Artificial Intelligence Serigraph Collaboration-- at Taller 75 Grados

Manuel Guerra and I collaborated on a serigraph print at Taller 75 Grados in Mexico City, during the second week of August in 2019.

Final collaborative serigraph print

Posted on Instagram

The process as posted on Instagram

by Taller 75 Grados

The serigraph was printed in two phases -- first, printing the artificial intelligence altered drawing from 3 color separation screens; and then superimposing the black original line figure drawing over that.

First we printed out my drawing after it was doctored in artificial intelligence (Google's Deep Dream Generator program).  I had uploaded all the high resolution files in a previous blog post, which could then be downloaded in Mexico.

My drawing after it was altered in

Google's Deep Dream Generator

Taller 75 Grados then color separated the artificial intelligence result, and printed the image in cyan-yellow-magenta oil based inks -- the 4th black screen was reserved for printing the original line drawing.  

The original unaltered, line drawing was printed last, in black (with a little transparent base), superimposed over the Deep Dream colored drawing.  We needed to bring out the human figure in this way, as the alterations of the artificial intelligence program obscured the  original image too much.

The original line drawing

(before being altered in Deep Dream Generator),

which was silk screened over the 

colored artificial intelligence altered drawing

Normally I use Photoshop to revive the image.  I superimpose and fade the original black drawing on top of the version colored by artificial intelligence.  

Later Manuel Guerra added a hand drawn halo to the final serigraph image.

Two "negatives" --

One of the 3 colors, 

and original line drawing (right),

to be printed on top of the colored print,

in black

An individual "negative" was produced,

for each of the three colors --

cyan, magenta, and yellow

Each color negative was separately

exposed to a screen

Two of the 3 color "negatives"

burned into one screen

Printing the magenta color

Maestro Arturo Negrete

looks at the stack

with the first colored printed 

Ultimately yellow was screen printed,

to give a full color version

Then the original line drawing

was silk screened in black

on top of the full colored image

With, and without black --

the finished print to the left

has the original line drawing

printed on top of the colors

Full production mode

YouTube viddo of the production

The first phase --

with the original black line drawing,

printed on top of the cym(not k) colored variation

produced by artificial intelligence

 MANUEL GUERRA 

COLLABOR

ATION

After viewing the first phase, Manuel Guerra decided to draw an Aztec green halo around the head of the figure. 

Envisioned in the computer

A real sized template is printed out,

and placed on top of the screen print

Manuel Guerra hand drew the Aztec dragon

Then Manuel hand drew the green background,

behind the Aztec dragon

Both the drawings on transparent paper--

of the Aztec dragon and the green background,

placed over the actual sized figure drawing

Both the drawings --

of the Aztec dragon and the green background,

were burned into a screen

A bit of red color 

was added to the green background,

to dull it slightly

First the green background was printed

Then the Aztec dragon was printed

Manuel Guerra signing the final edition

Krrrl (me)

signing the final edition

During the same week

Taller 75 Grados

produced two huge serigraphs

for artist Germán Montalvo

SANTA FE EXHIBITION

A previous Photoshop print of my altered drawing (without the Manuel Guerra collaboration), was printed out digitally, and submitted to the "Shakespeare On the Wall" exhibition in Santa Fe, which opened on August 23rd, 2019, at "A Gallery Somewhere."

My piece was titled:

"We Know What We Are, But Not What We May Be"

Update:

Two serigraphs were donated to the fundraisers for the El Paso shooting victims -- one to the Roderick Arts Center, and the other to Galeria Cinco Puntos in El Paso.  The exhibitions were August 10 - 11, 2019.

The serigraph was also shown in Tucson at Raices Taller for the "Collaborations" exhibition, September 14 - October 21st, 2019.

Hanging at Raices Taller in Tucson

Announcement for the exhibition

Instagram posting

by Raices Taller 222

August 5, 2019

Drawn at the Museo Jose Luis Cuevas in Mexico City (posted on Instagram):

My drawing was on the flyer,

advertising the session for the follow Monday

Altered with Deep Dream Generator

Instagram posting while we were drawing

Museo Jose Luis Cuevas

The Jose Luis Cuevas Museum is catercorner from the Academia de San Carlos, where I got my Masters degree in 1991.

 The Academia de San Carlos

is catercorner to the Cuevas Museum

Antigua Academia de San Carlos

main facade

Milk Carton Printing in Uruapan

I made a  milk carton drypoint etching print in a studio in  URUAPAN, Michoacan, Mexico, on Sunday, July 28th, 2019.  This was at MAPECO, the Taller Escuela de Artes Plasticas.

My final "milk carton" print,

with Irma Reyes Almanza looks on

Of course, I could not have done it without the help of Samuel Diaz Gaona and Irma Reyes Almanza, who are in charge of the MAPECO printmaking studio.  

They had both submitted to the Ambos Lados International Print Exchange, and brought in 12 more printmakers to the exchange.  That is why Manuel Guerra, Marco Sanchez, and I went down there to meet them.

Milk cartons (Tetra Pak)

unfolded, almost ready for etching

The "milk carton" material 

was taped to cardboard support.

I then drew on it with a ball point pen,

pressing hard to make deep grooves for etching

My "plate"

ready to ink

Samuel Diaz Gaona, head of the printmaking studio,

has been there since the mid 70s.

He wiped the Sanchez ink off my "plate"

with cotton material (not a tarlatan)

Finer wiping with newsprint

The inked

"milk carton plate"

Fresh off the press

The print 

next to the "milk carton plate"

The impressive milk carton print

that Samuel Diaz Gaona made for the 

Ambos Lados Print Exchange

I had previously taken a milk carton drypoint workshop with Ren Adams, at Remarque Print Workshop in Albuquerque, in November 2017.

OTHER TECHNIQUES AT MAPECO

They also unfold aluminum cans,

tape them to cardboard,

and use them as plates for low cost etching

A  collagraph technique

was to cover plant material with aluminum foil,

to create a low relief for inking and printing

Every print studio needs a cow in the back yard

We were very impressed with the MAPECO printmaking studio in Uruapan, Michocan!  They recycled packaging material (like milk cartons and aluminum cans) to make cheap printmaking plates.  They painted shellac on those plates to achieve different values and textures.  They printed on local handmade paper, made from water lilies (water hyacinth).  They made large relief prints on cheap brown kraft paper, for wheat paste print exchanges -- and pasted those prints up in Cheran, the small self-governing village in Michoacan that ran out the police and the drug lords.

Unfortunately Michoacan currently suffers from violence, as 19 victims died in Uruapan the week after we left.

UPDATE:  Some of those printmaking processes were demonstrated at Remarque Print Workshop in Albuquerque, during their Open House on September 21st, 2019.  They have been using the aluminum foil collagraph technique, and milk carton techniques before, but I brought in some Tetra Pak milk carton material, which they were using in Uruapan.

Remarque Print Workshop Open House,
demonstrating printmaking techniques,
on September 21st, 2019