our first creative workshop: Lumi sun dyeing

photo from lumi.co

I've been impatiently waiting for our shipment of Inkodye from Lumi ever since I devoured their website via a campaign on kickstarter.com.  Remember that blue sunprint paper you could use to make images with leaves or a flat key and sunshine?  I loved that stuff.  With Lumi's printing system, you can print on any natural material:  cotton, linen, leather, wood, silk....my mind is going crazy with the possibilities...!!  Might that I've-been-going-to-refinish-for-13-years dresser in my bedroom finally have its day in the sun?! (sometimes puns are very stubborn & must be expressed against my better judgement....)  I've seen inspiring results with all sorts of objects online (and I do love me anything botanical), but the young innovators at Lumi developed their project to transfer photos to cloth, and it's an amazingly innovative process that yields sharp results that I'm dying to try.

During our creative workshop on Saturday, October 13th, each participant will be printing two items.  We'll provide all of the tools and enthusiastic tutelage,

photo from lumi.co

but you'll want to carefully consider and come prepared with what you want

*to print on:  You may bring your own items (clothing, tote, wood, scarf) or print on a piece of plain white cotton we'll have for you to take home and use however you'd like.  For an additional $15, you can print on cotton canvas, and I will stitch it into a simple but oh-so-custom tote bag you can pick up a week later.

*to print with:  We will have a selection of leaves and paper & tape to form your own masking shapes that you may use as a block against the sun that will set the dye, but you may want to bring your own uniquely you items:  wrenches, gears, toys, craft supplies....

OR
*a few days before the workshop, you e-mail us a photograph that you want to print.

We'll use the Lumityper app to show you how it will look in different dye colors in a return email.  If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can download the free app to try yourself.  There are a few other (exposure & balance) adjustments you may want to make yourself.

When you're satisfied, we'll have a negative printed on a special, extra-thick transparency (you get to keep that, too) that you will use to PRINT YOUR KID'S FACE ON YOUR TEE.

Or a deliciously just-barely-creepy Blythe doll.  This is my daughter's Violet.  She's going on mine.

Dyeing  (see!  can't help myself!)  to try it?  The easiest way is to register now so we can do the grunt work for you.  You'll just need to be there for the creativity & magic!  Space limited to 10 participants.  Saturday, October 13th, 1-3 pm.  $25 if you're using your own item or our plain cotton, $40 to print on heavy canvas that will magically become a custom tote bag.  

(Registration instructions, both electronic & mail-in, on the right side bar).

Lumi has a great story.  I recommend all of the videos and guides on their site for putting your mind into high imaginative gear!  Start here:  http://lumi.co/pages/about, then come make your own prints with us.

Photos of our own projects are pending, but to see process shots and completed projects using Inkodye and found objects like leaves and stencils, I liked these home artists: http://www.eclecticmom.com/home/2012/7/26/inkodye.html
http://lauries-projects.blogspot.com/2012/07/more-printing-with-inkodye.html