Below are some significant materials that we acquired to make the LIVE PRINTMAKING process easier:
List of INNOVATIVE Materials
- Speedball Professional Relief Ink, Supergraphic Black, 5 Ounce Tube
- Rives Lightweight White 19"x26" paper
- TORTILLA PRESS
- ABUSA adjustable Tortilla Press
- Sizzix BIG SHOT PLUS embossing press
THE LIVE PRINTMAKING
INSPIRATION
Ever since 3 Gatos Press of Guadalajara took us to do live printmaking in Tlaquepaque in 2019, we have been printing with a Tortilla Press at openings and workshop in the United States:
EXHIBITION CONCEPT
Our agenda is to SHOW PRINTS -- specifically prints on 8x8 inch paper. The small prints fit nicely in cheap 8x8 inch frames from Walmart (or Amazon). That way we can carry around 12 framed prints in an Igloo 12 quart cooler from Target, and have hit-and-run pop-up print exhibitions:
The other great thing about 8x8 inch prints is that they fit nicely in an envelop, so that we can send and receive prints IN THE MAIL. We have received a lot of prints from Mexico, and even some from Australia. The pop-up print exhibitions are even stronger when showing off styles and subjects from all over the world!
LIVE PRINTMAKING
In order to show prints, sometimes we have to make prints:
So we ordered a TORTILLA PRESS from Joseph Velasquez of Drive By Press down in Florida:
Joseph Velasquez even showed us how to use the Tortilla Press on YouTube, during the Covid Pandemic:
So we took the new TORTILLA PRESS to Santa Fe and printed live at the top of Canyon Road at HECHO A MANO gallery in 2019:
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INNOVATIONS
In 2023 we developed innovations as we continued to do live printmaking as openings and workshops:
INK in a TUBE
A huge convenience is the Speedball Supergraphic Black ink in a TUBE! Using ink from the can gets on your hands, elbows and all over the place. The TUBE is as big of an innovation as BABY WIPES:
REAL TORTILLA PRESS
For one, we got a REAL TORTILLA PRESS from Amazon -- ABUSA adjustable tortilla press:
This press did not work for us UNTIL we cut down a piece of YOGA MAT to cushion and distribute the pressure. Then it worked perfectly for printing round 4xe inch linocuts (the size of street tacos).
We stole the idea from AXLE CONTEMPORARY of Santa Fe. We exhibited 66 prints inside their mobile art van, and printed with the wooden TORTILLA PRESS out front during the PRINTED MATTER festival in Santa Fe in 2022 . However Matthew Chase-Daniel and Jerry Wellman of AXLE pushed the technique up a notch, by printing/embossing on REAL Tortillas:
Maybe we should buy an Inkedibles TACO PRINTER
4 Inch Round
STREET TACO PRINTS
3 Gatos Press asked Manuel Guerra to take small round linocuts down to Guadalajara for their exhibition and live printmaking event in July 2023:
It turns out that the round linocuts -- 4 inch diameter -- are the perfect size to print on the REAL TORTILLA press by Abusa, which also works with 8x8 inch paper.
We laser cut the circular linocuts, 4 inch diameter in a 6x6 inch square -- both pieces can be inked with a different color and put together before printing:
SKATEBOARD PRINTING
We also bought a SKATEBOARD PRESS from Joseph Velasquez (and even made our own):
Joseph Velasquez even tells you how to make your own SKATEBOARD PRESS:
COLOR
Color can make a huge difference. This dark print made with blue looks black, but is a lot better than the print made in black. We mulled Maya Blue pigment directly into Speedball Professional Relief Ink Transparent Base to make the printing ink:
LASER ENGRAVER
We cheated by engraving into linoleum with a laser cutter at Quelab. However that opens up a lot of different opportunities, like engraving images created by AI (Artificial Intelligence):
We also bought a portable 5 watt galvo lasercutter -- Laserpecker 2 -- with the idea of engraving linoleum on the spot while live printmaking:
However it takes forever to engrave linoleum with the portable laser cutter. However it only takes a minute to cut into EVA foam with the portable Laserpecker 2; and another minute to ink and print from it:
- Still, the portable laser cutter is a little too light, and could easily fall over in a crowd and zap a spectator.
STAMPING FOAM
Adric at Quelab gave us some stamping foam, which worked wonderfully with the laser engraved AI images. One only has to heat the STAMPING FOAM, press it into the laser engraved linocut, and when it cools it will hold that image in the stamping foam (plus you can re-heat and re-use the STAMPING FOAM):
BIG SHOT PLUS
EMBOSSING PRESS
After trying out the Sizzix embossing press at Quelab, we bought the bigger one -- the Sizzix BIG SHOT PLUS embossing press -- that will print on an 8x8 inch piece of paper. This works as a letterpress, is light enough to carry around for hit-and-run pop-up print demos:
HAND BARENS
We also like to collect hand barens, for the live printmaking demos:
The glass print barens, from IRON FROG PRESS of Dallas, print rather nicely:
Also we liked the 3D-printed Cool S Barens, which printed with the ball bearing pushed into them (however leaving them in a hot car warped the 3D print):
by Lars Roeder
We also ordered some hand barens from Arteina of Barcelona, Spain:
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There is a YouTube video on how to use them:
DOG TABLE
Anna Aragon of Las Vegas, New Mexico recommends printing on a Dog Grooming Table (we ordered one, but it did not arrive):
SCRAPBOOK
8x8
Ellie suggested storing the prints in these 8x8 inch photo album/scrapbooks -- which makes it a whole lot easier to handle the prints. For one, it's easier to flip through and look at all the prints. More importantly, the two small albums are a lot easier to store than the 8 buckets needed to hold the 88 framed prints:
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