STUCK UP
A poster show. For the poster movie.
About a poster scene. In Houston Texas.

With new work by Give Up, DUAL, Eyesore, Cutthroat, 2:12, Shreddi, Garro, Vote Right, GONZO247, Ack!, Michael C. Rodriguez, GhostTown

Friday, May 4, 2012
Domy Books – Houston
1709 Westheimer, Houston, TX 77098
7-9pm, FREE j.mp/HwhMUp

FILM PREVIEW: vimeo.com/12668683

Exhibition runs May 4-June 14, 2012

Street artists featured in Stick Em Up! unite in Stuck Up, an edgy poster exhibition on display at Domy Books in Houston, Texas.

Stick Em Up! is a gritty street art documentary directed by local filmmaker Alex Luster that gives you a driver’s seat view of what it’s like to be an illegal street artist.

Domy Books will host this unique art exhibition that showcases artists Give Up, DUAL, Eyesore, Cutthroat, 2:12, Shreddi, Garro, Vote Right, GONZO247, Ack!, Michael C. Rodriguez and GhostTown.

Each artist created their own version of the Stick ‘Em Up! poster. The framed, limited-edition posters will be on exhibit from May 4th to June 14. The posters, hand pulled by the printers of Black Swan Screen Printing Studios, will be available for purchase.

The exhibition’s opening night coincides with the Houston Premiere of Stick ‘Em Up! at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Stick Em Up! http://stickemupmovie.com/

Domy Books http://www.domystore.com/

I will be debuting a brand new limited edition print and will be at black swan all day signing prints. These are some photos of the process that happens every week at black swan!

Come by Saturday to see the finished product and say hello!

Sincerely,

Adrian Landon Brooks

We’ve worked with Jake from Leprechaun before in the past, and were excited when we got the opportunity to take on a rare side seam project. Custom printing on the side of a garment usually only takes a little extra effort; in fact, just about any placement can be done on a garment as long as the printing area is flat, and the garment is securely in place. But the real surprises begin when the actual garments arrive!

Arriving to our Houston studio direct from American Apparel’s primary factory, the garments came with an additional surprise… an unmentioned side seam construction. Any raised area on a garment leads to additional difficulties, since screen printing relies on a flat surface in order to evenly transfer ink. Rather than be stymied in our efforts, we took off to our lab to construct a seam platen to print on, when the seam could sit in a groove in order to provide a smooth printing surface.

Despite a few set-backs, we finished the project with some very unique, custom screen printed dresses for our client to use in promotions and brand building activities. They definitely make an impression!

Many thanks again to Jake and Leprechaun Cider Company for bringing their project to us.

There’s no sign of Winter here in Houston, Texas, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t welcome the springtime!

Coming up in March, Flatstock will make its appearance in Austin, Texas, in celebration of the all-mighty screen printed poster. For the uninitiated, Flatstock is a gigposter convention and sale which coincided with South by South West. Participating artists and print shops register with the American Poster Institute, and roll our their wares for the general public to check out and purchase. Where else could you add 5 unique pieces of art to your collection for around $100?

Being in the thick of the t-shirt industry, a lot of people forget that screen printing is responsible for much more than just ink on fabric. For example, the process finds a home in the manufacturing plants which produce many of our electronics. Modern circuit boards, touch screen membranes, and other internal components can’t be produced with out resorting to the “black art” of printing.

Similarly, many forget to think about products also producible by screen printing when planning out a foray into print. Business cards? Art Prints? Custom labels and packaging? Screen printing can add a twist to any of them in a way that only adds value. Also worth mentioning is the ease at which screen printing can “get along with” other print mediums. Still need the ease of CMYK printing without the cost of screen printing, or potential loss of detail? Consider printing CMYK elements of the design via digital or offset, and then add screen printing into the mix for unique spot colors, embellishments, and more.

Designers and artists should also take note when planning out how to monetize their products. Although your brand may be rooted in street wear and fashion, stop and ask yourself what makes a design successful on a shirt. Is it because of the shirt, or the artwork? If the latter is what really pulls together the look, doesn’t it make sense that people might want to buy it as a print? The same artwork, printed on a good paper stock, can be produced without a heavy investment into t-shirts (often at $3-$4 per shirt), and often sold for the same price.

Scared of taking a chance on something new? Material costs on printed editions are almost next to nothing, so it’s not going to break the bank. With a healthy edition size of 50 or more prints, it’s easy to recoup the production cost by selling 5-10 prints.

So, looping back to our celebration this month of all things Flatstock, we’re offering several price specials on prints. All specials include screen fees, ink, and paper (either on our 100# cover white stock, or on chipboard), and begin at $180 for 50, 2-color 18×24″ prints, or $240 for 50, 3-color 18×24″ prints. Additional color runs, different size pricing, and more are available as well. All you need to do is send the artwork and description of the project to us via our “Services” page, or direct to production@blackswanscreenprinting.com.

Happy Spring from Spring Street Studios in muggy Houston, Texas!

I will be in a group show On February 24th At the ABB gallery located in Austin,TX. The show title pretty much sums up what you will see. Lots of animals,people,and probably some animal people. My mural partner Kristopher Kotcher will also have some great work as well as a premier of his new video project How to Paint a Self Portrait.

Here is the event page on Facebook if you would like to RSVP. The opening is from 7-10 pm on Friday the 24th. ABB gallery 1601 east 5th st Austin,TX

Hope some friendly faces can make it out for the evening!

-Adrian

I am happy to announce that we have picked our first 3 artists whose work will be printed in the coming weeks…

First up is the talented Mark Cross.

Mark cross is a tattooer from San Francisco; currently based in Brooklyn and working out of East River Tattoo. Focusing primarily on old-world American traditional tattoo and folk art, his tattoo style is simple and bold; comprised of hard lines and heavy black shading. In addition to tattooing, Mark has been making art and photographs for several years and has shown his work in galleries and museums in New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Amsterdam and curates the photo website muddguts.com.You can contact him at mark@muddguts.com.

Next up is EYESORE.

EYESORE reigns from the Houston streets and is probably one of your favorite artists if you live in TX. The beautiful and often bleak imagery leaves you wanting more, as the line work has a perfect mix of hard lines and delicate texture. This artist is a true gift to the Houston streets. Drive around and take advantage of the free gallery show because I have a feeling EYESORE is going somewhere. See more at My Coffin Hands.

Last but not least is DUAL…

DUAL is an anonymous Houston-based street artist with a specialty in wheat paste and a noteworthy presence for over a decade. His work takes on a variety of different backgrounds, gracing everything from rundown buildings to gessoed canvases. With blatant graffiti influences, DUAL brings a fresh face to the city be it with a paint brush, squeegee, marker, or computer mouse. Follow him along on his lifelong city beautification project by keeping an eye on his blog at www.dualstreets.com.

These three champs will have prints available exclusively on our brand new web store. Each design being released was especially made for black swan and will be printed in very limited amounts. Keep checking Black swans blog and Facebook for updates!

-Adrian Landon Brooks