printmaking

American Illustration 40

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Dear Friendlies,

to my delight I learned that the fandancer screenprint I created for the Michael project was accepted to be published in this year’s American Illustration Annual. Out of thousands of entries, 432 were chosen to be published, and this is one of them. This is such an honor. Thank you to the judges! Here’s a collection of all the images that won placement in the book or on the website.

Fan Dancer. April 2020. A memorial portrait of a fan dancer at the Trocadero Transfer in San Francisco, for the Michael Johnstone project. The subject of this image lost his eyesight due to retinitis/hiv. I pictured him with vision restored and back on the dancefloor. Two color screenprint.

your moment of zen : illustration resources and whatnot

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3 x 3 Illustration: Selected!

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Huzzah Friendlies, 

five of my pieces were selected for inclusion and will be published in the 3x3 Illustration Annual Number 15. Thank you to 3x3 and the Judges! The winning entries are below. 

silkscreening resources (updated 1.18)

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this is a very quick list of stuff. there's so much more on the webs than there was when i first made this list (2007)! * first off:

buy yourself a copy of this book. andy macdougall also created squeegeeville. take a look.

* local shops:

the grease diner

bloom press

the w.o.r.k.s.

creative screen technologies

* online tutorials

here's a tutorial about reduction screen printing by artist Jim Winters.

an online (comic) pdf called diy silkscreening.

how to silkscreen posters and shirts

psprint's history and resources

screen a t-shirt at home

* materials

dick blick screen supplies page

tubelite

need a detailed screen burned? ask the kind folks at creative screen technologies. you can even email a black and white jpg to be made into a screen!

cheap tee shirts

* inspiration

gigposters. a very active community of artists lives here.

reinventing screenprinting

the little friends of printmaking

flatstock

dan mccarthy

The Wertzateria Redbubble Shop : we're live

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I ruv roo.

I ruv roo.

Exactly one year ago we adopted this 56-pound ball of pure energy named Blue. The photo on the left was taken by Amanda Jones about a week after we had adopted her (for a cover shoot for The Bark magazine), and we were still getting to know her. We still are. She is affectionate, exuberant, lovely, goofy, and frustrating. You know: a puppy. It's lots of work (naturally). Well, (as my dear Grandfather once said) Blue is two years old now. It's time that she get herself a job. Since she has no thumbs, she's going to have to get creative. To pay for her care and feeding (read: trail walks), I've started a redbubble shop featuring some of my designs. I've ordered a few of the products, and I'm happy to report that the quality is top-notch. Peep some samples below.

Vegas in Space

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Friendlies, come along on a weird trip to a planet without men!

If you know me at all, you know that I have a special place in my heart for Phillip R. Ford's epic drag queen space adventure Vegas in Space starring the ever-glamourous Doris Fish. You can imagine my thrill when I was asked by Peaches Christ herself to create a commemorative poster to celebrate the 25th anniversary of this sparkly gem of a movie. Nat Swope from Bloom Press and I decided that neon colors were a must (see below for the final print).

San Francisco is the city where New Wave will never die. Generations of inspired weirdoes flock here to hot glue things to other things at 3 am. If you listen close (even now) you can hear the neon ghosts on Market Street singing. Vegas in Space is truly a magical gem of a film, a sparkling time machine, an anarchic mishmash of glitter, glamour, and girlinium. Thanks to Peaches Christ for bringing it back to to the big screen, and for asking me to participate.

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For the film’s 25th anniversary, Frameline, in association with Peaches Christ Productions and Troma Entertainment, is proud to present a fully fledged celebration of the movie that took us to the stars. Featuring an accompanying pre-show with Vegas in Space cast and crew in person, including director Phillip R. Ford, Miss X, Ramona Fischer, Lori Naslund, Timmy Spence, Kate Guthorn, Silvana Nova, and Connie Champagne! Get your tickets here.

This movie took nine years to complete. Phil Ford documented the entire production here.

I have a weird history with this film: in 2007, artist Jim Winters and myself made a set of prints of the legendary Doris Fish. The wood-frame screens (there were several!) were found in a box on the streets of San Francisco. I believe that Doris herself made the screens, and they found their way into Jim’s hands. With Philip Ford’s blessing, Jim and I created a set of prints using the screens and some spraypaint and donated a set of the prints and the screens to the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco.

Here they are:

Glamour first, Glamour last, Glamour always,

xm

Ellingson & Wertz at Mule Gallery, San Francisco

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Hey Everybody, I'm excited to announce that I will be showing along with illustrator (and mensch) Josh Ellingson at the first-ever show at Mule Gallery in the lovely North beach district of San Francisco from January 20th through February 26. The opening is on February 5, from 6-9 pm. This event is part of North Beach's First Fridays gallery walk. Join us?

Josh Ellingson & Michael Wertz Jan 20th-Feb 26th, 2016

Opening Feb 5th, 6-9pm Mule Gallery 80 Fresno St. San Francisco, CA 94133

I'll be showing a bunch of the Some Wags prints : see below. All prints are framed & ready to move. We'll also have a small collection of unframed prints for sale.

See you there?

xm

SOMEWAGS at Glama-Rama Salon

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Friendlies, I'm very excited. SomeWags has been printed, prepped, and hung on the walls of the oh-so-pink-and-pretty Glama-Rama Salon and Gallery in Oakland. The opening is this Saturday night, October 17, from 6-9 pm. The address is 6399 Telegraph Avenue near the corner of Alcatraz. It should be a hoot. I think there will be a short set of music by our band Special Ghosts (featuring AJ Pinecone and Isabel Samaras), as well as some uke and singing by my nephew Kellen Wertz. Punch and Pie! This is a show of new two-color screenprints created with paper stencils under a big tent on my back deck. PRINTING IN HEAT AND WIND CHALLENGE: ACCEPTED. To see some snaps of the work in progress, head over to m'Instergrahams to see #somewags in action.

See you there?

xm

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Home : A Set of Six Letterpressed Greeting Cards

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Friendlies, Milkfed Press and Wertzateria Illustration are proud to offer "Home", a set of six beautifully letterpressed two-color blank greeting cards, suitable for sending or framing. Each set arrives to you signed and numbered with six folded blank cards on "Lettra" flourescent white paper and six printed envelopes. This is a limited edition of ninety-five sets. These six images are based on dogs who have lived at East Bay Animal Shelters. The cost is thirty dollars plus shipping. Get yours here.

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From upper left: Home. Big Head. Dahlia. Olive. Bowie. Big Ears.

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The full set.

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All wrapped up.

Here's some video of the shenanigans whilst printing. The dream of the 90's is alive in the East Bay!

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Victoria mixing the perfect red.

xm

Subscribe to the Wertzeen

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Friendlies: I'm attempting a little experiment over here. We (the royal we) have created a monthly inbox zine called Wertzeen. If you sign up, it will arrive, like a magic mist, in your email inbox. Once a month, and no more than once a month. It is a zine without the paper: a zeen. We’ll keep you informed not just of our illustrative scribblings and meanderings but also of the happenings of the Bay Area creative community. It will be good fun, and it means you no harm. It is free and easy. If this interests you, click on over to this page.

I'm posting issue #001 tomorrow, and I can't wait.

wzeen

xm