Year Two Day One Hundred and Fifteen - Serigraphy

Dear all, 

Today, I am attempting the noble art of Serigraphy (otherwise known as Screen Printing). I start out by washing my screen in the rather menacing looking shower stall situated at the back of the [vast] print room. It is important to ware full body protection (including ear-muffs) whilst using the high powered jet - it seems so innocent yet water-hitting-screen can be excruciatingly high pitched!

I allowed my screen to dry and started to draw on it directly using a specific, washable, green screen ink. I am currently working on a collaborative Printing-Drawing project *eowww* and have decided to screen print a forest of cherry blossom trees *sigh*. Here you see the first colour of my screen pring [The branches]. Ignore the flower in the bottom right... I erased it eventually on further consideration. 

I then prepared my paper in the meantime: The paper is very posh and needs to be torn to the correct size and registered in order to print in a consistent manner **note to all: printing is VERY time consuming*

After the green screen ink had dried, I covered the screen in 'red block out' acrylic paint and left to dry. 

In the meantime, I mixed my ink ( also acrylic)... a lovely brown to be exact. 

I then washed off the green-screen ink from my screen which left a nifty stencil from which I could print through. I attached the screen to the press and was ready to print!

Here you can see the ink on the screen - I have masterly placed the posh paper underneath the screen on the press, which being sucked down simultaneously by a vacuum. 

I then used a squeedgy (real word) and pushed down *very* hard on the screen, pulling the ink across and allowing the ink to seep through. I then repeated to ensure the ink has passed through. 

Et Voila! My favourite printing technique ( no chemicals and quickest form of printing so far on the course *no kidding*). I left the prints to dry on the rack and am ready for to print the next of the 4 colours * phew*. 

Hurray!

And in other news:

1. I got selected to be in the BMFA Juried Art Show 2012 HURRAY!!!!!! http://www.bmfa.on.ca/