25/10/22 This is an induction to using the screen print labs.
Here are some notes that I collected about the process of screen printing and using the equipment in uni.
Screen printing steps and information in note form:
Screen finer to make more detail 110 good for detailed stuff
77t Is good for fabric printing
Single colours on each screen
Layer each colour with separate screens
Need two screens for each colour. Touching colours have separate screens, so that it doesn't clog the screens up but also when you mix the colours, it will usually turn brown.
Exposing screens- you need to draw or print onto acetate to create an overlay that will be used to create the shapes on the screen. Each shape that you want on the screen, needs to be black on the acetate, so it will be blocked out when the screen is exposed. If doing dots, everything needs to be printed on acetate in black.
Screens have photo emulation on them so are in a light tight cupboard, this is so that they do not become exposed when they are not in use.
Remember to reverse the acetate ready to expose. Exposure unit under the counter, uses a metal hallouid light UV light
To create the screen, put the acetate on the blank screen, expose it to light to block out a section. The emulsion will go hard around where the acetate blocked out the light. you will then need to wash it after it has gone hard to get off the unwanted emulsion.
Set timer for two minutes
Make sure acetate is clean before exposing on the screen, so that it is clear on the screen and not dirty.
Put acetate on top of screen under the light to expose for 2 minutes
When it has been on for two minutes, take it to cleaning area and hose it off then dry it
If it contains fine detail hold it up to the light to make sure all of the emulsion has been washed away.
Don’t scrub it too hard, it may not be fully hardened
Use hair dryer to dry it, don’t heat it up for too long, it may split the screen.
You can print when it’s dry, use board when using the screen, you can lock the screen so you can line up each layer. For single colour, you can just print straight onto paper
Put some news print on the edge of the screen to catch ink
To block sections off, stick a little bit of news print on
Clamp screen down
Get a piece of paper, get large piece then cut it down, use acetate to line it up
Use system 3 acrylic paints but need to mix it with a acrylic medium, so that it doesn’t block the screen up.
Mix up your own colour, make sure that it is half and half.
Mix it properly, or you will get streaks
Squeegee, blue harder, green one softer
Either will work but blue for paper, green for fabric
Put plenty of ink on screen
Test some in a pallet to make sure it’s the colour you want
Prop up screen to put ink on, lower it when ready to make sure you don't accidentally print on the paper when you are loading it with ink.
Go through it one or two times
Squeegee at 45 degrees to make sure that the ink, is evenly distributed.
Don’t have to go heavy
Go gently over once
Spread ink across to do it quick
Don’t let screen dry out
The squeegee will have enough ink left on it
Put something underneath to prop it up to stop it printing
Scrape ink off screen and put it back into the pot
Wash screen, squeegee and mixer
Peel off the news print
Wash off with hose only, don’t use jet wash, it will cover you in ink
Turn screen over and spray with washing up liquid, scrub with sponge
Screens cost £25-£30 each so don’t let it block up
Let the first print dry before printing second layer
Need to line up this layer properly, place acetate back on to line up the next screen( need to be precise) be careful not to move the paper tape paper down
After you have printed second layer, repeat the cleaning process and return the screens.
I found this induction useful because screen printing is a process that I am interested in. I enjoyed learning about this process because its something I have wanted to do for a long time. Ive done screen printing before but this induction was useful because it helped me to remember and learn the technique again. However, I enjoyed this induction but I felt that it dragged on for a long time because it is a difficult process to explain.
The process of screen printing can be used for many uses like clothing, prints, posters, bags and others. If I was to create something with this process, I would create t-shirts and experiment with printing patterns onto jeans.
Artist Research
Angie Lewin
Angie Lewin is a British printmaker who specialises in screen printing, Linocut, wood engraving and lithography.
I like her work because I feel that it clearly documents nature but it is in an abstract way. The colours in this piece are a mixture of warm and cold tones that compliment each other very well. The light tones of the blue, contrast with the hot and harsh tones of the red. The black and white tones feel neutral and create that contrast between the red and blue.
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