Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with diy and art

I need to buy or rent a record lathe, please guide me in the right direction.

Ponderance — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 09:29:58 -0800

I need to rent or purchase a reasonably priced record lathe to cut short run vinyl LPs. Advice/contact info needed. I have an art collective project that does interviews with artists. We have an exhibition coming up at a major midwest art museum. We have a small budget, but not enough to run out and buy a Neumann record lathe.

I'm looking for an inexpensive (Under $1K if possible) purchase solution or to rent one for a few months. Even a few days would work. The problem is the equipment needs to be on site, the fabrication is a performative element of the process.

I am happy to do the Peter King/King records thing and etc into plexiglass.

I would rather not buy one of the record recorders from the 40's that etches into wax coated steel, I've messed around with those and they are fairly impossible to use in a consistent way.

Google has yielded little reliable info, can anyone help?

discipline for on-schedule creativity

elephantsvanish — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 20:27:26 -0800

How do you set yourself up for maximum success when starting a creative project that requires consistent production? Or: I have to create multiple radio pieces a week! How do I best prepare myself to get out there and make them? I love radio, meeting people, and stories. I have an idea for an hour-long show about transit and urban communities, pitched it, and am starting it in a few weeks! I'd like at least 20 to 30 minutes of each show to be interviews, soundscapes, radio essays, and other composed or semi-composed radio pieces. The rest will be on-air interviews and music from folks in the area profiled, etc.. But I'll have to create these pieces every week for about 2.5 months. It'll have to become my guiding project, and perhaps an all-consuming one.

On the technical side of things, I have somewhat of a framework, however rough around the edges. I know a little about recording interviews, editing audio, composing a narrative with sound, etc. I also have several specific ideas and action steps for how to pursue them (basically making sure I show up to certain places, introduce myself to folks, and work with whatever I find!)

However! On the focus and discipline side of things, I am lacking. I am super excited to throw myself 100% into this project, to accept the failures and stress and craziness and just commit for the sake of committing. I'm there. But I would love to hear strategies folks have to keep themselves motivated, stimulated, and creative during a self-imposed period of Making Things. This project will involve putting myself out there a lot interpersonally, which I thrive off of (the hidden 'e' of my ENFP disposition comes out), and maybe there's a way to leverage those feelings? I also am a kind of sloppy perfectionist and can imagine myself getting really disheartened by not finding anything good on a certain week, etc.

tl;dr - What does it take to commit to producing, even in the face of time constraints and worries of quality and a million other little fears?

Smoothing creased foamcoare

IAmBroom — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 07:19:23 -0800

Bought a piece of art (yay!) at a festival, and it got slightly damaged before I could get it home (boo!). It's a print on foamcore, 9x12", with no framing, and now it has a single, not-quite-straight crease across the back. No damage is visible from the front, except that the surface isn't flat. What's my best solution for flattening it out before framing?

Dead MacBook = Minecraft server? Robot brain?

Bengston — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:18:25 -0800

What fun things could I do with my old 15" MacBook Pro whose graphics chip just kicked the bucket? When I try to startup my computer it gives me a kernel panic. Although having a kernel panic at startup could be caused by numerous things, there are some graphics anomalies that make me think it is most likely the graphics chip and therefore the computer for all common intents and purposes.

That being said, I have been able to start the computer up in root mode through the kernel (hopefully this means I can get the rest of my data off) does that limited functionality offer me any oppurtunities I should know about?

For what it's worth I am not that tech savvy. I like to tinker, have done some web development, played with an arduino a bit, and took an Intro to CS class in college. However, I haven't really ever fiddled inside the shell.

I am an artist, so all ideas are welcome.

Looking for advice on my DIY framing project

Afroblanco — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 12:32:57 -0800

I have a number of unframed art prints and posters, and would like to do the framing myself. What advice do you have for me? I'm not looking to do anything fancy -- just simple black frames and plexiglass. In the past, I've gone to frame shops for this, but they're always really expensive, and this seems like a DIY-able task. I've never done any framing before, so I would appreciate any advice you have to offer. This could include :

1) Basic knowledge and instructions (and good places to find such)
2) Tricks, hints, protips, "wish-I-would-have-knowns"
3) Recommendations on materials and tools
4) Good places to buy materials and tools. I'm open to buying online or in-person. I live in San Fransisco, if that makes a difference.
5) ... anything else you might think of!

Thanks!

Crewel Cartoons

Ambrosia Voyeur — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:13:01 -0800

Please suggest images I could convert into crewel which are cartoon modern in style, but not depictions of characters. I have The New Crewel and plenty of can-do spirit, and I want to do a crewel project for my home. A pillow, perhaps.

I love the look of "Cartoon Modern," and have some Eyvind Earle art at home, so while I thought of imitating his style, I don't think that would serve my crafting goals best.

I'd like to get ideas for cityscapes, landscapes, space scenes, machinery, or other background-level depictions that I can "trace and color" myself with crewel yarn and creative stitching. I'm not much good at starting from a blank slate. They should be colorful and not incredibly complex. The image linked above is a good level of complexity, but I don't really want an office with some dudes as decor.

It seems like the web is full of hip artists whose work would be suitable for a little tribute like this.

Any ideas, guys?

Mona Lisa with a moustache.

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:25:13 -0800

Would I be infringing an artist's copyright if I copy her work for personal enjoyment? It is a large installation and probably somewhat recognizable among people in my industry as over the past half decade or so it's been exhibited in a couple of buildings that host seminars on a regular basis. I love it. I want it. I contacted the artist, and she was very happy about the prospect of selling it. However, once I actually came in with my tape measure, it turned out that while it kinda fits in my current space, it will almost certainly be too large for any future homes I might move into.

I'd be glad to comission a somewhat smaller version of it for my house. The artist is very hesitant to commit to the work, and mentioned that it previously took her almost a year to create. I'm not happy about waiting that long, and there are other problems.

The materials chosen by the artist are fragile and nearly impossible to move without having to reconstruct the entire piece. They also significantly limit how much she could vary the dimensions. I feel that it would be inaproppriate for me to request that she built it out of the materials that I want – this is not bathroom remodeling, after all – and she is already not particularly open to a comissioned version.

Here is my dilemma: I could, on my own, create exactly the installation I want. It would be fun for me to do so, and I can't help being excited about the prospect of such a challenge. I would also build it of materials that make it easier to transport, something that is important to me as anticipate moving coast-to-coast several times over the next decade. My version would be a direct copy of the concept (no room for discussion), even if I vary other aspects.

I estimate that it would take me about three to four months to complete, working only on weekends, and that includes tracking down materials with the right dimensions. At this point, it would be pretty much just handywork for me, something I greatly enjoy and I'm good at – neither I nor others who've seen the work understand how it could take longer than that to construct. More importantly, I'm certain that my work would be better than the artist's from a technical viewpoint.

I like supporting local art. I even made sure that the artist would be getting all my money and not losing half to gallery fees. The installation costs about $6,000 which I am happy to pay, but I am not going to buy something that just doesn't work for me. I'm at best reluctant to pay that for a smaller version of a similarly fragile installation that will take a year to complete. It would cost me less than $1,000, including the purchase of a certain powertool, to build, but that really doesn't matter. There's also the issue that at this point, I honestly just can't wait to get started.

I'm not asking for any discussion of the ethical implications of proceeding with this plan.

Will I be breaking any laws? If so, how is this different from performing covers of Lady Gaga songs at school events, or reenacting scenes from Lost Translation at home? I will not be making any money off of my version of the art, and I certanly will never sell it. I would refer to it as "copy of Artist's Art" to those who see it.

If you were in the artist's place, what would you do (I'm not asking how you would feel) if I shared this plan with you?

Is the artist entitled to compensation? It's important to me to support fantastic local artists like her. She needs the money more than I do, but at the same time, I realise that it's not my job to market her skills. How would I even breach the subject with her?

Are there any solutions that I am missing?

Avant-gardening?

supernaturelle — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 11:35:51 -0800

I am fascinated by these indoor moss panels, but the instructions accompanying this project are a little vague...and I want to see more! Will any old moss harvested from outside survive transplant? Do I sort of 'slice' off a layer of dirt and moss, or delicately scrape off just the plant material? Could this cause bug-problems in an already ant-infested house? Google has only yielded results for aquarium/terrarium sorts of projects.
I'm also very curious about other directions projects like this could take. What other non-traditional/sculptural/do-it-yrself gardening methods have you seen or had experience with? Artists who work in related mediums?

apartment electroshock therapy on the cheap?

acidic — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 16:08:29 -0800

What can I do to make my apartment more beautiful and interesting using items purchased from an art supply store? I live in a big, ugly studio apartment in Korea, where there aren't a ton of inexpensive and modern options for home decor. I have nice blond wood floors, a bed with blue and white linens, and a really massive window that almost covers an entire wall. My aesthetic is sort of modern and eclectic, like the homes shown on Apartment Therapy.

Today I went to the art supply store and found four 2x3 sheets of textured decorated paper (in a wave design) in complementary colors (mustard, magenta, light green, brown). I hung them on one long wall at perfect intervals, which gave a nice gallery effect. I'm also going to tea-dye my lace (ugh) curtains. I have access to Muji and some imported Ikea, and I might go shopping for inexpensive art I can hang on another wall. But primarily I'm curious what other home decor could be fashioned from a regular art supply store. It has some but not a lot of decorative paper, and I'm not a good artist but I can follow craft directions.

I have looked through decor. I'm looking for mostly DIY crafty stuff.

trashcan sinatra

Potomac Avenue — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 11:29:25 -0800

What crazy looking instruments can i build with a minimum of skill + resources and a maximum of WTF. i'm in a band playing keyboards, and sometimes i have nothing to do. tambourine and shakers are fine but sometimes i would like to make percussion noises like this:
BONG BANG BOMG BOOM

or sometimes I would like to make noises like this:

crashhhhh PING clang ttttttttcccchhhhhhhhhh AxAxAckAx riiiiiiiiitttchhhhhhhh
pppppsssssssss!

or sometimes maybe a little bit of eeeeeeeeeeeeexxxxxxxxxxCCVVVVViiiiiiiiiiiREOW! like a dying robot

Have you made strange percussion instruments? What did you do? Have you made traditional folk instruments in bizarre artistic shapes, or re-purposed regular household things to make amazing noises when you hit them together? Example: I used to play a big cardboard box with fly swatters-- it was beautiful.

Electronic suggestions are great too but i really dont know how to sauder or wire anything--but if you think of a toy or piece of electrical equipment that makes a crazy sound I'll take it.

Even if you haven't actually made them before please help me think of some new cheap but wild ideas out of your brain instead!

finally it'd be ideal if they are easy to transport and repair on the road.
anything i build i will obviously post pictures of them herein.

i thanks you and my adoring public thanks you in advance.

if you must know, yes i totally stole this idea from Drink Up Buttercup

How do I create something artsy for my walls?

Amizu — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:08:09 -0800

DIY art/craft help with the gingko tree/leaf as inspiration. I just moved into a new house on a street lined with gingko trees and I'm completely infatuated with the pretty yellow fan-shaped leaves, and the overall look of the trees. Last night I was walking home down the street and the sky was almost turquoise and the yellow leaves looked gorgeous against the turquoise sky. I also like the texture of the leaves - they're soft not dry and brittle and I think they look pretty wet.

My new house also has a lot of bare walls that need decoration, so I am trying to think of ways that i could take the gingko tree or the gingko leaf shape and make some sort of art that I could hang on my wall. I don't think I want to stencil. I have very little artistic ability, but I could follow basic instructions and am willing to play around. I'd be interested in all kinds of suggestions for something I can create using the gingko leaf, tree(s), tree & sky as inspiration. I'd have to be able to do this using fedex kinkos or arts and craft store. I have a decent point and shoot camera. Could be big, small, multiple components, different kinds of materials.

To set the scene, our house is currently decorated with photos of our travels, a few professional photos of our loved ones (caught in a moment type shots), some fine art type paintings, some asian/african art, some antique cork screws, an indian quilt with mirrors in it, some batiks from our travels, candles and plants everywhere, etc. Basically a hodgepodge but nothing is very modern-looking (I like, he hates). I like my decorations to be visually interesting but also meaningful to me (hence, well, everything we have on our walls). I don't like much that's super craftsy though - I don't like the idea of stenciling or doing needlework, for example. We have two rooms with almost no decorations, because we moved from a much smaller apartment.

Suggestions?

MacCanvas? Material recommendation for use on a white macbook?

SECONDHANDSMOTE — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:30:34 -0800

What materials would you recommend for customizing a white macbook? I've been living with a stock macbook design, i.e. none, and I want to shake things up with some illustration or design on the white case top. What materials (inks, paints, ???) has anyone had success with applying to the case?

Glue, Water and Paper

edmz — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 11:20:15 -0800

I have a print that I want to glue to the wall. I have a color print on bond paper that I want to glue to the wall. I don't know what the technique is called but I know it involves water mixed with white glue and brushed over the print.

If anyone knows how to do this, please share since I don't want to ruin this print.

Thanks!

Aurduino or Make Controller

dylanSnow — Sun, 18 May 2008 19:55:53 -0800

I am trying to decide which to (learn) to use, The Arduino or The Make Controller Kit. Which should I choose as a first buy / entry level controller? I am going to have 10 days to sit down and really get down and dirty with a new project. I am very much an autodidact type of person. I have in to build a mind a multi-touch musical instrument.

I am an artist. I am have above average Actionscript 2.0 (working on 3.0) programming skills. I will be using flash to control the multi-touch
device.

At the moment, do to ease of use the Make Controller looks like the best bet, but it is $100. On the other hand The Aurduino seems to have way more how-tos and tutorials and is $35

Any suggestions, guidance or comments would be greatly appreciated.

dylan

Physical cut-ups: Making Frankenstein vinyl records and books

0bvious — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:29:01 -0800

I want to physically cut-up vinyl records and books into pieces, which I will then glue back together in various, alternate combinations. What are the best methods of doing this? Artist Christian Marclay did a similar thing with records (anyone know any sources of info on this?), so that when he glued them back together the frankenstein records could still be played. This would mean that the cutting technique did not destroy any of the vinyl's structure, it also meant that each record had to be cut very precisely, otherwise the fragments from several different records could not be glued back together.

I also wish to do a similar thing with old books, so that you get a kind of frankenstein, mish-mash of different book combinations. It would eventually be like doing a Burroughesque cut-up on physical forms.

Any ideas on technique would be greatly appreciated. How would I go about doing this? Have you seen similar things done by other artists?

Thanks

Ceci n'est pas une poolshed.

Glitter Ninja — Sun, 06 May 2007 14:47:07 -0800

I'd like suggestions for a seascape/dreamscape in pastel/seashell colours that may or may not include shells, but hopefully includes water that I can paint on the wall of the pool shed/poolside shaded sitting area. What I'm looking for is this:

-something with a landscape alignment, hopefully around the proportions of that handy text entry box at the bottom of your screen.

-something that will look okay not in direct sunlight. It's under the roof of a pool shed, so is kind of in a dim area.

-something that I can easily grid to upsize, with somewhat simple shapes.

-something that will be visually interesting without a lot of gradients or itsy bitsy details. some detail is fine, but I'd prefer to not spend the rest of my life painting this wall.

What my tasteless father is going to want: pastel colours. Seashells. general beachy theme. I'm not too big on boats or people being in this. If you suggest a standard landscape, I'd like it to be something with some visible ground on the viewer's side, some water, and a definite horizon with some sky. Ideally, I'd like one of magritte's out of bounds seascapes, but I can't seem to find one that's vaguely landscape aligned.

Thanks for your suggestions!

Where do I order DIY lamp parts?

chadparker — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 00:51:15 -0800

I want to create my own lamps that hang from the ceiling. I will create the shade, but I need to buy the socket with cord and plug. My plan is to sell these, so I'd like to say at least part of the lamp is UL listed. I'd like something with a round cord, either white or black. I guess I'm thinking of something I swear I saw at Target a few years back, with the socket and cord and plug all together. I've looked around the web quite a bit and haven't found such a thing.

I could attach each end to the cord if needed, and buy the parts seperately, but I'd like the end result to look clean and professional. I'm thinking of a black plastic socket, that I can possibly mount a shade to.

I would be fine with buying bulk. Low cost is good.

Make Your Own Screen Saver for Mac?

fandango_matt — Sun, 19 Feb 2006 14:44:14 -0800

How do I make my own animated screensaver? I have some graphics I've been using as desktop backgrounds, and now I'd like to make them into an animated screen saver. I'm fluent in Photoshop and Illustrator, and I'm on a Mac running OSX 10.2.

dna art on the cheap

zeoslap — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 10:40:54 -0800

My GoogleFu has failed me. Does anyone know of a place I could send a swab of DNA from my cheek and get a photo of it back (after they do the Chomatography thing). Because I love these but I'm too cheap and figure given the source image I could do the rest myself.

Help me with display ideas for small laminated cards.

helcat — Wed, 26 Jan 2005 05:52:55 -0800

Help me with display ideas. I have a collection of probably 40 or 50 small laminated cards (picture backstage passes) that I would like to display in my apartment. I had them all taped to a wall forming one giant blocky collage, but was wondering if there's a better way.