iOrnament app

Beyond the Manual
#1

Hi y’all, I thought I’d share today’s foam stamps (here’s yesterday’s post with the setting fyi Mixed Media tools: Foam stamps).

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I cut designs with some fine details, which I thought, even as I was watching it engrave, would melt away, but when I stamped them, even the little dots showed up. Next time I’ll add a shoulder on those bits.

These were stamped with acrylic paint that I applied to the stamp with a brayer.

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I use an iPad app called iOrnament to make symmetric designs and repeating patterns. It has all the planar symmetry groups; you choose how you want the repeats and doodle away. I draw in black and white, and then export the image into illustrator, where I use the image trace feature to make it into a vector image. I have this $7 pro version, but there’s a $4 version that has many of the features.

One thing the app does is to let you project your design onto a sphere. I did a 3-D engrave from this design:

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It was my first one of these, and I learned two things:

  1. don’t use draft board.
  2. don’t mask it.

Otherwise it certainly was an interesting experiment.

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Thanks for looking.

30 Likes
#2

Those really look great, I’ll have to check out the app too.

2 Likes
#3

The stamp work is very cool.

Why not mask it? Generally with sharp black and white engraves masking is beneficial?

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#4

Loving your stamp experiments! The detail you’re getting is so lovely.

Since you’re using both Illustrator and an iPad already have you checked out the new Illustrator for iPad app? It has a fairly robust symmetry/array function I think you might like.

2 Likes
#5

The 3D engrave, of this design at least, has a curved surface, so the masking burns off entirely in most places, but where it stays on, the resulting wood looks really white, in contrast with the dirtier-impossible-to-completely clear lower layers.

#6

Thanks! I did not know I illustrator had an iPad app. I will check that out.

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#7

It’s brand new, just released in the last month!

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#8

Ah, right, it’s shaded not strictly black and white. In general I don’t mask that sort of thing. I like to use maple hardwood for this kind of engrave but some people swear by basswood.

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#9

I don’t know much about wood (yet). I just ordered some 1/8" birch plywood someone recommended. I picked it because it’s pretty white, so the colors will look nice on it. But with the not too rough scrubbing I did on that disk, I broke off a little bit of the draft board, so I’m thinking that’s not really the right thing.

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#10

Very cool, I’ll be following your work for sure.

There are also some cool symmetry features (they call it Pattern) in Adobe Capture, and you can output as vector. You might want to give that a try.

4 Likes
#11

Adobe Capture… I’ll see if I have that one. I have a whole slew of Adobe products from work, but not the iPad Illustrator app. I haven’t used Capture before; thanks, I’ll check it out.

#12

I’m enjoying your exploration! Fun stuff!

1 Like
#13

gorgeous work! and for those of us who don’t know what brayer is, “A brayer is a hand-tool used historically in printing and printmaking to break up and “rub out” ink before it was “beaten” using inking balls or composition rollers. The word is derived from the verb to “bray”, meaning “to break, pound, or grind small, as in a mortar”. A brayer consists of a short wooden cylinder with a handle fitted to one end; the other, flat end is used to rub the ink.”

I must be tired because it is still clear as mud.

2 Likes
#14

Beautiful work! Might check that app out. Thanks for the tip!

1 Like
#15

gorgeous work! and for those of us who don’t know what brayer is, “A brayer is a hand-tool used historically in printing and printmaking to break up and “rub out” ink before it was “beaten” using inking balls or composition rollers. The word is derived from the verb to “bray”, meaning “to break, pound, or grind small, as in a mortar”. A brayer consists of a short wooden cylinder with a handle fitted to one end; the other, flat end is used to rub the ink.”

It’s a rolling pin with a handle.

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3 Likes
#16

gotcha. like a J-roller i have for veneer.

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#17

exactly. that’s basically a fat brayer.

#18

iOrnament is a great app and have a lot of fun making endless designs! I didn’t even think to use it with the GF, these look awesome!

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#19

I downloaded the iornament app and I’m amazed and the creations. I can’t load them directly into GF software because it’s just one big blab and it doesn’t allow me to engrave. I don’t understand vector etc so pardon my ignorance but is there a free iPad app I can use to convert the designs?

#20

Adobe Capture