Art Topic-OT I suppose- art projectors

[Roothawg]

I know they aren't for the art purist but I am not an artist. I have quite a bit of ability but I have problems with scaling things up to a large format. In art class they used to have a formula for the 1" grids but that has been a LONG time. I used to see those little projectors in some of the airbrush mags. Is there a really cheap one that will work ok for a hobbyist?

[Kojack]

I see them in art stores all the time... I don't think they are too expensive... might get one around 40 bucks or so, maybe a bit more. Check your local art/crafts/stationary store and see what they've got.

[dusty]

Thats the way the "Wall of Fame " gets done in my garage. I couldnt without. Got my projector at Hobby Lobby. Seems like it was 30 bucks. They had a little nicer one for around 70 bucks and if I would have known how much I would use it, I would have spent the extra clams for it.

[Roothawg]

That's exactly what I was gonna do with it Dusty.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I have a friend who owns a sign shop. He has a large one for sale. Shipping wouldn't be cheap from northern Minnesota but the machine can do what you need and then some.

Just ask and I'll check on it for you.

[Roothawg]

Thanks SJ. I would imagine that it would be a little bigger than what I would need.

The ones I am talking about are portable and are about the size of an old 8mm projector.

[Roothawg]

Another question. Most of the ones I have seen show to have a viewable area of 6"x6". That's some pretty small artwork. Do you have to section your art into 1/4's?

[dusty]

Everything I did came from small stuff. It enlarged it good enough for what I was doing.

[Paul]

do a search for Opaque Projector

(ebay's got a bunch in all price ranges)

theres a junk man outside Sedro Wooly that has stacks of them for like $40.00 each.

Paul

[dusty]

Heres some of the wall.

[Roothawg]

Is it blurry....... Dusty?
not blurry dusty just blurry

Just wondering how clear the 40 dollar ones were.

[DrJ]

[ QUOTE ]
I know they aren't for the art purist ...

[/ QUOTE ]

Artists have used various forms of projection equipment to aid in composing "art" since the time of Leonardo Da Vinci and earlier.
The earliest used the small pin hole in a panel like is used today to "see" an eclipse of the sun but it was to project a scene onto a canvass This sually was an elaborate box affair that the artist could get inside of and trace the image on his work panel that was being projected through the pin hole in the opposite wall of the box... Upside down of course!

[mikes51]

[ QUOTE ]
Another question. Most of the ones I have seen show to have a viewable area of 6"x6". That's some pretty small artwork. Do you have to section your art into 1/4's?

[/ QUOTE ]

Scan or photograph your original art, then use your computer's ability to downsize your pics. Then tell your printer to print it out at 6" by 6". Put that printout in your projector.

[Tim]

check out school auction stuff??? i got one for like nuthin from a class room going to a new board and ect set up. had no use for an overhead projector

tim

[Unkl Ian]

I borrowed a low-end art projector from a friend of mine.
It was only marginally useful over a 3' distance in a dark room. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif
An overhead projector would be better,if you could print your artwork on mylar.
A proper opaque projector,like used in schools,would be first choice,but harder to find.
I saw one in a Pawn Shop once,gone by the time I went back to get it.

[BARNETT]

Mine is an old overhead Belle and Howell (sp?) like the schools use. I think the little ones you're talking about will work fine for your purposes, but it will have to be pretty dark to get the image projected and I wouldn't think it would enlarge to anything too terribly big. Just take your imagge to the local Kinko's, or wherever, and have it shrunk to fit the 6"x6"...if you don't have a printer at home.

[Roothawg]

Man I haven't seen one of those old school projectors in years. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled.

[BARNETT]

I think you can buy the new version at Office Depot for about $150. That's not a bad price...if I'm not making it up. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[Roothawg]

Thanks man, I'll check it out. Now is Mylar the only thing you can use on those?

[DrJ]

quick search, top of the list http://www.dickblick.com/zz530/13/products.asp?param=0&ig_id=3098

[Roothawg]

That one looks pretty good Doc....

[dixiedog]

At the sign shop i worked at we used one like the schools have all the time, we would take a business card make a transparent copy and use the projector to enlarge and trace onto paper to make a pounce pattern with to do large signs.

[BARNETT]

Root...I use 3M Transpareny film...just run it through the copier after you have the size (enlarge or reduce) figured out. You want to keep the projector as close to the draing board as possible....less distortion and cleaner image to work with this way. It's all just a case of trial and error and personal prefferences. Feel free to call with any ?'s. Good Luck and keep us posted.

[Paul]

of course the opaque projector, like DrJ's example do not use the through lighting like an overhead projector that require a milar sheet

they are lit from the front side of the object so you can use your original art piece (size permitting)

the light is fairly intense, like 300 watts, so if your art is fragile you may want to use a copy of your original.

my gf has one (she picked up for $20.00 used) similar to this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2967407507&category=15 257

Paul

[Missing Link]

Boycott Dick Blick! Bunch of goddam fisters at that place! Twice I have ordered items from them, and both times they arrived fucked up. I called and complained and got no satisfaction. They're fuckin' jerks... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif
Sorry 'bout the rant. Anyway back to the question at hand. Craft stores usually carry them in various price ranges.

[dusty]

The one I have got can only be used in a dark room. I have got to cardboard the windows and turn the lights out to use it.It isnt real blurry but you can imagine what you might lose going from 6x6 to 2'x 2'. It does have a focus on the lens. I looked for one of the old scjool jobs but got tired of the wait so bought this one. Good Luck

[D Picasso]

I need me one o' those classroom overheads. scaling up things using a grid is no picnic. can they see through thin tracing vellum?