​When I first started experimenting with combining digital printing with other techniques, I was focused on using silk and other fabrics.

​My very first efforts were years ago, when I made a number of scarves, ties, and handbags using fabrics I painted and then overprinted on my inkjet printer. For example, I made scarves for everyone in the flute ensemble I was playing with at the time. They had a light reddish-brown background and borders of black with reddish-brown hand-drawn treble clefs. Printed over the background color in the center was a pattern I created in Photoshop of flute keys and musical notation. Here’s what they looked like:

I used this method to create quite a few scarves and ties, plus fabric that I then sewed into handbags, totes, and other items. But it was cumbersome, and even with the continuous paper and careful taping, I still had frequent printer jams and print quality problems. And I used up a lot of ink because of those problems and because I had to clean the print heads after every problem. The size limitation was an annoyance, too -- nothing could be more than 8.5 inches wide. 

For the decorative items I was making at the time, the biggest drawback to the method, though, was that the inks in a standard inkjet printer aren't waterproof. That mean I could make only items that would be dry-cleaned or never cleaned. I could solve that problem, and the size-limitation problem, by buying a specialized wide-format printer that uses inks or dyes made to be permanent on fabric. But those printers are really expensive -- way out of my budget. I'd never be able to charge enough for a scarf, tea towel, or handbag to justify that expense.

So I put those experiments aside for years, until those art ideas I'd been pushing to the back of my brain became too insistent to be ignored anymore. One day, it occurred to me that a painting doesn't have to be waterproof, so the ink problem is not a problem. And I could work around the size limitation by collaging or tiling pieces together. Hmmm...

Next time, I'll talk about my first attempt at an art piece using both digital and traditional techniques. Thanks for stopping by!

​Art, with a capital "A," is a scary word. So is "Artist." "Art" isn't created by ordinary people; "Artists" aren't ordinary people. That perception scares off a lot of people. I know, because I'm one of them. 

​If you're a self-taught artist, you might recognize my story. Especially if you still have a little trouble using the term "artist" for yourself. And even more especially if you're heading into your "senior" years and have only recently begun to explore your art. 

I've always made things. My mother -- an expert seamstress -- taught me to sew when I was 12 years old. I've quilted, knitted, crocheted, done carpentry and woodworking, played with block printing and silk-screening, and made countless Christmas cards and presents of paper, metal, fabric, wood, and other materials. Here are just a few of the things I've made over the years:

​Then I discovered silk painting, which was exciting. Brilliant colors, fascinating visual textures, and endless pattern possibilities, all on a wonderfully soft fabric with a beautiful sheen. "The Complete Book of Silk Painting," by Jan Janas and Diane Tuckman, was a major inspiration for me. (It might be out of print, but I was still able to find it on Amazon today at the link above. The authors have several other wonderful books on related subjects, too.) Then I was lucky enough to be able to attend a workshop given by Jan Janas near my home in the foothills of North Carolina. That was great fun and even more inspirational.

I spent decades exploring silk painting in my spare time, primarily by creating literally hundreds of hand-painted silk scarves and selling them at various galleries and shows. Here are a few of those scarves:

​Of course, while I was painting scarves, I also worked at regular jobs. Those jobs gave me skills in using software tools for designing printed materials. And working with those tools, especially Photoshop, gave me other ideas. But those ideas weren't really decorative in nature. They were images with no practical purpose, no purpose at all other than to express some emotion or thought. I shoved those ideas aside for years, because they made me uncomfortable -- they seemed presumptuous. They seemed like "Art."

My turning point toward art, although I didn't realize it at the time, was when I found a book called ​"Digital Art Studio: Techniques for Combining Inkjet Printing with Traditional Art Materials," by Karin Schminke, Dorothy Simpson Krause, and Bonny Pierce Lhotka. It was a revelation. These women were creating amazing art using Photoshop and other digital tools in addition to traditional art techniques. And they gave detailed instructions, too.