screen printing

I was looking for interesting shadows and shapes as I did my bike ride today.

A photo of a great shadow can easily be turned into some kind of matrix for printmaking. For people who do not love to draw this is a great way to make your imagery personal.

Shadows are wonderful because they flatten the 3-d shape into a 2-d image that is easier to draw or trace. It is one way to trick the mind into flattening 3 dimensional shapes.

• I encourage you to look for shadows.
• Look at different times of the day.
• Capture them with your phone or camera.
• Be open to the idea of making them into a stencil or stamp or other printmaking matrix.

Sometimes you can create shadows. I placed the jar of tools on the window sill, in bright light and hung a white piece of fabric in front of it.

Shadows simplify the negative spaces. The objects become shapes rather than the things that they are. This creates a new freedom in your mind to draw the shape, rather that the tiny details of the things.

Try it!

Screen printing is a process where you can use shape based drawings to print on fabric and paper.

Are you organized?

Do you have a system to collect images and ideas that inspire you?

Some places where I collect ideas and inspiration:

• traditional sketchbooks
• composition notebooks
• iPod
• handmade journals
• index cards

I confess. I am not organized and I have inspiration all over the place. It often takes some searching to find a drawing or photo that I need. I spend time looking through real folders and computer folders.

One “system” that I am finding useful is index card doodles and drawings. I generally work small, so index card images can easily be transformed into a matrix for printmaking, whether it be a stencil, a stamp or a reference for a line drawing.

Doodles that I used to make a stencil for screen printing.

Stencil for screen prints

Screen printed hand towel

I think that there are at least 3 steps to making art:

1. Ideas, inspiration and choosing a subject matter
2. Learning the basic skills of your medium
3. Finally, combining ideas and skills to create in your own voice.

It takes time and patience to get the skills and combine them with your own ideas to make the art that is uniquely you!

Give yourself time to build skills.

If you want to explore screen printing in your own home studio, then join us in this session of Pulling Screen Prints. 

In this online printmaking course, we will learn several methods of screen printing, paper stencils, drawing fluid, screen filler, experimental resists and thermofax screen printing.

Screen printing is great for projects where you want to print lots of the same image. For example:

Fabric yardage

Cards

Wrapping paper

Editions of a single image

Get this FREE screen printing tutorial.

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Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Today I made a wax crayon rubbing of a soft block relief plate. I used a crayon at first and then tried a candle.

I made the rubbing on a curtain sheer and stretched it in an embroidery hoop. The goal is to cover the surface with a dense coating of wax in the high areas of the pink plate, so ink will only pass through the white areas.

I tried the black crayon first, but the wax was not really thick enough, so I tried a candle. The coverage of was was better, but it is still an experimental process.

I taped all the areas where I did not the ink to pass through and did a bunch of test prints.

I think this image would work as a textural layer on some prints that already have a few layers of information.

This was a fun experiment. I will keep the process in mind for future projects where it may be beneficial. If you would like to try screen printing get the FREE tutorial below. Enjoy!

A friend of mine gave me this little wood carved stamping tool. I love to use it on the gelatin plate to lift off and reapply ink.

The block is not flat, so I broke it once by pressing too hard. I was able to glue it back together but there is an interruption in the pattern.

At first I was going to make a screen from the block printed impression, but I decided that the design was too long and the pattern too irregular for a screen printed design. Some designs are better for one printing process than another. So I drew a shorter set of rectangles and burned a screen.

The design printed up nice and crisp. I printed an all over random pattern on a piece of cloth. When it dries I plan to add another pattern or color.

I wanted to quickly show you the basic moves of making a screen print with a Thermofax screen. So here is a 30 second video.

This Kit is no longer available.