Collaboration.. Red Bandana Bakery

Collaborations are always fun, especially when I get the chance to work with an old friend.  I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Jaimie had started a bakery and wanted my help with the marketing for her farmers markets.  It's awesome to be collaborating with another young entrepreneur and using both of our skills to help each other out.

Be sure to check out the The Red Bandana Bakery, the happy healthy little bakery.  They specialize in gluten free, dairy free and everything else happy and healthy.

I had so much fun with this project, creating new items and printing logos on all types of products.  I love helping new businesses with their branding.  It's just so much fun to print a logo on a variety of products and it shows the versatility of the printing process. The true purpose of printmaking.  This one screen can print on a banner, an apron, a bag, a table runner and anything and everything else.  The sky's the limit.

These flag banners are something new in the making.  They are so fun and versatile.  Each flag is hand sewn and hand painted, some being screenprinted.  They can be made in any color and can have anything written or printed on them.  Customizable and adjustable.  Stay tuned for more flag banners.

A mixture of screen printed and hand painted to create these table signs.

All topped off with an official ZerbyShop sticker!

It was a beautiful day, the display turned out great and all of the baked goods were delicious!  I look forward to collaborating with Jaimie and many more creative people in the future.  When creative people get together, great things happen.  The sky is the limit.  Be sure to check out http://theredbandanabakery.com and see whats baking!  (It's all delicious!)

Be Inspired. Be Bold.

peace&love

Rebecca

a small printing project.. part one

In todays world of technology and machines, I like to stress the art of handcrafted products.  I love to embrace techniques and processes that enhance the hand of the artist.  I try and stay away from computers, creating all my images by hand.  In my screen printing process I don't use the photo emulsion process, which often uses a computer to create the image that blocks the light creating the image on the screen.  I hand paint each image with drawing fluid then flood the screen with screen filler, creating the screen in which prints are made.

There is a beautiful hand quality that is added to each print that is often lost in the mass produced machine made prints.  I have found beauty in the process.  Each step is unique and important to the process.  After completing the screen, which is a big part of the process (prepping is a big part of any artwork), the fun part begins, the printing.  Just like weaving, I get into a rhythm, whipping out prints.  It's a repetitive dance, going through the motions, each time getting a little faster.  I am always looking to increase my efficiency and beat the machines.

This printing project is for a hockey tournament, one of my biggest projects with 145 shirts to print.  It took planning to get the most efficiency; From images on the screen to the order and time management of printing.  The first stages of the process from the drawing fluid to screen filler to the stack of shirts to be printed to the first layer.. shown below...

Darwing fluid.. in blue

Screen filler.. in brown.  The drawing fluid is then washed out creating the open area in which the ink passes through, creating the image below.

The stack of 145 shirts to be printed, ranging from youth XS to adult 3XL

The first layer.. doesn't look like ugh but a few layers later it will all come together.  3 layer in total.

In the end, it feels rewarding to have created something with my own two hands.  A product that someone will use and enjoy.  

Be Inspired.  Be Bold.

peace&love

Rebecca

Process.. Subtractive Printing

Subtractive printing is a fun and simple way to print using a minimal amount of screens.  It takes some planning, thats really the hardest part, but it can be a fast and efficient process.  Just remember always print lightest to darkest, largest to smallest.  Since I'm using drawing fluid, instead of photo emulsion, as the stencil, it is easier to apply the subtractive method.

Start with your largest image on the screen, shown on the left, and printed in white on the right.

Now with your drawing fluid start painting in an area.  Whatever you paint is blocking the next layer of ink and will stay white.  As you can see all I painted in was "Mud Splats".  When I printed the orange layer, "Mud Splats" remains white.

For the third layer I blocked out the lettering with blue tape.  I wanted an orange outline so I painted in around the border around the splats.  And voila! The final product.

This process starts to make more sense when you plan it out and actually go through the printing steps.  As always there is an importance to registration, make sure every layer matches up, and it take patience and practice.  

If you have any questions or comments about the process or would like your own custom shirt made please feel free to comment below or contact me at rebeccazerby@gmail.com.

Be Bold.

peace&love

Rebecca

Tale of the Whale

My beautiful whale collection.  A mix of prints, some that I have printed and others that I have collected.  Theres something about whales, they are grand and graceful, that makes them so beautiful.

Litho Print by Rebecca Zerby

Silk Screen print by Rebecca Zerby

Digital Print by OrangeTail from Esty

I hope to grow my collection as big as the deep blue sea.

peace&love

Rebecca

Uff Da.. it's a Reunion Shirt

Break out the lefse, its reunion time.  Tonight starts the three day extravaganza that is the Waller Reunion.  This year two reunions fell on the same weekend, so there's a lot of love going around.

I'm happy to say that this is the batch of shirts from the PrintShop is one of the first, of hopefully many, collaboration with my Aunt.  I get my artistic gene from this side of the family and I'm happy to finally be able to collaborate on such a great project.

Who wouldn't want to be a Waller?  Get a little bit of that Norwegian blood flowing. 

This is a great picture of my Grandparents on their trip up to Norway.  Look how beautiful.

Break out the lefse anf lutefisk.  It's reunion time!

Uff Da!

peace&love

Rebecca

Next Round of Designs

Next round of designs, both shirts and coozies.  Was able to fit 4 different projects onto one screen.  Here's to planning and efficiently using space and saving materials.  

The three step process to create the perfect screen.  

Step one.. Draw your image in drawing fluid (blue stuff).. let dry 

Step two.. Fill screen with screen filler (red stuff).. let dry

Step three.. Rinse out the drawing fluid.. voila

Stay tuned for the prints from this screen!

Be Bold

peace & love

Rebecca

the Productive Print Shop

To run a successful and productive print shop you must be organized and efficient.  It it much like the efficient painter.  The same principles apply, always be doing something.  The purpose of printing is to make multiples.  Its so much fun to, once you get in the groove, to start whipping out prints.  I feel like I am a mini factory line.

I recently got commissioned for a large shirt order.  As you can see below the tall stack of shirts in all different color and sizes.  I knew this would be a challenging order but I was up for the challenge.  If you don't push yourself out of your comfort zone, you will never know what you are capable of.  

This order was for a logo for a crab shack.  In this logo is 6 different colors which translates to 6 different layers (in printmakers talk).  I had to sit down and really plan it out.  First breaking the image down into each color then determining the order in which to print.  Colors in the back are printed first and I ended with the black outline to tie it all together.

There is a method to the madness when printing.  I have a very small area in which I print and a big concern of mine was where to put all the shirts to dry.  After printing the layer I would fold the shirt so only the wet image was exposed, then lined them up as close to each other as possible, conserving as much space as possible.  Then I would pickup the next shirt and repeat.

The summer before my senior year at the University of Delaware, I did an internship with Lou Stovall.  He is a Master Printer located in Washington D.C.  He had a silkscreen studio in his garage where he created the most amazing prints I had ever seen.  So many colors and layers, it was mesmerizing.  He was also a great mentor and taught me the skills and techniques to be a great printer.  He would say that printing is a dance, move through your space in the least amount of steps necessary.  Everything is organized and in reach, act quickly and adapt to fix your mistakes. 

Its so rewarding when the final layer is printed and the whole image transforms in front of you.  Printing is a lot of work and takes time and patience to make sure everything is registered properly.  To see this great final product makes it all worth it!

Have a design of your own you would like printed?  I would love to work with you to create the perfect shirt.  Contact me at rebeccazerby@gmail.com

Also check out some of  my other custom shirts at www.rebeccazerby.com.  The ZerbyShop on Etsy has fun elephant and giraffe tanks ready to order!

Be Bold

peace & love

Rebecca

BlackMagnolia.. Textile Experimentation

The inspiration for today was to experiment with printing then dyeing.  I took my BlackMagnolia pattern and printed it on three different fabrics in a shimmery charcoal ink.

I then soaked each fabric in a black Ritz dye.  

The result was a black fabric with a shimmer of a leaf pattern.  I am still experimenting with the levels of the dyes and the colors of ink.  I may try a black ink with a charcoal grey dye. 

I enjoy the darkness of the fabric and its subtle nature.  

Lets see what happens when it dries.

The dye faded slightly when it dried.  I love the vintage effect the hand dyeing does to the fabric.  The leaves really stand out and they really stand out in different lights.

I love the idea that you cannot always see the pattern.  Its somewhat magical how the patterns go in and out, disappearing and reappearing.

Stay tuned for more experimentation with fabrics, dyes, and patterns.  And check out the ZerbyShopto see what these fabrics turn into!  I would love to hear what you think.  

Email me at rebeccazerby@gmail.com or leave a comment below.

Be Bold.

peace & love

Rebecca

Excitement in the PrintShop

There's been a lot of movement in the PrintShop this week.  I am excited to present to you some of the new screen prints!  The great thing about the new prints is their versatility.  I have been busy printing on different fabrics and sewing them into many different fun summer accessories.

I started with a crab print.  Being in Maryland, crabs (Maryland Blue Crabs) are a big part of my summer.  I thought it would be fun to take this image and make it smaller and repeat it all over the place!

This giraffe print I just thought would be fun.  I love how the gold ink looks on a raw canvas.

The crab prints were the perfect size for a coozie!  Now you'll be prepared for any crab feast!

It only seemed right to print a giraffe on a tall boy can!  

Finally, perfect for any summer barbecue or crab feast, Crabby Placemats.

Be sure to check out these items and many more at the ZerbyShop on Etsy.  Keep in mind, if you see a design you like but it's not in the perfect color, let me know and I will print a custom order, no extra charge!  If you have any comments, please feel free to contact me at rebeccazerby@gmail.com or leave a comment below!  

Be Bold

peace & love

Rebecca

Beach Tanks

Every year for our beach trip I make tanks.  It's fun for our group picture at the end of the week to all be wearing the same shirt!  Since it's the beach I can go a little crazy with the design and have some fun with it.  Heres this years design.

I had some fun with it mixing different inks as I pulled it through the screen.  Each screen printed shirt is unique!

Here the Nags Head 2012 tank design.  I incorporated all of our favorite places into one awesome shirt!

This Crabby Tank is great for any summertime event, especially if theres crabs involved!  

These tanks are great for family gatherings or trips.  If your interested in a custom design please contact me at rebeccazerby@gmail.com and we can brainstorm and create the perfect design for any occasion!  See more of my tank and shirt designs on the ZerbyPrint link on my page www.rebeccazerby.com

peace & love

Rebecca

ZerbyShop Coming Soon

For the past couple weeks I have been designing and creating in preparation for the the opening of the  ZerbyShop!  It has been a dream of mine to sell things and the stars are finally starting to line up.  The ZerbyShop will be opening on Etsy next week!  Here's a sneak peek into some of the products I have created, many using fabrics I have designed and printed.

These Coozies come in three sizes- a regular can size, a large to fit bottles, and a small to fit little coronita bottles.  They are available in many patterns and colors!

The pattern on this coozie is created by machine sewing this chevron pattern in different colored lines. I will also be taking this embroidered chevron pattern and applying it to placemats and pillows.

These coasters have the same sewn chevron pattern sewn in.  Sown is the turquoise with bronze but the color combinations are endless.

Finally here are some fun finds I found at the local bead shop, Cloud Nine.  I hope to incorporate them into bags or pillows, the possibilities are endless!

As my time at the beach raps up, I am sad to be leaving this beautiful relaxing place but I am so excited to get back and creat more things!

peace & love

Rebecca