthat'swhatistheappeal.IfIwastopaintthosegreen...Itjustdoesn'thavethesamething.Wejustfeelthatthere'sjusttwothingshappeninghere.It'slike,boom,boom.
AmyTorgeson: There'sautilitytoit,right?
NicholasWilton: Yeah,Ilovethat.
AmyTorgeson: Icanjustputthison,andthisgreenshapecanjustbethebackoftheblockandthefrontoftheblockcanbethecarving,soyou'vejustgotbothsides.
NicholasWilton: Oh,Isee.Interesting.
AmyTorgeson: Soprettybasicsteps.Youcantakeanimagefromyoursketchbookoryoucangrabsourcematerialfromamagazineandtraceit,butIalwaysstartwithapieceoftracingpaper,andItracethesizeofmyblockonthetracingpaperjustsoIknowhowmuchspaceI'mworkingwith.
NicholasWilton: It'slikeyou'recropping.Yeah,yeah.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah.SonowIknow,okay,thisismyworkarea,andIoftenuseveryabstractshapes.ThishappenedtobetuftsofsnowthatIsawthatIthenjust...Whatever.Doesn'tneedtobe...ThenIcangrabwhatevershapeI'mlookingforandtraceit,tracemyshapeshere.Then,becausewhen
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you'reprinting,whenyou'reputtingitdownit'sgoingtobebackwards,butthenwhenyou'reprintingagainyou'reflippingitover.
NicholasWilton: Sotheyendupwiththat-
AmyTorgeson: Yes.
NicholasWilton: Isee,okay.Thatmakessense,yeah.
AmyTorgeson: That'swhythetracingpaper'sreallyhelpful.Youcangorighttotheblock,butlet'ssayyou'redoingtext.Thetextwouldneedtobebackwards.
NicholasWilton: It'llbebackwards,yeah.Soifyoudrawitandthentraceit,yeah,okay.
AmyTorgeson: It'sjustalittlebitofahelp,butifyouwanttogostraighttotheblockandjusthavetothinkthroughthatreversalpiece.Soyouburnishthepencildrawingwithyourfingernailorsomeimplement,andthenit'sleftonyourblocklikethis,right?
NicholasWilton: Right,right.
AmyTorgeson: Thenwhatyoudecideis,doIwanttocarveawayallofthisspacearoundandonlybeleftwiththesethreeshapesandthenI'mcarvingthewhitespaceinbetween,sowhat'sleftistheraisedarea?Oryoucandothereverse,whichwouldbemoreofaminimalkindoflinedrawing.Youcangetreallysimpletoolsatanyartstore,andit'sactuallyprettymeditative.Ialwaysstartwiththelargerareasaround,andyou'retakingoneofyourbiggertoolsorgaugesanduseonehandtoholditanddon'tputyourhandhere,whichwedooften,andyou'rejustpushingit.Notveryhard.Youdon'thavetogoverydeep.
NicholasWilton: Boy,thiscomesoutsoevenly.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah.Youcandefinitelydothiswithkids.Andthenjustmovetheblockaround.
NicholasWilton: Wow.
AmyTorgeson: It'sanicemeditativeexercise.Thenyoucanthinkaboutthedirectionthatyoudothesecarvings,becausewhenyouhavethestraymarks-
NicholasWilton: Yeah,that'sgoingtobepartofit.
AmyTorgeson: -ifyoudoithaphazard,thatwillgiveyouacertainlook.Differentartistswillplaythatuporpushitback,dependingonwhatthey'regoingfor.Sometimesthebackgroundreallyisplayingarole.
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AmyTorgeson: Onceyou'vedoneyourcarvingandyoucandecidethatyouwanttokeepitasquareandjustbeveltheedges,soyoulosetheedges-
NicholasWilton: Soyoudon'thaveit,right.Isee.
AmyTorgeson: -oryoucanuseanX-Actoandcutoutyourshape,soit'smorelikeastamp.
NicholasWilton: Oh,yeah,right.Andthey'retotallyreusable,you'rejustcreatingthisarsenalofcoolshapes.
AmyTorgeson: Youjustwashthemoff,yeah.Andthensavethecuttings,becausethenthisbecomesaninterestingshapethatyoucanjustprint,orsomethinglikethis.Then,whenyou'rereadytoinkup...Grabthis.I'musingjustbasicwater-basedblockprintingink.ThishappenstobeBlick.ThisisSpeedball.
NicholasWilton: Andit'swater-based,yousaid?
AmyTorgeson: Water-based,sothatmeansit'snotgoingtoworkwithwetmediaonceit'sdry.Itwillrun.I'lltalkaboutwhatyoucanuseifyouwantitpermanent.IjustmixitonthePlexihere.Youtakearubberbrayer,justmixyourcolor.
NicholasWilton: Youjustmixrightonthepalette.
AmyTorgeson: Ido,becauseit'sprettythick.Withthescreenprintingink,I'llmixitincontainersandthenputiton,butwiththisblockprintingink-
NicholasWilton: Andthere'snowaterthatyoumixwithit?
AmyTorgeson: Youcould,butitgetsrunnyprettyquickly.You'relookingforthattackysound.That'stherightconsistency.Thisistoothick,butyougetthis.Sometimesyoucanputaphonebookout,anoldphonebook,andjustputyourexcessink-
NicholasWilton: Oh,andthenturnthepagesand-
AmyTorgeson: Yeah.OrIusuallyhave-
NicholasWilton: That'sfinallyauseforaphonebook.Theydeliverthemstill.
AmyTorgeson: Yes,Iknow.Theydo.
NicholasWilton: It'slike,"Perfect,thankyou."
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AmyTorgeson: OryoucanjusthaveacoupledifferentPlexiplatesoutandsometimesIusuallyjuststartoverifit'sgottentoothick.
NicholasWilton: Yeah,it'sasound.It'slikea...
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,exactly.Youlistenforthesound,andthen...
NicholasWilton: Doyouever,asyou'redoingthis,andnowyouseeyou'redrawing,you'relike,"Oh,Igottofixit"?
AmyTorgeson: Absolutely.Youcancarve,print,andthenmakeyourmodifications.Like,"Oh,wait,therearetoomanystraymarksthereforme."
NicholasWilton: Thenyouwashthisoffandthengobackand-
AmyTorgeson: SometimesIjustcarveitevenwiththeinkonit,becauseit'swater-based,soyou'redoingthat.Thenthelightweightpapers,theJapanesepapers,taketheinkreally,reallynicely.
NicholasWilton: Isthisaragpaper?It'sbeautiful.
AmyTorgeson: Youknow,actually,Idon'trememberwhichonethisis.IusetheOkawaraalot,butIaddedthat,soI'dhavetolookitup.Idon'tremember.
NicholasWilton: We'llprovidelinksforthese.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah.Ialwaysput...Youcould,theoretically,putthepaperontop,butIthinkyouhavealittlemorecontrolwhenyou'reputtingtheblockonhere.You'rejustpressinglightly,andthenyourprint.
NicholasWilton: God,it'sbeautiful.
AmyTorgeson: Andeachtimeyouprint,yougetadifferentsenseof,"Okay,Iwantedmoreinknexttimeormorepressure,"andthenifyouprintonscrappapers,thatcanaddsomevisualinteresttoit.
NicholasWilton: Yeah,andwhatIlove...Thesewouldbecomegreatcollagepapers.Youcouldjustgocrazy.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,definitely.
NicholasWilton: There'ssomething,andIthinkit'sbecausethewaythepaintgoesdown,it'snotbrushedandthere'stheselittlerecessesand-
AmyTorgeson: Yeah.Withthisblockprinting,Ithinksometimesthesimpler,boldershapestranslatethebest.Ifyouwanttodomuchmoredetailed
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carvings,sometimesthelinoleumisabettersurfacetoworkonthantherubberblocks.
NicholasWilton: That'sthehardclayone.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah.
NicholasWilton: Okay.
AmyTorgeson: Then,solet'ssee.Oh,whenI'musingjustlittleabstractshapes,I'vegotmycarvedblockandthenI'vegotmysolid,becauseifIwanttogothroughanddo-
NicholasWilton: Soyoumadetwoofthem?
AmyTorgeson: Imadetwo.
NicholasWilton: Youmadetwo.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,I'vegotmytwo.SoI'vegotmyonecolorthat'sthesolid,andthenI'mdoinganoffsetwiththeline.
NicholasWilton: It'sliterallyoffset.Itdoesn'tregisterquite...Becauseyoucan't,andyoudon'twantthemanyway.
AmyTorgeson: Youcan.Youcan,butI'mjustnotasinterestedinthat.
NicholasWilton: Yeah,yeah.
AmyTorgeson: Butalotoftimespeople...Ifyouwanttodoamulticolor,thenyoucandowhat'scalledareductionprint,whereeachtimeyouprintyourfirstrunisacertainamountofcarving,thenyougobackandyoucarvemoreanddoyoursecondcolor,oryou'reusingmultipleblocks.
NicholasWilton: Isee.
AmyTorgeson: Andifyou'reusingmultipleblocks,you'regoingtoneedtoregisterthat.
NicholasWilton: Sothey'reintheexactspot.
AmyTorgeson: Exactly.Andthenonceyouhaveyourinkonhere,Ialwaysthink,okay,nowthisiswhereIcangobackand...
NicholasWilton: Ithinkthisisoneofthosethingswhereyouputthematerialsoutandthenyou'vegotallthesematerialsoutandyou'rejustgoingtostartlookingaroundtodostuff.
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AmyTorgeson: Right.OftentimesifI'mdoneandIthink,"Okay,whatdoIwanttousethisfor?"andIstartscrapingacrosshere,orIaddwatertoit,thenyoucantakeyourpaperandpressitrightontotheplateandyou'rejustgettingatexture.
NicholasWilton: Tocreateeightpiecesoftexture.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,exactly.Sowecanroll-
NicholasWilton: Oh,mygod.
AmyTorgeson: -justrightontohere.Whoknowswhatthiswilllooklikewhenit'sprinted?AlotoftimesI'lljusttakeoneindividualleaf.Let'ssee.We'rejustgoingtopress...Youcandothiswithanynumberofobjects.
NicholasWilton: God,amazing.Iwouldn'thavethoughtthat.Itfeelssomuchlike-
AmyTorgeson: Andthenitevenprintedonmyscrap.
NicholasWilton: Whatwasthat?
AmyTorgeson: ThiswasmyscrapthatIpressedonthetop.
NicholasWilton: Oh,wow.Yeah,IthinkIlikethatonebetter.Wow.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah.
NicholasWilton: It'samazinghowmuchitfeelslikethething.
AmyTorgeson: Mm-hmm(affirmative).SothenIlookhereandI'mlike,"Okay,there'ssomethinginterestinggoingonhere."Right?Justfromtheimpression.
NicholasWilton: Yeah,thisisapalette.
AmyTorgeson: Solet'sseewhathappens.Whoknows?Thismaynottransfer,butthenyougetthis.
NicholasWilton: Wow,beautiful.
AmyTorgeson: Forthemixedmediaartist,justasamethodforjustcreatingcollagepapers,eithercarvingtheblockorusingthePlexi,yeah,youcandrawintoit...
NicholasWilton: I'mjustwonderinghowmuchofthis...
AmyTorgeson: Cool.Lovethat.Youcanplaywith...Icallthisthenoisebehind.Youcanexperimentwithhowmuchinkisgoingtocreate,andthen-
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NicholasWilton: Right,right.Yeah,that'ssocool.
AmyTorgeson: -maybeifyouknewwhatshapeyouwantedtodoyou'dputlessinkdown,sothere'dbelessnoiseontheoutside,right?
NicholasWilton: Yeah,right,right,right.
AmyTorgeson: ButIlikethatlook,too,withitthroughthere.
NicholasWilton: It'samazinghow...Idon'tknowwhyitdoesthat,butIguessitjust...Idon'tknow.Theabsorptionisdoingsomething.That'sverycool.
AmyTorgeson: Sothese,we'vebeenusingthewater-basedinks.Ifyouwanttoworkintoanacrylicpainting,then-
NicholasWilton: Right,soyoudon'twantittorun.Thisislikeawatercolor.This'lljusterode.
AmyTorgeson: Yes,exactly.SothenIwouldusethescreenprintingink,andyou'regoingtodothesamething.ImixthescreenprintinginksinjustTupperware,likethis,andthenItakespoonfulsandputitonthePlexi,rollitoutinthesameway,but-
NicholasWilton: They'rethick,superthick.Samething.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,wecandoonehere.Thedifferenceisthatyou'rebetteroffusingafoambrayerwiththis,becausethescreenprintinginkjustdoesn'treallyadheretotherubber.
NicholasWilton: Oh,right,becauseitdoesn'tabsorbonthere.
AmyTorgeson: Youknowwhat?Ineedyoutojustgrabaspoon.
NicholasWilton: Ijustthinkcuttingthesepiecesout,socool.
AmyTorgeson: Youjustputitonhere,andthenyou'rerollingitoutinthesameway.Sothere'salittlebitmoreofatexturewhenyou'reusingthesefoamrollers,butitdoesn'treallytranslatetowhatyou'reprinting.Youcanusethisontheblockprints,youcanuseit,obviously,onthePlexiinthewaythatwedidit,andyoucangodirectlyontothepainting.Thisisontoscreenprintedmaterialhere.
NicholasWilton: Yeah,youjustcantotallylayer.
AmyTorgeson: Right.
NicholasWilton: Wow.
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AmyTorgeson: Ifyou'reworkinginoil-
NicholasWilton: That'sbeautiful.
AmyTorgeson: -there'sthisCaligoSafeWashReliefInk,sothenyouwouldjustwanttochangeyourinkdependingonifyou'reworkinginoiloracrylic.
NicholasWilton: Butdoesn'toilsticktoacrylic?
AmyTorgeson: Youmeanifyou'redoingoilontop?
NicholasWilton: Yeah.
AmyTorgeson: Yes,youcould...Soifyourfoundationwasacrylic?
NicholasWilton: Yeah,youcouldusetheoilontopofit?
AmyTorgeson: Yes,yes.
NicholasWilton: Isee.
AmyTorgeson: Iguessifyouhadanoilpaintinggoingalreadyandyouwantedtointegrateintoit.
NicholasWilton: Oh,yeah,right,right.Doyouhavetocleanthisupwithsolvents?
AmyTorgeson: Justsoapandwater.
NicholasWilton: Sothisisanoil-based...Thisbrand,thisCaligoSafeReliefInk?
AmyTorgeson: Mm-hmm(affirmative).
NicholasWilton: Oh,it'soil-basedandwashable.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah.They'recomingoutwithallthesenewproductsthatareoil-basedbutcleanupreallyeasily.
NicholasWilton: Thisisgreat.Now,isthistoxicforyourhandsandstuff?Doyouusegloves?
AmyTorgeson: Idon'tusegloves,butIdon'tuseitasmuchbecauseIdon'tneedthatoption.
NicholasWilton: Anditdoesn'treallyhaveasmell,right?
AmyTorgeson: Alittlebit.Justalittlebit,butnottoobad.Alotofblockprintersliketousethis.Theylikethelookofthatkindof...Thewaytheinkrollson.
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Thewater-basedink,yougetalittlemorevariation,andIactuallypreferthat,soitjustdependsonwhatyou'relookingfor.
NicholasWilton: Andyoumixthiscolorup?
AmyTorgeson: Yes,Imixthiscolor.
NicholasWilton: Withnowater?Youjustwanttokeepitasthickaspossible?
AmyTorgeson: SometimesI'lladdwaterifIwantalittlemoretransparency,andwiththescreenprintingyoucanalsoaddatransparentbasetogiveitalittlemoretransparency.Youcanalsotakeapaintbrushand,whenI'musingthewoodenblocks,Iwouldeitheruseafoamrollerwiththescreenprintingink...Let'ssayI'mworkingonfabricandIdon'twanttousethewater-basedink...Oryoucantakeapaintbrushandpaintiton.It'sjustgoingtogiveyouadifferenttexture.
NicholasWilton: Yeah,thismakesitperfectlyeven.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah.Ifwelookhere,thisispaintedonablock.Itjustgivesyouadifferenttexture.Sothenwecantalkaboutscreenprinting.Letmegrabthis.
NicholasWilton: ShouldImovethis?
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,youcanmovethat.Withscreenprinting,youcaneitherburnyourownscreensandyoucangetreallysophisticatedandusephotographicimagesandthings,oryoucandosomethingreallylow-techwhereyou'rejustusingshelfpaperandyou'retakinganX-Actoknifeandstencilingouttheshapeyouwant,andthenrollingtheshelfpaperonhereandthenwhatisopenwhereyou'vecarvedwiththeX-Actoknifeiswhatwillprint.
NicholasWilton: Yeah,sothisredistheareas...Thescreenhasbeenfilled.Thescreenisjustmillionsofholes,andtheredhasjustcloggedupalltheholes,soyouputpaintonthis,itwon'tgothroughtheredpart,butitgoesthroughtotheseotherareas.
AmyTorgeson: Yes.Andforthisparticularscreen,Iusedsomeproductsfromtheartstore,reallyeasytoget,andwhatyou'redoingiswiththisscreenfiller,you'retakingasqueegeeandyou're...Onthefrontside,you'reputtingthescreenfilleronsoit'sallred,lettingitdry,thenyou'regoingbackthenextdayandyou'repaintingonyourimagewiththisdrawingfluid,lettingthatdry,andthenyourinseitandjustbyrinsingitinwaterthisgoesaway-
NicholasWilton: Oh,you'rekidding.
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AmyTorgeson: -andleavesyou-
NicholasWilton: Soit'snotaphotographicprocessatall.
AmyTorgeson: Itcanbe,butthisisawaytodoitveryeasily.
NicholasWilton: Isthisnew,thisprocess?
AmyTorgeson: Idon'tknowhowlong.ButifIjustwant...BecauseIcanbekindofimpatient.IfIjustwanttodosomethingandnotworryaboutburningascreen,andalso,thisgivesyou-
NicholasWilton: Howlongdoesthistaketodry,thisstuff?
AmyTorgeson: Aday.
NicholasWilton: Andit'sgoop,mud,andthenit'sonthere,andthenthiswilldissolveitwhereverit'sputonitlater?Soyoucouldcomeinandyoucouldjustbepaintingonitwiththat?
AmyTorgeson: Yes.
NicholasWilton: Ortakestringandlayitonthere.
AmyTorgeson: I'mnotsurehowthestring-
NicholasWilton: Orsomewayof-
AmyTorgeson: Thestringwouldn'tworkwiththis.
NicholasWilton: Youcouldprintonthisstuff.
AmyTorgeson: Yes.
NicholasWilton: Apattern.Youcouldtakewrappingpaperorshelflinerpaperandmakeapatternonitofthis,andthenwhat,youwaithalfanhouranditjustdissolvesit?
AmyTorgeson: Iwouldsayyouneedtoletthisdry.Iwouldgiveitaday.It'sprobablyshorter,andIhavedried-
NicholasWilton: Oh,ithastodry.
AmyTorgeson: Ithastodry.
NicholasWilton: Andthenyoujusttakeitallunderthe-
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AmyTorgeson: Thenyourinseit,yeah.Andwhenyourinseitthiscomesoffandleavesyourmarks.Sowiththis,youcan'tgetreallyprecise.
NicholasWilton: Yeah,it'salittle-
AmyTorgeson: It'salittlechunkyandyou'rejustusingapaintbrush.Yourmostimmediate,low-techversionisusingtheshelfpaper,andyou'reusinganX-Actoandyou'restencilingout-
NicholasWilton: You'recuttingholesinitandjustrunningoverit.
AmyTorgeson: -andthenstickingiton.Thisisyournextstep,whichyoucangettheseproductsreallyeasilyandyoupaintontheimagethatyouwant.
NicholasWilton: Whenyousaytheshelfpaper,areyousayingyougluethepaperonherewithaholeinit?
AmyTorgeson: Youknow,Igettheshelfpaperthathasthestickystufftoit.
NicholasWilton: Oh,soyouhaveablankscreen,youcarveuptheshelfpaperwhichisstickyontheback,andthenyoulayitonhereandthenyou'vegotanopeningandaclosedthingandyoucanjustscreenonit.Oh,I[crosstalk00:21:22]
AmyTorgeson: Now,youcan'tkeepit...Onceyou'redoneprintingandyoucleanyourscreen,youhavetoputyourshelfpaperinthegarbage.It'snotgoingtobesomethingyoucangobacktooverandoveragain.
NicholasWilton: Oh,Isee.Butyoucanreusethescreenagainandagainandagain.
AmyTorgeson: Yes.Yeah.
NicholasWilton: Howmuchisascreenlikethis?Youjustorderthese...ThisisfromBlick.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,that'sprobably$25orsomethinglikethat.
NicholasWilton: Andyoucanuseitoverandoverandoveragain?
AmyTorgeson: Yes.Yeah.
NicholasWilton: Canyouevergetoutthisredstuff?
AmyTorgeson: I'vebeenlesssuccessfulwiththatwiththeseproducts.
NicholasWilton: WiththeSpeedballproducts?
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AmyTorgeson: Yes.Intheoryyoucan,andthereareproductstoremovetheimage,butIhavenotbeenverysuccessful.Ifyouchoosetoburnascreen...ThisoneIhadburnedforme,butI'vedoneplenty-
NicholasWilton: Whenyousay"burn,"aretheyusinglightinalight-sensitive-
AmyTorgeson: Yes,they'reusing...Idon'tknowexactlywhatit'scalled.
NicholasWilton: Photoemulsion?
AmyTorgeson: They'reusingphotoemulsionandthenthey'reusingaunit,alightunit,toexposethescreen,exactly.
NicholasWilton: Anditgetsitmoreaccurate.
AmyTorgeson: Mm-hmm(affirmative),muchmoreaccurate.
NicholasWilton: Sotheeightisclear.That'swherethe[crosstalk00:22:28]
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,withtheexceptionofthesemarkingsrighthere.Andifyouwantedtoreclaimthisscreen,youcan...There'saproductthatyouwouldsprayonhere,andthenwithahigh-pressurehoseyoucouldgetridofthisimage.
NicholasWilton: Wow.Wow.Andisitsilk?
AmyTorgeson: Idon'tknowiftheyusesilknow.It'sagoodquestion,becauseit'smorecommontocallitascreenprint.
NicholasWilton: Andthere'sdifferentweaves,right?
AmyTorgeson: Yes.
NicholasWilton: Differentdegrees,howmanyholespersquareinch.
AmyTorgeson: Thisone...What'sthisone?Herewego.Whatdoesitsay?Thissaysmesh250.
NicholasWilton: Oh,250.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,sothemoredetailedtheimage,thehighermeshcount.IfIhadashapethatwasjustanopenshape-
NicholasWilton: Yeah,verysimple.Wow,lookatallthis.
AmyTorgeson: -thenI'dprobablygowithalower...Thisisa160.Becausethetightertheweave,theharderitisfortheinktogetthrough,soI'vegotthisbig,
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openshapehereandsotheweaveisalittlebitbiggersotheinkcancoverthatwholespace.
NicholasWilton: Yeah,sothissaysmeshcount160.
AmyTorgeson: AndthisisoneIburnedmyself.Itdoesn'tlookasgoodastheonethat...Andyouwouldjusttapeoffyoursideshere.
NicholasWilton: Whywouldn'tyouputthispurplestuffallthewaytotheend?
AmyTorgeson: Ijustdidn'thavetherighttooltogoallthewaytotheend,andalsotheframeprohibitsyoufromusingatoolthat...Ithastobewithinsidethismeshoryouwon'tbeabletogetcloseenoughwhenyou'rerollingiton.
NicholasWilton: Oh,yeah.Okay.What'ssocoolisyoujusthavethisforevermore,andyoucancoveruppartsofthisandprint,right?
AmyTorgeson: Yes,yes.OftenI'lljusttapeoff...Let'ssayIonlywantthissectiontoprint,thenIcouldtapeoffthisentireareaandonlyprintthis.
NicholasWilton: Wow.
AmyTorgeson: Youknow,youusethesesqueegeestodabyourinkandthenrunyoursqueegee.Butlet'ssayyoujustwantalittlesection.Thenyoucanuse-
NicholasWilton: [crosstalk00:24:41]tapelikethis,even?
AmyTorgeson: Yep,exactly.Youcouldjustuseacreditcardandjustdoalittlebit.
NicholasWilton: Oh,andjustdoonearea,yeah.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,littlearea.Yeah.Icanprint...Doyouwantmetoprintthis?
NicholasWilton: Sure,let'sseehowyoudothat.That'scool.Youfindthatit'sjustalotofsettingupand...Youwanttomakeaneight,butIcouldhavetakenoutapaintbrushandmadeaneight,but-
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,there'sdefinitelymoresetup.
NicholasWilton: Yeah,yeah.Soyouhavedifferenttables.Youhavethreeofthesetables?
AmyTorgeson: Iwish.Idon't.ButthenIdothinkabout,okay,soifI'mgoingtoprintthiseight,howmanywayscanIprintitandonhowmanysurfaces?
NicholasWilton: Right,right.Makeawholebunchof...Batchit.
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AmyTorgeson: Yeah,orImightsay,"Ionlywantpartofthis,soI'mgoingtotapethisoff,printthistopshapeinasmanyplacesasIneedit,thenpeelawaythetape,givemyselfalittlebitmore..."Andifyoustartwiththelightercolor,thenyoudon'thavetowashoutyourscreeneachtimebecauseyoucanjustadd...Pulltheinkthroughtillit'salmostgone,thenputinadarkercolor.
NicholasWilton: Andbecauseitwaslighter,itgetseasytocoverup.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah.
NicholasWilton: Isee.
AmyTorgeson: So,let'ssee.Here'smyink.
NicholasWilton: Thisisallfromthatlittlestampoverthere?
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,so-
NicholasWilton: Andyoufoundthatinafleamarketorsomething,right?
AmyTorgeson: ThisparticularoneIdon'tremember,butEtsy,eBay,peoplecometoOpenStudiosandsay,"Ihavetheminmygarage,doyouwantsome?"
NicholasWilton: Theseareoldtypographic...Thiswashowallthepostersweremade.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,exactly.
NicholasWilton: Yeah,there'stonsofthemaround.
AmyTorgeson: Atonepoint,Iknew,okay,Ilovethisshape,buthowamIgoingtogetitbigger?
NicholasWilton: Right,right.
AmyTorgeson: SoIprinteditontoapieceofpaper,thenscannedit,enlargedit,andthenhadthisburned.
NicholasWilton: Soyouscanitandthenyouenlargeitonacomputer,andthenyoucansendadigitalfiletooneofthesecompanies?
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,yeah.
NicholasWilton: Isee.Sopeoplecouldhavethis...Thiscouldbemadeinacityandtheycouldbe100milesawayandtheyjustreceivethefileandthentheysendthistoyouinthemail.
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AmyTorgeson: Yeah,yeah.
NicholasWilton: Verycool.
AmyTorgeson: Youcanalso,ifyou'renotfeelingverytech-savvy,ifyoucanjustscanit,oftentimestheycanhelpyoumakeitthesizethatyouneedit,ormakeitveryblack-and-white,likeifyou'vegotanygraysthatyouneedtogetridof.
NicholasWilton: Isee.Wow.
AmyTorgeson: Thisisactuallyalittlebitthick.
NicholasWilton: That'sgood.That'syourwater?
AmyTorgeson: Yeah.Letmejustaddalittlebitofwater.
NicholasWilton: Where'dyougetthis?
AmyTorgeson: Ithinkthatwasoneofmykids'toyhairthingsorsomething.Thisisstillalittlethick,so...
NicholasWilton: Now,youcouldn'tgo...Thisistheoil-basedstuff,right?
AmyTorgeson: No,thisisacrylic.
NicholasWilton: No,no,thisisthewater.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah.
NicholasWilton: ButcouldyoutakeoutLiquitex,likeournormalpaint,anduse,oristheresomethingspecialaboutthisrollerink?Itlooksalittledifferent.
AmyTorgeson: Ithinkthereissomethingspecial,becausetheacrylicdoesn't...Youcan,Ithinkyoucanprintwithacrylic.Ithinkit'sgoingtobesomethingyou'dhavetostayontopofintermsofitdryinginyourscreentoosoon.
NicholasWilton: Ithinkthisisfiner,yeah.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,butit'sjustdifferentenoughthatpeopledon'tprintwithitonaregularbasis.Soyouwantittobealittlebitmorefluid.
NicholasWilton: Soitrunsoffyourspoon.
AmyTorgeson: Okay,thisisfine.Let'sseewheremypaperis.Now,ifyouwerebeingreallypreciseandregistering,youwouldsetup...
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NicholasWilton: Yeah,clearthedecksand-
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,youwouldclear,but-
NicholasWilton: Andyouhaveacanvason...Woulditbebetteronatable,ordoyoulikethe-
AmyTorgeson: Ilikealittlebitofcushionbehind,butyoucandoitdirectlyonatable.
NicholasWilton: Whydoyoulikethecushionbehind?
AmyTorgeson: Idon'tknow.IthinkIgotinthehabitwiththese.Becausethesearesorigid,youcannotprintonjustasuper-hardsurfacelikeatable.Youneedalittlebitofgive.
NicholasWilton: Yeah,thisfillsin.Yeah,andthispaperfeelssoftandcarpeting-like.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,sothisisjustcanvasonatable,butsometimesI'llputcottonbattingunderneath,ifIwantevenmorecushion.
NicholasWilton: Oh,wow.Wow,okay.Becausethisdoesinfluencethetextureofeverythingyou'reprinting.Yourtablehascanvasonit.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,exactly.Yeah.Ifyou'reneedingtobereallyprecisewithyourplacement,thenyouwouldhavetodotheregistration,butI'moftenjustfreewheelingit.Yourinkuphere,andthenyoucanbasicallyfloodthescreenjusttogetitwet.
NicholasWilton: Oh,Isee,soyou'renot...Okay.You'renotprintingyet,you'rejustdoingit-
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,andyouwanttodosometestprints.Iusedtotestprintonnewsprint,andthenIdecided,I'mgoingtotestprintonactuallyreallynicepaper,becausethenthatbecomescollagematerial.SoratherthandomytestprintsonpaperthatIwouldn'tuse-
NicholasWilton: Oh,right.You'remaking.You'realwaysmakingsomethingyoucanuse.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah.Ihavenoideahowitwillbeused,butImightaswellprintitonnicepaper.
NicholasWilton: Ifyoudoitonnicepaperandyoulikethefirstone,you'redone.Oryouhaveanothervariation.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,youhavesomething.Right.Now,becausethispaperwe'reusingissolightweight,we'renotgoingtoreallyneedtogooveritveryoftenorverymanytimes,soyouusebothhandsandpressdown,getthe-
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NicholasWilton: Wow,you'rereally[crosstalk00:30:23]
AmyTorgeson: -surfaceofthetable,andthenpullback.
NicholasWilton: Oh,mygod.
AmyTorgeson: Intheory,that'sprobablyenoughonthispaper,butI'mgoingtoturnitaroundandgobackandthenpullthepaperdownbecausethisissolightweight.Andthenyouwouldfloodyourscreenagainsothatitstays...I'mnotverygoodatthis.Ioften...It'sjustsoitstayswet,soifyou'recontinuingtoprint...Youjustdon'twantittodry.
NicholasWilton: Isee,because...Yeah.Isee.God,it'ssobeautiful,justtheedgeofitandtheweight.There'salotofinkonthere.Alotofink.Heavy.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,thereis.Yeah.Andthenyoucan...Ioftenusewater.Ifyouwanttohaveamoretransparentlookyou'regoingtouselessink,morewater,butyouwouldn'tnecessarilyusemoreinkforamoreopaquesurface.
NicholasWilton: Right.It'splentyopaque.Absolutely.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah.
NicholasWilton: Isthatwhatyou'redoinghere?Arethoseyourcollagepapersgluedin?
AmyTorgeson: No,thisisjustprintingdirectlyontothelinen,soI'mtapingoffinabunchofplaces.There'sscreenprinting,blockprinting.Thisispainted-onacrylicpaint.Rollingjustwiththebrayers.
NicholasWilton: Andthiswriting?[crosstalk00:31:52]useditinafewplaces,yeah.
AmyTorgeson: That'sablockprint,sothat'sjuststamping,yeah.Thisisscreenprintinghere.
NicholasWilton: Yeah,Icanseethat.Yeah,yeah.
AmyTorgeson: Yougetalittlebitmoreofthelayering.
NicholasWilton: Wow.
AmyTorgeson: Andthenthisiscollage,sothesearetheleftoverbits.
NicholasWilton: Right,sothat'swherewe'regoingnow,right?
AmyTorgeson: Yes.
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NicholasWilton: Okay.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,letmejustmovethishere.
NicholasWilton: Thatscreen'sclogged.Shouldwewashthat?
AmyTorgeson: Ishouldwashitafterwe'redonetalking,yeah.
NicholasWilton: Okay,allright.Keepmoving.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah.
NicholasWilton: Thisisbeautiful,bytheway.Whatisthis?
AmyTorgeson: Thankyou.Youcanprintonpaperoryoucanprintoncanvas,linen-
NicholasWilton: That'swhat'ssogreat.
AmyTorgeson: -allkindsofdifferentsurfaces.Forthefabric,youwouldusethescreenprintingink.Whetherit'sblockprintingorscreenprinting,you'dendupusingthescreenprintingink.Youstartaproject,butyouendupwithallofthesescrapsormaterialsorthingsthatdon'twork.
NicholasWilton: Wow.
AmyTorgeson: Inthiscase,there'ssomecyanotypeprinting,and-
NicholasWilton: What'scyanotypeprinting?
AmyTorgeson: Thatisbasicallysunprinting,whereyou'retreatingthesurfacewithaphotographicsolution.
NicholasWilton: Oh,yeah,andthenyouexposeittothesunandwhereyou'verevealedpartsofititwearsdown.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,andthesewerescreenprintedscrapsthatthenIputthephotosolutionon,andthisIthinkismanzanitaleavesorsomething.
NicholasWilton: God.
AmyTorgeson: Ineverknowwherethisisgoingtogo.Thisisblockprintedhere.Thisisscreenprinted.Youcanseehowthissitsmoreontop.
NicholasWilton: Yes,there'salotmorepaint.
AmyTorgeson: Asopposedtotheblockprinting.
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NicholasWilton: Right,right.Sowhenyou'reworking,you'lljustcomeandgrablittlepiecesandgluetheminandseewhat-
AmyTorgeson: Yeah.
NicholasWilton: Thisisalljustgeneratedfromtheworkyou'rejustdoing?
AmyTorgeson: Yeah.ThenIendupwithabunchofdifferentscraps,sothenitbecomes...AndIguessit'smorefreeingwhenyou'reworkingknowingthatifwhatyou'redoingonpaperdoesn'tworkthere'sanotherlifetoit.
NicholasWilton: Yeah,soyou'lldostuffonthepaper,butthenyou'llputitonfabrictoojusttohave?
AmyTorgeson: That'showIstartedworkingmorewiththescreenprintingink,becauseifIhadonescreenthatwasinkedupandIwasmovingfrompapertofabric,Ithought,"Well,I'lljuststickwiththescreenprintingink,becauseitcangotobothsurfaces."
NicholasWilton: Oh,yeah,right.
AmyTorgeson: Ididn'twanttohaveonesetofcolorsforpaperandonesetofcolorsforfabric,soit'sallpermanentink,andthenI'mgoingtogetoutthesewingmachineanddoalittlebitofsewinghere.Butthesearenew.I'mjust-
NicholasWilton: Wouldyougluetheseon?
AmyTorgeson: Icould.Myvisionfortheseisthattheywouldbestandalone,but-
NicholasWilton: Sewntogether[crosstalk00:34:50]
AmyTorgeson: Sewntogether,yeah.Butinothercollages,I'vedefinitelygluedthemtopaper.
NicholasWilton: Yeah,yeah.Andthenthingslikethis,thisisall...You'vejustgotawholebunchofholesinthings?
AmyTorgeson: Thesewerescrapscreenprintsthatdidn'twork,andIhaveaholepunchandI'vestartedmakingallofthese.
NicholasWilton: Oh,mygod.
AmyTorgeson: What'sfunisthatthisbecomesanotherexerciseincollage.Youlookforthelittlegems.
NicholasWilton: Yeah,lookatthatlittlepiece.
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AmyTorgeson: Right?Idon'tknowquiteyetwhatI'mdoing.IhavedesignedsomecardswiththesealreadythatI'mgoingtoputtogether,andthenIfigurethere'sprobablyaroleforthesesomewhere,Ijustdon'tknowwhatyet.
NicholasWilton: Yeah,soyou'rejustgeneratingmaterialstomakeartwith,andit'salmostlikeyouhavetoomuch.
AmyTorgeson: Iknow.Ithink-
NicholasWilton: Onepainting...WhenImakeapainting,there'sapaintingattheend,andthere'spapertowelseverywhere,butwithyou,youprobablyhavemorematerialthantheactualfinishedobject.
AmyTorgeson: Yes,andIthinkthat'swhatisinterestingtome.Whenyouhavethisleftoverink,that'showit'salltiedtogether.
NicholasWilton: That'stheinvitation,yeah.Like,"Whatareyougoingtodowithme?"Soyou'reexperimenting.You'realwaysexperimenting.
AmyTorgeson: Andwiththisscreen,beforeIrinseitout,I'llrunwateronitandthenprintitagainsoIjustgetabaseofaverytransparenteight.
NicholasWilton: Likeawashyeight.
AmyTorgeson: Yes.Idon'tknowwhatI'lldowithit,butthere'ssomethingabouttheconnectivityofthematerialsandtheprocessthatisreallyintriguingtome,andit'sjustthelayering.Andtheseareallverylow-techprintingmethods.
NicholasWilton: Totally,totallylow-tech.
AmyTorgeson: Butveryaccessible,andthere'ssomethingappealingaboutthat,Ithink.
NicholasWilton: Yeah,andIlovehowitjustgenerates...Youalmostcouldbeacenterforartistscouldcomeandthenjustgetpieces.
AmyTorgeson: Getmaterials,exactly.
NicholasWilton: Yeah.Ithinkthere'sanaspectofplaytothis,andwonder,becauseyoudon'tknowwhatyou'regoingtoget,anddrawingthingsfromotherthings,andthat'sprobablythebestpartofart-making.Youcanletgoofyourtryingtomakesomethingandjustenjoytheprocessofit.
AmyTorgeson: Yeah,whenIthinkbacktobeingakid,oneofthemostsatisfyingthingswasjustsimplycuttingpaper.OverandoverandoveragainIwouldcutdifferentshapes.SoIthinkthere'ssomethingaboutthatrepetitionandtheveryaccessiblematerialsthatisveryplayfulandfreetodo.
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NicholasWilton: Thankyousomuch.
AmyTorgeson: Thankyou.
NicholasWilton: Ithinkwecoveredmanythings,andmyhead'sspinning.Thankyou,that'sgreat.
AmyTorgeson: Thankyou.
