Straight Screening

I am still working out some kinks in my first passes of screenprinting. There is a lot of fine tuning of procedures to figure out, before prefecting the art. Or at least that is what I tell myself. I dare you to love my Facebook Page!

Graphics Evolution

As I indulge in graphic designs for screenprinting, I am coming up with some new ideas and techniques for design. check it. I threw a vid together documenting the graphic evolution process: Watch it!

Intro to Screenprinting

After years and years of being perplexed by screenprinting and the photo emulsion process, I finally bought a Screenprinting starter kit from the crafts store. For the last few years, I have used Zazzle as my production studio to bring my graphic designs to print on clothing, skateboards, and coffee mugs. The conservationist that I am has this grandious idea of revolutionizing the clothing industry through the Pro Voca Reprise label. By screen printing my images on previously owned clothing, I can create unique pieces without the burden on the environment that new clothing manufacturing represents. The Reprise label represents social responsibility and awareness of our need to reduce our excessive consumption as a culture. Treehugging ramblings aside, I have documented my first screenprinting attempt in pics and the Reprise collection will be available for purchase from my new Vendio Shoppe.

Printing graphics on tracing paper, not as simple as it sounds.


Preparing the workspace and gathering the appropriate tools.


A black background will assist the photo emulsion process


The workstation.


Emulsified screen.


Painting.


Voca print on white tshirt.


Voca print on spandex, of course.

Workbench Build

I have made good use my free time by expanding upon the workbench that my dad built in the basement of my parents house. Apartment living has seriously deprived me of the enjoyment of using tools and building things, so this build was long overdue.

The starting point.


Building more workspace.


Adding on a section.


Hinged workspace.


Hinged workspace.


Hinged panel.


Kinda sorta finished product - still a work in progress


Me in my element. Safety first.

Percussathon

Back in my high school days I moonlight as a drummer in a high profile rock band. We were a pretty big deal in my neighborhood. I was so into drumming that I decided to build an electronic drum kit for my college dorm room. The kit was a fun project to build using resources and tools at my winter workplace in a fabrication warehouse. I found the instructions online and learned all about piezoelectric transducers. And took too many trips to Home Depot and RadioShack. As a side project, I painted some gnarly flames on an old CB drumset that still impresses me each time I see them.

Homemade Electronic Drumset, built from scratch.


Drummer in motion. Note: oversized American Flag on wall. Classic college.


Custom drum flames paint job.

Shogun Bike Refresh Project

After seeing a Craigslist post for a gorgeous Cervelo bike that was Chocolate color with white lettering, I have been infatuated with this color scheme. It was only a matter of time until a free week allowed me to completely overhaul my commuter bike, a 1980s Shogun steel-framed road cycle. Though the bike rides very well, it needed some brake tuning and tlc. I had never completely rebuilt a bike before, but I was excited for the opportunity. A few trips to home depot for paint and my favorite bike part depot, Bikes Not Bombs, in Jamaica Plain, MA, and I was on my way. I tried to track the progress through pictures and dirty hands. I also tried a new painting technique in my endless search for in-house printing needs. Here I created a pro voca stamp that I used to add some style to the bike frame. All in all, the bike looks fresh and rides like a dream now.

Before               After

Reclaimed Bamboo Table Top

I set out on a mission to find an affordable replacement table top for the island in our kitchen, which was left behind by the previous tennatns. I finally got to go to Boston Building Materials Co-op to see what materials they had to offer. A few hours later, we would be hosting a party and my objective was to find a table top surface suitable for beiruit and flip cup. Twenty dollars for a pack of unused bamboo floor boards and one broken Erdinger glass was all it took.

Original Top to the Kitchen Island.


Project Motivation.


Pre-build beverage.


Power Tools 1, Erdinger Glass 0.


Dont drink and drill.


Installing the mounts to keep the floor boards level.


Materials from Boston Building Material Coop.


Materials from Boston Building Material Coop.


Bamboo Floor Board assembly.


The finished product.

Ponoko Production

A little incentive from Ponoko On-line Design Studio, to the tune of 50-percent off making, material, and shipping costs recently got me to dust off the Inkscape cobwebbs. I fear the start of a design project because I know how consuming on my lifestyle they become. And my mind refuses to shut off even hours after leaving the computer screen, as I continually re-think how to make a better design. I took advantage of this offer to use Ponoko as a custom engraver of Pro Voca graphics which I hope to use as stencils and stamps for homemade tshirt production and random tagging. In the image to the right all the black will be engraved by a laser cutter leaving the white outlines to stand out. I hope to throw a coat of paint over the outlines and stamp that on items. Not sure how great it will work. But Ive wanted to do this since I first learned of Ponoko a few years ago. Stay tuned for some home grown Pro Voca customized gear for Fall 2010.

PVD turns 3!

ProVocaDesign.com reached it's 3 year anniversary this past May. To celebrate, here is a look back at the differnt looks of the site through the years.

Homegrown Skate Skis

After a lot of time ice skating this winter, I came to appreciate the cardio and strength workout from doing laps around the rink. As the seasons change, its time to get outside and enjoy the sun and fresh air, but I don’t want to give up the skating. I’ve owned roller blades my whole life, but never got the workout from them that I was looking for. Enter Skate skiing. Finding inspiration in the stellar Nordic athletes featured in this years Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, I’ve assembled my own version of roller skis. Most Nordic or cross country winter athletes hit the streets once the snow melts on roller blade like devices that mimic the skate and push style of Nordic racing.

Unwilling to shell out $300 for a pair of wheel bases, I set out to Home Depot to see what I could build on my own. I got a 5-foot length of 1-inch square tube aluminum, some steel mending plates, and presto I had the shaft and wheel mounts for the skates. The biggest design challenge was in the boots/bindings. Most athletes mount their winter boots and bindings onto the base shafts. Having neither boots, nor bindings, I hoped to find some used equipment on Craigslist or at local ski shops. I found out quickly that there is a limited resale market for this equipment, caused mostly by the fairly small community of Nordic skiers in the region.

Nonetheless, a research trip into Target brought me to the exact boot system that I was looking for. Much to my benefit, cheapo in-line skates are now made as two pieces – boot and wheel base. A few bolts connect the boot to the wheel base, providing the perfect connection for the application that I was hoping to accomplish.

After a few more trips to Home Depot and some creative construction practices in my 300 sq foot apartment, I was able to get a working boot. One last problem, I don’t know how to cross country ski. Oh well, so far I’ve only taken these out on the streets once, but after a few adjustments, I think I’ll be able to get some good exercise out of these babies.

street shredder

My quest to design a board that provided self-propelled movement started out well with this design. I spilled quite a bit of blood on this project as a knife blade went clean into my thumb-tip, as I was trimming away at a roller blade wheel frame. No worries! The design, which combines 3 pivoting plates with inline wheels, is supposed to allow tilting of the board to generate movement. The board works and has had rave reviews at the Denver Skate Park. I'm still not sold on its utility, however, so I’m holding off on any further development. Gotta test other ideas first…see below!

Homemade Booster Strap

I know it's been a long time since I've posted anything here, please forgive me. I swear I still remember how to use a wrench. I got sick and tired with the worn plastic teeth on the upper straps of my Deeluxe Indy snowboard boots. They have taken a beating over the last year and a half, and I had been suffering in performance and stability because of it. Not having the necessary ankle support and response to shin pressure are a nightmare when maneuvering a carving board at high speeds. I had fiddled with elastic and Velcro straps, but neither gave me the support that a properly working buckle give. Back to the work bench …see results below:

Snowboard Topsheet Design

Here it is, the final group. I picked one of these to be the topsheet of my snowboard. Can you guess which one? I'm not telling! You'll have to come out and see, when it's complete. As always feedback welcome on my flickr page:

Board Art

I got into wall art with these creations. I enjoy painting and decorating my old boards with stickers. So I turned the 2nd snowboard that I owned, a Sims 154 Noah Salasnek Pro Model, into a sticker palette. I obtained the other board, after posting a want-ad on Craigslist, from a guy who was moving to Russia. I also left his house with a sleeping bag, tent, and 2 sets of women’s skis and boots! After tooling around with some paint schemes on the board, I thought it might look nice to mount them in a frame and hang them on the wall. A little luan from Home Depot gave me a light and simple frame for the boards.

As for the solid wood water skis…I grabbed those at the thrift store, purely because they were wild looking. They are so heavy and made of thick oak, I couldn’t believe that you could skim over the water on them. Anyway a little paint on some luan and stain on the trim and presto! we’ve got a wall piece for the ages.

big wheel scooter

This was a project that I started only so that I could justify sawing my bike in half. It wasn't a bad bike, so I kind of felt bad, but I need to exercise this idea. Essentially turn a bike into a scooter. The hope was to create a one wheeled Segway, that would be easy to ride, transport, and store. It would be self propelled by the operators foot, similar to kicking on a scooter (no, not a Vespa!). Unfortunately I had some trouble with the pedals and crank arm removal from the original bike that greatly delayed progress and ultimately forced me to toss it before completion. It was a fun attempt, I learned quite a bit about bikes along the way, which certainly wont hurt in the long run.

Graphics

I enjoy developing graphics and use Paint Shop Pro to explore and invent. I really like bringing a sketch of mind into digital format then being able to exploit it with color and effects. Enjoy!

Filmstrip

Here’s a little post-production done on the aforementioned Sims snowboard.

Shoot

Here’s a photo I took at Waikiki Beach on Oahu, Hawaii. I gave it some pastel contrast to give it some spice. Think of it as Endless Summer meets Reservoir Dogs illusion.

aerocooler

It all started on a hot summer night, without AC. A trip to Home Depot, Pet Smart, Linens and Things, then back to Home Depot, yielded this priceless creation, that I promise will change the world of heating, cooling, and ventilation someday! Why waste so much energy on heating the air around you, when you can directly heat or cool your buns. Needless to say, the fish tank aerator pump that I bought for this, did quite give me the airflow that I was looking for. No worries, you got to start somewhere. And finding the right components are the most creative and fulfilling part of any project.

inline longboard

Keeping with the in-line wheel platform, I experimented mounting some wheels onto a ski. I hoped that this would allow me to flex the board into a carve and propel myself while transitioning. I tend to fore-go gravity in my design brainstorming. aaahhh!

the swivler

Ehh, a swivel castor as the rear wheel with a free-hinged truck front wheel set. All mounted onto a skateboard deck that was recovered from a dark ally in Maui. If I had used some sturdier components, this may have seen the light of day, but no such luck. The idea is similar to the Tierney Rides board, but not in the same ballpark as that shredder.

the hinger

I stepped up my design techniques and attempted this triple hinged board, meant to completely simulate snowboarding on the street. Well, not quite!! I think I could get this working a bit better (i.e. being able to stand on it, would be a good start) if I wasn't building it in my apartment, sorry for the power tools, neighbors. Rave reviews go to my powerful (and extremely loud) Dremel tool.

balance ship

It turns out this design is not nearly as entertaining as a traditional balance board - find one in a trash can near you!