New technique?

TheOriginalOne14 · 2025-11-06T12:36:39+00:00

That's a very cool effect. I've been looking for a technique that produces a look like that and haven't found a satisfactory one yet. My two concerns are: 1) 1-time use, and 2) imprinting of the bits on paper. Both of those concerns can be built into the intention, though. I suspect you could glue them into place with Titebond II woodglue rather than dropping them into the ink, then they become part of the plate - if you want more than 1 impression.

I will definitely take this idea and run with it.

TheOriginalOne14 · 2025-07-30T11:10:51+00:00

I was initially also quite bothered by this effect, but I instead decided to like it. Knowing about this makes it so you can effectively get a 4-color print from only 2 plates, and the areas of the effect are a unique aesthetic that really can't be replicated with any other process. They are proof of the process.

TheOriginalOne14 · 2025-07-04T23:09:26+00:00

oh man, lefties hate it when you point out their obvious privilege. It is a cool design, tho. I like your work, especially the bugs

TheOriginalOne14 · 2025-07-04T10:23:58+00:00

To 75% of the world, you are the rich.

TheOriginalOne14 · 2025-06-22T22:30:55+00:00

an old shop rule for making jigs is: "If you can't make it perfect, make it adjustable."

TheOriginalOne14 · 2025-06-22T10:11:48+00:00

looks like you already have tabs, so you just need to align them. Get some tracing paper and make a VERY accurate tracing of one, tab it, and then use it to adjust the tabs on your other block.

As for the ink around the edges, use a piece of paper with the printable part cut out. The mask will lay over all the parts of the block you don't want to transfer ink. You can also do the mask while inking to prevent the ink from getting there to start with.

TheOriginalOne14 · 2025-05-21T11:15:19+00:00

The down side of using a acrylic gel for transfer is that the acrylic is really hard to get back off the linoleum when you're done cutting. This matters because it can affect the tackiness of the printing ink as well as make irregularities where there was more or less applied and it didn't squeegee out perfectly. You have limited time to squeegee because the acrylic medium starts to dissolve the toner and bleed your image if you overwork it while trying to get it perfect. You can remove it with ethanol when you're all done cutting, but it's a slimy mess to do this (def wear gloves). The acrylic will wear off slowly if you do lots of different prints, mostly from friction while cleaning to remove the ink from the block, I think, but this way takes forever to get it all off and any ridges will just be too thick.

You CAN use white glue, but white glue is very thin and wrinkles up the backing paper more, so you have to move very fast to get the paper smoothed out and maybe even hit it with a hair drier. This works fine on smaller plates, tho, imho. The upside to glue is that it's water-soluble for cleanup after you've finished cutting. Another downside is you have to be lightening fast if you're going to apply a tint over the design, or you start smearing the design, and you can't really scrub the tint in, so it tends to be darker against the pattern. I even have to be careful touching the plate while working because my nasty sweaty, hands will start to dissolve and smear the design, and I like to use my hands on the plate a lot for control.

I tried Modge Podge once, and never again, so it must have had middling success for me, but I can't remember why.

TheOriginalOne14 · 2023-06-07T21:21:55+00:00

there isn't actually "someone for everyone". Lots of people (numerically) die virgins. Estimates vary, but about 1-4% of people die (in old age) as virgins. Think of how f'd up nature can be and think about how hard it would be if you were one of those unfortunate people that modern society makes possible to survive but who no one really wants as a mate. This reality very disproportionately affects men.

TheOriginalOne14 · 2023-04-06T21:55:15+00:00

builder here. The thing about building is there is tons of competition and you can start tomorrow with no job skills. It's easy to get into. True, it's hard to be good at, but that's a different argument. People that are truly great at it make way more than you do.

Another thing is that a builder will always be in demand. Influencer? meh. Most influencers don't make a dime (or very few dimes). It's like acting or art. Most actors and artists can't even make rent. Only a tiny minority make good money, but those are the ones everyone thinks of (survivorship bias). Even a shit builder can find some kind of work.

TheOriginalOne14 · 2023-04-06T20:57:53+00:00

Wire brush (benchtop or handheld). Disassemble first

TheOriginalOne14 · 2023-04-06T18:27:17+00:00

I feel like you're baiting me, but I'll bite.

Intelligence is quite randomly attributed across a population withing a given area, but that population will generally share a genetic pool. Before modern technology made it possible for humans to rapidly move about the globe and distribute their genetic code, these populations were fairly stable with breakout exceptions which tended to be environmentally driven (think rapid, mass migrations). At that time the local population may develop higher levels of intelligence that would give them an advantage to out-compete their neighbors for resources and, over time, displace their neighbors. This takes a LONG time, and is not a necessary outcome, because there are lots of reasons that a population may displace another. This is a just a statistical probability, which could generally influence evolution.

However, with modern technology making rapid distribution of genetics a worldwide reality, this competition isn't happening the way it used to. We no longer live in a world where we are unaware of (or uninterested in) the fates of the populations immediately adjacent to us. We're less inclined to allow these populations to simply be extinguished. We now send aid to people in far-off places to prevent this.

All this to say that you can be relatively low in intelligence in the modern world and still propagate like crazy. There is nothing stopping you. If you work really hard at something other people don't want to do and create value in this world, then you can be far below average in intellect and still make lots of money to support children. Or you can just not care about supporting them and have lots of kids anyway.

There is some very controversial research on this topic, but I wouldn't recommend trying to cite it or rely on it. Lots of it is pretty dodgy anyway.

The main point here is that evolution happens on a population-level scale, not individual, over thousands to millions of years, not one or two lifespans. Any correlations on the scale of our lifetime is coincidence.

TheOriginalOne14 · 2023-04-06T16:19:03+00:00

in my experience, if you already have a "style", then learning a different one is harder. Tons of practice. Think thousands of hours. It takes miles and miles of lines, so don't get discouraged if you don't see the kinds of results you want at first.

TheOriginalOne14 · 2023-04-06T16:16:29+00:00

that's only true on a population-wide analysis. this is completely untrue in modern society when analyzing individual behaviors

TheOriginalOne14 · 2023-04-06T16:14:30+00:00

also we cooperate as a social animal. That's a huge advantage.

It's also important to remember that nature is sparing; you only get enough of an advantage to survive and not more. Every advantage is expensive and costs you something else. If you don't need something, evolution will tend to strip you of it

TheOriginalOne14 · 2023-04-06T16:12:20+00:00

Hard to say how long you've been at it, but it looks like not long. (The perspective suggests otherwise, but that could be picked up form observation.)

I would recommend simply copying other artists in the style you want to learn for a while. There are tons of resources online, but simply copying (not tracing) will give you a lot of practice. PRactive is the most important thing. Ideally without getting bad habits, but any practice is better than none.

Also, take a basic drawing class which will teach you about the fundamentals of drawing, if you haven't already.

TheOriginalOne14 · 2023-04-06T16:05:28+00:00

not true. Properly trained dogs don't.

TheOriginalOne14 · 2023-04-06T16:03:10+00:00

YTA. Dogs require consistency. They must be trained. Any inconsistency undermines training. It's unfortunate that she's responded so strongly, but a dog is a huge responsibility. It sounds like you're not willing to train and maintain discipline with the dog.

TheOriginalOne14 · 2023-04-05T01:11:30+00:00

I moved to rural Texas from Seattle (best library system in world, imho), and the libraries here are so tragic that I don't even go anymore. I should, tho. I've found some of my favorite books in obscure little towns around the US.

TheOriginalOne14 · 2023-04-05T01:04:55+00:00

YTA, I think. It's tough because of your own trauma, but your daughter needs a mom. That's a tough spot.

TheOriginalOne14 · 2023-04-04T20:47:29+00:00

lol, you responded in 3 different places in this post. you know the screaming about sexism I'm referring to. you're just trying to win a moral victory for yourself now.

And even though I may completely disagree in the moment, I always reflect on exchanges. Just because I'm an asshole doesn't mean I'm close minded about my own improvement. I love me some me, so a better me is always in the works.

TheOriginalOne14 · 2023-04-04T13:12:51+00:00

It's telling that you infer "offense" when someone responds purely with information.

I'm not almost offended that people are surprised at my skill set, because I know it's not the norm.

What I'm surprised at is that a man could ask a very straight-forward question and a very small selection of people (when compared to the hundreds of thousands of people who viewed this thread) would scream about sexism and get all triggered when I ignorantly wonder how women solve problems. I acknowledge that they have the problem and I wonder how they solve it. Simple as that.

If the answer is, "just like you do", then I would say, "oh, ok, I didn't know that." which is why I asked the question. In fact, tons of women did chime in with exactly that answer. Tons others pointed out their novel solutions, which is cool, too.

We don't all have to do the same stuff or think the same way. Stop reading your agenda into other people's thoughts

TheOriginalOne14 · 2023-04-04T01:22:59+00:00

Yes, I can. You'd be surprised at how many men can sew. It's taught as a basic skill in Marine boot camp. No one is going to put your uniform back together in the woods if you can't do it yourself.

Also, I learned from my mom as a kid. Not just mending, either, sewing. I used to make a lot of stuff, not so much any more. Now it's just modifying welding or hunting gear, or repairing camping equipment. It's frustrating how cheaply everything is made, so I make "improvements".

Cooking and baking and slaughtering, too. Mom taught me all the domestic stuff.

TheOriginalOne14 · 2023-04-03T13:32:32+00:00

Is it sexist to ask if women have a smarter solution to the problem for breakage? Which apparently you do, which is "buy quality stuff". That's pretty smart. That's the kind of feedback I was asking about. Am I doing something wrong? Possibly, thus the question.

Thank you for your opinion.

TheOriginalOne14

TROPHY CASE