Trying Out the Yudu Screen-Printing System

Borrowed the Yudu Screen-Printing System from the Jo-Ann store to make some custom t-shirts that could be used for in-store demos and promote upcoming Cartoon Sketching trend classes. Two birds with one stone.
Creating a printing screen is fairly simple: the original art was drawn with Sakura Pigma Sensei pens, scanned in the computer, and then printed in black on the dull side of the Yudu blank transparency. This Cartoon Sketching Manga-Style design transparency was taped to the light table, so that it could be transferred to the green emulsion on the printing screen. The green emulsion sheet was attached to the pre-moistened screen, and it took 3 drying cycles to get it ready for light exposure.After 8 minutes of light exposure the green emulsion turned blue in the unmasked areas.
Found it more efficient to wash away the unexposed emulsion in the shower. The rinsing process still took a fairly long time even with the hand held shower sprayer.
The sponge was useful for removing the unexposed water soluble emulsion (green film sections) away from the printing screen.
After a couple of drying cycles, the printing screen was taped and ready for its first test.

Loading a blank t-shirt on its platen. My first T-shirt print. Bit disappointed that much of the fine detail from the original got lost in the process, but I guess it turned out ok for a first try.
Managed to print a second t-shirt without cleaning the screen and only some minor smudging in the upper right corner of the image.
This third printing on smooth bristol without cleaning the screen in between resulted in even more paint smudging . Thus cleaning the screen thoroughly after each printing seems essential for producing crisp images. This printing process required a a lot of water for rinsing the unexposed emulsion and the printing screen between prints. A simpler graphic design with less fine detail could probably be reproduced more accurately. While the Yudu system worked well enough and made the process of creating a printing screen simpler with its proprietary emulsion sheets, the unit itself is rather cumbersome with its rather large footprint and not very practical given the high cost of the starter kit and printing supplies. It was fun playing with it, but the search continues for a more practical and cost-effective alternative for printing custom t-shirts.

A Few T-Shirt Designs

I relied again on my favorite Sakura Pigma Sensei drawing set to create these t-shirt designs. Drawing the heavier outlines with the 1.0 mm pen on the letter size card stock sheets drained the pen quite a bit and roughed up its felt tip nib. The 0.6 mm nib was practically destroyed when trying to fill broad black strokes with it. I probably should have limited the Pigma Sensei pens for the more delicate line work, and used a regular Sharpie marker to fill in the larger black areas.
The plan is to use these designs with the Yudu screen printing machine as a product demo and to promote my upcoming Cartoon Sketching Manga-Style trend classes at the Jo-Ann store.
Seeing some influence from the Graffiti drawing book I borrowed from the library already in the treatment of the heavily stylized dark outlines surrounding the figures.
Will keep you posted on how they turn out.In the meantime, already decided to also use these designs for this promo poster for the Open House that will serve as my stand-in since I will not be able to attend it this Saturday.

Sakura Pigma Micron 05 and Brush sets of 8 pens initial test reference chart

Found these sets of 8 colored pens of Sakura Pigma Micron 05 (0.45 mm nibs) and Brush pens on clearance at the local Jo-Ann arts and crafts store. They feature nice bright colors, and their pen nibs glided fairly smoothly on the Rhodia dotPad paper. While it might be too soon to make a judgment about their durability, the Sakura Pigma brush nibs feel rather delicate and look thinner and smaller that Faber Castell Pitt Artist brush pen nibs.
Marks comparison chart and test doodles drawn on Rhodia dotPad. Since they feature colorful pigmented inks that are waterproof when dry, they could be used for labeling and some sketching that could be colored with watercolors afterwards without smearing the drawn outlines.Sample doodles sketched on Piccadilly blank journal. The numbers correspond to the pen color, but the actual name of the color is not listed anywhere on the pen barrel. The pen cap indicates the pen size "05" and ink color, and in the case of the brush pen they display the letters "BR" printed on the color coded circle. The opposite end of the pen has a small color matching plastic cap to facilitate its identification. I have seen reports that the pen cap identification markings tend to wear off with use, so it might help its longevity to close the cap by holding it on its sides every once in awhile rather than pushing down on the colored disk with your thumb every time. After changing the nib and ink refills a few times, I also noticed this issue with a 05 Copic Multiliner SP pen that I used for several months in my sketching kit. I had almost completely worn off the pen cap markings by rubbing it with my thumb every time I closed the pen. I tend to keep the Copic pens at home, and take the disposable Pigma pens on the road given their price difference.

Pop-Up Card Making Class and Cartooning Trend Class Photo Journal

Had a couple of sheets with cut out design suggestions and sample background template to get us started making pop-up cards right away.Couple of finished samples colored with Crayola Super Tip markers to show the kids a possible composition and coloring suggestions.
Out class set up in the back of the Jo-Ann's store.
WIP.
Some of the finished pop-up cards.




Used 11" X 14" sheets of bristol paper to create souvenir pop-up backdrops for the students to take home once they completed their pop-up card making projects.

During the cartoon drawing trend class the students, students practiced their inking skills with Sakura Pigma pens on violet Pilot Color Eno pencil outlines.

Ongoing Clearance of Art Supplies

My next Manga Cartooning Class is scheduled later today from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm this Saturday 10 at the Jo-Ann Store, Promenade At Naples Center, 6428 Hollywood Blvd, Naples, FL 34109-2013. Since the store will be moving to another location within the same plaza next month, several clearance red stickers have began popping up all over the store. Might be a good idea to check out if they are discounting any supplies that you might want to stock up on. With some art supplies having 70% off discounts, I decided to try some acrylic paints and got a few over-size 18" X 24" paper pads.

Another Manga Cartoon Sketching Demo at the Jo-Ann Store and First Trend Class announcement

Thanks for stopping by. Just spent the last few hours at the Jo-Ann store conducting a sketching demo as a preview of my Manga Cartoon Sketching trend class. The first 2-hour trend class is now scheduled for Saturday, May 26th from 10:00 am to noon. You will need something to draw with and some paper (Ideally the Sakura Pigma Sensei drawing set and a sketchbook with 50 lb/74 gsm paper). For other art materials suggestions you could check the previous post. If you would like to check out some Manga or Anime titles at your local library or bookstore before attending the class, I would recommend the works of Hayao Miyazaki ("Ponyo", "My Neighbor Totoro", "Howl's Moving Castle", "Spirited Away", "Princess Mononoke", "Nausica Valley of the Wind", and "Castle in the Sky" - you might want to check the movie ratings and reviews in Amazon to find the best fit for your child's age and level of interest) and Osamu Tezuka (creator of Astroboy).
Several kids took home a few mini comics to color at home and a few custom manga trading cards as souvenirs of this demo along with their speed sketches (which I define as a quick drawing done in 2-3 minutes). A few had to be particularly rushed, for their parties were waiting the next movie showing (the Regal Hollywood 20 movie theater is just around the corner from the store).
Sketched probably dozens of cartoon portraits during this demo. Lots of ninjas, few dragons, a couple of knights, several mermaids, bunch of butterfly/angel fairies, girl riding a brachiosaurus, and a toddler driving a mini car. The example above was the only instance where 2 sitters fitted in a single 8.5" X 11" sheet of card stock, and that was only because one agreed to play "Sebastian" for the mermaid model. We plan to hold future trend classes during weekdays, Saturdays 10:00 am-12:00 pm, and Sundays 1 pm-4:00pm.

Another Jo-ann Open House for Kids Summer Art Camp completed and next demo announcement

For those of you that can not make my ARTScool classes this summer: I am adapting my Manga Cartooning 8-lesson plan used for the Miracle Plus after school program to a trend class at Jo-Ann's. Thus on the course of several 2-hour sessions we'll discuss the cultural context in which Japanese comics are created, popular themes and styles seen in Shonen (comics for boys) and Shojo (comics for girls) titles, and work on basic sketching skills with an eye for developing each kid's manga cartooning style. Sample activities include: robot sketching as an early approach for drawing the human figure, designing original Kaiju (strange beast) to foster imagination, designing sets of manga artist trading cards (ATC), writing and illustrating a 6-page mini comic with its front and back covers, creating simple pop-up cards and dioramas as a means for pre-visualizing a story setting, trying different art supplies for illustrating and coloring covers and promotional materials than tend to be done in color while the stories themselves are traditionally rendered in black and white given their usual tight production schedules.
For those interested in this Manga Cartooning trend class, you will just need some paper and drawing tools to get started. I would recommend a 9" X 12" Canson XL Recycled Sketchbook that with its generous count of thin and light weight 50 lb (74 gsm) paper works fairly well for tracing exercises and general sketching. Just remember to use a piece of card stock as a shitajiki (or pencil board) under your working sheet to protect the other sheets beneath it. The Sakura Pigma Sensei drawing set would be my top pick for a starter sketching kit since it includes 4 pigmented pens with different nib sizes, a nice 0.7 mm mechanical pencil, and a efficient soft eraser. There are many coloring tool options to consider: washable markers, colored pencil, watercolor pencils, watercolor crayons, and watercolor pans. The 24-color Sakura Koi Watercolor Field Sketch Kit with its convenient waterbrush would make for a pretty versatile and convenient choice (select a sturdier paper support that can handle light washes like the 9" x 12" Canson XL Mixed Media pad or even some bristol paper). To sign up for the trend class or find out more come to my next demo on June 19th 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Jo-Ann Store Open House, Promenade At Naples Center, 6428 Hollywood Blvd, Naples, FL 34109-2013, phone (239) 594-0389.

Next Speed Sketching Demo at Jo-Ann Open House

My next Manga Cartooning Class Demo is scheduled from noon to 3:00 pm this coming Saturday 12 at the Jo-Ann Store Open House, Promenade At Naples Center, 6428 Hollywood Blvd, Naples, FL 34109-2013, phone (239) 594-0389.Stop by if you would like to have your free cartoon portrait drawn, learn about my art materials recommendations for budding artists, and check out the mini comics and the pop-up card samples that we would be making in the corresponding introductory 3-hour session (Kids' Art & Drawing 101 and 102). Suggested materials to get started sketching and drawing regularly:
- Sakura Pigma Sensei drawing kit: my top pick for a comprehensive drawing kit with four different sizes of pigmented pens, 0.7 mm mechanical pencil, and soft eraser.
- Canson Fanboy manga papers: the 8.5" X 11" sketchbook or a 9" X12" drawing pad would be a good starter choice.
- Crayola Super Tips markers (set of 20 or 50) or Faber Castell Crip Colour Marker pens (set of 10 or 20) provide a nice starter color palette with water-based washable inks.
- Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pens Manga sets would be recommended options for intermediate to advance students.
- Prismacolor Double ended markers sets (Manga and Grays) would be recommended options for intermediate to advance students.
- A nice soft 2B or 4B artist graphite pencil or 2 mm leadholder loaded with B-2B leads
- sketchbooks of different sizes for use at home and on-the-go/plenty of 8.5" X 11" copy paper for warm up doodles and initial experiments.
For the Kids' Art & Drawing 101 Basic Principles session: the Sakura Pigma Sensei drawing kit, a Canson Fanboy manga sketchbook or drawing pad, and a set of markers would suffice.
For Kids' Art & Drawing 102 Pop-Cards session: pack of 8.5" X 11" white card stock, child safe scissors (or a EK Success Cutter Bee scissors for older students that can handle them safely), glue stick (glitter glue pens are a nice enhancement option), preferred drawing and coloring tools (same as listed above for Drawing 101). Other coloring options: Derwent watercolor pencils, Faber Castell watercolor crayons or the 12 gel sticks with brush set.

Succesful Open House at Jo-Ann store completed

Thanks for stopping by at the Jo-Ann's Open House, I enjoyed meeting so many potential students for the summer camp and sketching cartoon portraits for quite a few as a preview of our beginner's cartooning drawing and pop-up card classes.
Suggested materials to start practicing:
- Sakura Pigma Sensei drawing kit
- Canson Fanboy manga papers
- Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pens Manga sets
- Prismacolor Double ended markers sets (Manga and Grays)
- 2 mm leadholder with B-2B leads
- sketchbooks/copy paper