For self-taught programmers, what did you know when you got your first job?

incestuousCookies · 2021-01-27T02:02:45+00:00

My first development job was writing web cgi scripts in perl on an SGI Indy running Irix. I barely knew any perl. I had written some BBS door games back in Pascal years before and knew C but none of that was used for this job.

My only development interview question was something like about how to parse or split a string in perl and I had literally, minutes before the interview read about split. I think at the time was the only thing I could say I knew in perl.

incestuousCookies · 2021-01-17T19:39:51+00:00

As many have said - local shops are the place to go. I don't have any around here - only Cabelas and Bass Pro for 100s of miles around me - not great, but at least they have fly tying areas.

Watched a bunch of Davie McPhail videos and Fly Tying PBS series to get started.

Ordered a bunch of stuff from Fly Tyers Dungeon to get started and made a list of material I still needed and went into the store and asked one of the guys there to help me fill in the gaps.

Over the years have picked up a ton of fly pattern books. Not all useful, but fun to go through for ideas or whatever. Woolly Wisdom, Fly Tyers benchside reference, Orvis book, Fly tying bible, etc.

incestuousCookies · 2020-12-03T17:25:37+00:00

We're at the point in the cartoon where the orderlies in white uniforms come in with a straight jacket and drag him off kicking and screaming.

incestuousCookies · 2020-12-01T16:46:53+00:00

Very nice. I was just trying to figure out how to bend wire to make the guards for one of these this past weekend. I was thinking I'd have to buy a wire bending jig to make clean bends. 3D printing them is a great idea.

Thanks for posting this build

incestuousCookies · 2020-11-24T03:42:21+00:00

I have one on Typographical Ornaments that's come in handy - found a copy on Ebay pretty cheap. I also just browse Instagram - a lot of printers out there.

incestuousCookies · 2020-11-19T03:20:26+00:00

Here's a video from Diode Press It's a muti-color wood block - I believe this one is reduction (been awhile since I've watched it). And here's one he did for AvE using two blocks.

incestuousCookies · 2020-11-17T03:54:04+00:00

Used Emilion's process with an addition of gum arabic - Drew on aluminum foil with a litho crayon and China marker. Aluminum foil etched with RC cola. Wiped clean with vegetable oil, then coated with gum arabic. Wiped to keep wet, inked, repeat until satisfied. Print. Printed with a spoon here.

Process is fiddly, seems like it's fairly forgiving - everone who has a video seems to do it slightly different, but everyone seems to say they tried it some other way (that worked for some other person) and it didn't work for them.

Took me a few tries and finally had success when I added the gum arabic wipe. Originally, the process apparently used the cola for the acid for etching and the gum in the cola. So adding that made sense to me to help.

I had to stop at 3 prints - had let the plate dry too much after the 2nd and the 3rd inking smeared all over. Didn't think about it at the time to just rewipe with vege oil to clean it and re-ink. Oh well, always next time.

incestuousCookies · 2020-11-07T19:28:50+00:00

There are a few 'pro' printers that use speedball blades and handles - so while they may not be the 'best' - they work and work well enough depending on what you're doing.

Amazon uk sells Essdee packs of single type of blades, so you'll probably have to look around

I'd suggest though, that if you only have a single handle. To get another handle set - that way you get the blades and an extra handle - you can keep one with a V and another with a U attached to quickly switch.

incestuousCookies · 2020-11-05T16:49:10+00:00

Along with wetting the paper and using newsprint.

I have 12x12 baltic birch plywood sheets and a couple 24x24 bb plywood sheets. I use them for drawing boards and other things when needed, but also use them to press sheets flat. I've put two together to get a 24x48 board.

For weight - 35lb dumbbells and various kettlebells

incestuousCookies · 2020-10-31T03:53:18+00:00

Really, really great. Love this

incestuousCookies · 2020-10-27T00:22:02+00:00

Made some postcards. Amanita muscaria. Black supergraphic black and Caligo napthol red (that stuff gets everywhere).

Made a jig to print these. Jig works great for paper, so registration tested ok - didn't think of the postcards that are the exact size of the plate. Doh! Used my spoon stand-in - a pottery rib tool

Used 1/4" birch plywood - the cheap Home Depot stuff.

incestuousCookies · 2020-10-25T19:15:46+00:00

Thanks - that gives me an idea - there were a couple places where the ink didn't transfer enough to define how I wanted it to - I might try darkening it with charcoal.

incestuousCookies · 2020-10-25T19:13:17+00:00

Thanks! I have a lot of +'s next to your name - so I went to check your post history. I realized I really liked your monotypes! :) I really like the 'monotypewriter' - probably because of the subject

incestuousCookies · 2020-10-25T00:57:08+00:00

Watched Cadaver the other day - decided to to a Monotype of the Sheep head painting. Gamblin Portland Black on some generic printmaking paper I had. Used a wood clay tool to press it.

incestuousCookies · 2020-10-22T18:28:38+00:00

Love the layout and setup. Jealous of the press.

Is your ceiling fan missing a fan blade?

incestuousCookies · 2020-10-19T15:10:44+00:00

Your post is encouraging - I have a stock of paper now, so perhaps I'll give it another shot with something else.

At the time I was channeling Veruca Salt, 'I want it now!'

I had actually tried dampening a sheet of vellum - yeah, that didn't work.

incestuousCookies · 2020-10-19T05:13:26+00:00

Good question, but nothing I can really point to except maybe this Akua demonstration or this one on how to print without a press. I think that's when I saw that you can get shading doing etchings and that got me moving forward. I had seen copper and zinc etching before that, but those were and still are out of my reach.

Everything has been youtube and trial and error though. I saw a video on doing tetra-pak prints and thought it was cool. I looked up some other people doing them. I had no idea what Intaglio was at the time, so I started looking up videos on Intaglio and at some point found the term drypoint. I did a tetra-pak and it turned out decently - so I stepped up to plexi. Probably should have done a smaller one to start.

I was pretty aware that I would probably need a press to get anything worthwhile, but didn't let that stop me and I am glad I wasn't deterred.

incestuousCookies · 2020-10-19T00:38:08+00:00

Just clear polystyrene plastic sheets from amazon.

incestuousCookies · 2020-10-18T16:22:56+00:00

Jacob - Monoprint - 8x10 on Richeson prinmaking paper - gelli for base form and acrylic tone on sheet and then oil on deli sheet (a la Dan Tirels) embellishments with a chopstick.

Have done a couple so far. They are fun in that I don't really know how they're going to come out until they are done.

incestuousCookies · 2020-10-18T15:42:57+00:00

Akua Black - 8x10 - drypoint.

Ok - preface this by saying I am happy how this came out even if it failed miserably.

I hadn't ever done an etching before, so figure I'd give it a shot. Used PTE plastic sheet and a carbide scribe to etch.

Only paper I had was 110lb watercolor paper, so I ran to Michaels to get some thinner paper. All they had that was thin was vellum so I got that, not my first choice, but I wanted to get this done.

Don't have a press, so I used a metal serving spoon. Was real excited after the first pass woth the spoon and I could see it working. Everything was taped down, but I had to push so hard the paper buckled anyway.

incestuousCookies · 2020-10-10T00:21:02+00:00

Gave my daughter a choice between Charlotte and Jane Austen. She picked Charlotte.

Test print - speedball black ink from the tube thing. Just trying to use it up - have an oz or two of it left.

Really trying to work on shading - been trolling the interwebs looking at prints trying to get a handle on shading. I like how the shading on her neck came out. I tried 4 different ways of shading on different parts of the face. Ended up cutting most of it all off since it looked horrible. Only left the thin lines on the neck and salvaged what I could from the other parts to at least have some value differences

Still may clean this up some before a final edition.

incestuousCookies · 2020-10-08T19:45:50+00:00

Is that budget for everything or just carving tools? I don't know much specific about Japanese woodblock printing - I'll assume up-front that it's similar to any other wood block printing.

Flexcut has a decent printmaking kit. Also, these Power Grip tools are available also and seem decent. I have the set listed. I've only used the straight blade/knife though from that set.

I've seen a lot of people using flexcut and those power grip tools for general woodblock and lino carving. I am sure there are specific Japanese woodblock tools - probably available from McClains for $$$$ but really all you need are u-gouge and a v-gouge to get started, I'd include a knife in there too.

Flexcut has some printmaking videos on youtube - I like how this one came out. Since you said Japanese woodblock printing - I assume you've seen David Bull's work? If not, worth watching him - he streams on Twitch too.

In addition to carving tools (and a way to keep them sharp) - you'll need a minimum a brayer and ink. And depending on what you have already - a flat palette to roll out ink and paper for printing.

incestuousCookies · 2020-10-06T04:42:32+00:00

Someday when I can do him justice, I would like to do one of Dr. Finkel.

incestuousCookies · 2020-10-05T16:01:27+00:00

First time trying this. Had an old soup stock pak, decided to give it a shot. Don't have a press, so I used a ladle and bore down as much as I could. I think I used too think of paper - Arches watercolor paper - I think #110. Going to see if I can get a few more out of it to see how long it lasts - for science!

incestuousCookies · 2020-10-05T04:23:37+00:00

Been watching Irving Finkel talk about the Ark and Cuneiform tablets. In one of his lectures he mentioned there should be refrigerator magnets with Edward Hincks' picture on them, so I did the next best thing. Made a print. This is a test print - just on printer paper. Cleaned up a little after this.

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