Illuminimal - Footwear video mapping project

For a few weeks now I’ve been excitedly researching and planning a projection mapping project, using a pair of Merrell running shoes and a pedestal.

There will be sound-reactive animations, colorway collaborations (with Josh Franklin and Jeff Yeager), and 3D elements, all performed live to music using an iPad with a custom TouchOSC interface as a controller. The project is scheduled to be shown at JDK’s staff meeting on March 22nd, filmed, edited, and shared online shortly after.

With less than three weeks to go, March is going to be a busy month.

All of this is a giant, creative, learning experience, so I’ll be documenting with regular updates throughout the process.

Speaking of, you can now subscribe for email updates!

Projection Mapping Test

For a long time now, I’ve seen many amazing examples of 3D projection mapping; from living rooms to architectural facades, VJ sets at electronic shows, and massive interior projections covering 360 degrees… it’s all incredibly inspiring to me. 

With a fusion of knowledge in 3D and graphic, I thought this growing medium must be something within my grasp. Despite a large collection of references, inspiration, and what few tutorials are available, I knew the best way to learn was to just jump right in and start experimenting.

So, the last day before holiday break, I decided to do it.

I built a simple form in Blender, unwrapped UVs, exported, added glue tabs in Illustrator, printed, constructed, and taped it to a wall behind my new standing desk.

After setting up a projector as a second monitor, I full-screened a Photoshop document to the size of the projector resolution and went to town: isolating sides, adding colors and patterns, while observing how the light reacted and bounced off itself and its surroundings.

I’ve only touched the surface and I’m incredibly excited to keep exploring… 3D rendering, mapping/VJ software, simulated lighting, masked video, multiple projectors, motion tracking… expect a lot more in the coming months.

There are literally limitless possibilities.

And yes, I chose a shape that could become a triforce, because obviously.

2013

2012 has been quite an interesting year. Life changes, side projects, and personal growth. I turned adverse situations into creative fuel, embraced change as passion for productivity, and now I’m excited for a massive 2013.

There are many things I want to achieve in 2013, but instead of making resolutions, I’ve refined it down to a two-part overarching goal:

Do more.
More projects, screen prints, exploring new mediums, collaborations, it’s going to be a busy year.

Go more.
Specifically traveling and adventuring. Trips big or small, alone or with friends, I’m going to see/taste/meet/learn new things, documenting and sharing the experience. More of this.

Do more, go more.
Let’s do this, 2013.

-Craig

I tend to make lists.

This is my way of keeping track of what I need/want/have/dream to do.

My setup isn’t elaborate; I use Google Tasks (using this link to isolate it as it’s own tab) and GoTasks (by Evgeniy Shurakov) as an utterly simple way to sync it to iPhone/iPad. Google seems to lump Tasks in as a tiny add-on to their Gmail platform, but it’s actually one of the best to-do list utilities out there.

Standout features include the freedom to easily organize sub-lists, sync across all devices, automatic reminders via the GoTasks app, and checking out completed tasks to see what you’ve accomplished. 

Speaking of, the image you see above is a compiled list of everything I’ve completed in 2012. It’s great to reflect and pat yourself on the back for getting things done, but if a massive uncompleted list greatly outweighs your completed list, it’s easy to become discouraged.

The sad realization I’ve had about making lists is that they constantly remind you of what you aren’t accomplishing. 

My to-do list is filled with projects and ideas, some very recent and some dating back years ago, as if I will somehow find myself with a ton of free time to pull something out to dust off. This just isn’t the case.

As time passes you learn new things, suffer hardships, acquire new passions, become inspired by everything you experience… the present comes and goes too quickly to try and chip away at a lengthy to-do list from the past.

In fact, my other system is far simpler: the tattoo on my left wrist of a blank one item checklist. It has a few meanings (perhaps enough for its own blog post), but one in particular is a reminder to focus on one thing at a time.

Maintaining a radically smaller list means cutting some projects in favor of other ones. This will not only greatly simplify your work load, but force you to realize what you actually want to be working on.

Consider it natural selection, and be brash. Only the strongest survive and better projects and will evolve as a result.

At the start of 2013, I’m wiping my plate clean and starting fresh. While a couple current projects will roll over into the new year, I’ll be putting a greater focus on future projects.

Big conspiracy? Nope.

Every detailed aspect simply says “this shirt is the color mint.”

Process Post | Buy Print  

MINT Shirt + Packaging

It’s been a long process, and I’m very excited to finally share this. An everything-considered packaging solution made from used materials and zero plastic to minimize environmental impact.

This project grew from a hand screen-printed shirt design into an in-depth design project including a custom-designed box die made from a 12-pack beer box, a printed insert card made from collect paper shopping bags, found twine, paper tape, and a hand-carved shipping label stamp.

Anyone who’s seen the massive tower of these cardboard boxes in my apartment knows how excited I am to send them out to the world!

A limited edition of 30, each unique box is packed up with a shirt and introduction card, then hand-stamped with a custom shipping label, before getting shipped out USPS. The best part? These labor of loves are available for purchase, just in time for the holidays! And 20% off, too!? 

If the idea of gifting one of these to yourself or a friend excites you, don’t hesitate, because such a limited edition means only a handful of sizes.

Thanks, everyone. :)

Everything in the shop, including this fresh addition, is 20% off all December, using the cryptic code DECEMBER at checkout. 

Things - Collab Screen Print

Collaboration with talented artist and great friend Michael Ackerman.

Over the course of two days, we printed a couple dozen of these with severely intentional lack of planning. Both passes were made using screen drawing fluid, so no computers were involved. We wanted to, quite literally, get our hands dirty.

The first pass involved us simultaneously painting, splattering, stamping and more on one screen. We then coated with screen filler, washed out the drawing fluid, and had our stencil. After deciding on a crop for the black paper size we decided on, we printed the first color, a moderately subtle gunmetal.

Using the same process as the first color, I painted the “THINGS” type of the second pass and did our best to line it up.

‘THINGS’ comes from a long list of difficult to explain phrases that would most definitely socially isolate us from what is commonly known as “normal.” Mike is one of my college roommates from which the phrase was born, so it seemed fitting we attempt to express it on paper. I’d say we both failed and succeeded at the same time. Things.

Starting with simple color blends, pre-loading the screen with ink splatter, and spritzing with water to distress the ink, we quickly began to think outside the screen and use other objects to spread ink. Mike being new to the screen printing process, it was great to see what techniques arose.

We proceeded to get weird with paint, experimenting in a borderline nonsensical way. Kyle’s brother came along the second day of printing to lend a hand… hands make for great squeegees, right? Wrong. They do not.

Michael Ackerman and I have been talking about collaborating on a piece for a while now, and I’m excited how we made it happen in a very carefree, unplanned way. And because of mixing all that ink, popping bubbles revealed quite the wallpaper-worthy array of cosmos…

Plus, now we have all sorts of weird, one-of-a-kind prints to give as gifts. Don’t tell anyone though. It’s a surprise.

Don’t forget to check out Michael Ackerman’s work and blog, he blows me away every time he sends me new pieces. Just look at that damn clown!

The Shining Poster

This tribute to Stanley Kubrick’s ‘The Shining’ 36x24” is a 2-color print on bright white paper with fluorescent red ink made for the JDK Gallery Visions Exhibition, presented by Last Days Press.

The scene was built entirely in Blender using historical photographs as reference. When possible, I try to incorporate my digital 3D skills into my workflow, and this print was a great project to learn more about simulating trees and using particle systems.

These large hand-pulled screen prints are a very limited edition of 10. These will be for sale tonight at the gallery opening, before they become available in the online shop!

Updates to this post are to come, featuring glowing imagery from the show…

How to Make Beet Ink

While working on producing ink for the Beats to Feed the World Poster, I found there really wasn’t an optimized how-to on the internet for this, so here’s what I found to be the simplest, cheapest way to make the most concentrated ink possible using fresh beets.

Hopefully you’re a visual learner like me, because here’s a few thousand words worth of pictures.

The “I’m-way-too-busy-for-pictures” version? Chop, blend, squeeze, enjoy.

8 beets makes 24oz of beet ink.

Note: You may need to add a little water when blending.

You’ll also get roughly 12oz worth of compacted beet pulp, which I’m exploring how to utilize… Food experts, sound off in the comments!