Screen Printing

Screen printing is a method of print making. Using paints and a screen which a pattern has been exposed on to, you can slide paint across the top and through to create the image.

First I printed my image onto an A4 sheet of paper, postcard size in black and white.

This is the original template which will be flipped in the next step of the process.

 I then photo copied that image onto a piece of acetate which was then given to a technician at my college who helped my with the making of the screen. Similar to creating a photogram we used a light sensitive liquid and the acetate, the dark areas of the acetate meant that light didn't get through to the paint so it could be washed off at a later time with water.

I can now use this screen multiple times to create multiple prints with different colours on any flat surface. First create a line of paint above the image and using the slider; slide the paint down over the image, lift the slider, spin it around and slide it back over the image to the starting point. You can then lift the screen and the print will be on the surface.

I am going to start simply by using black paint and the whole template.

 Some detail is lost using this method however it has a very rough look and I can still tell what the image is meant to be of. I am going to jump straight into blocking of certain areas of the screen now in order to create a style similar to that of Andy Warhol.

First I started with the purple of the shirt which was very effective considering the original darkness of the shirt. I then moved on to the orange of the face. I covered the hair so it wouldn't get coloured; however I forgot to cover the shirt. Not realising this till afterwards I only dragged the paint half way across the image which is enough for just the face, which explains the curved line across the middle. However I think this works really well, especially as they don't match up completely and there is an orange outline. Everything but the hair was then covered and I finished it with the blue paint.

I was also offered a piece of semi transparent paper by a tutor to try it on.

The image is of similar quality to the normal paper that I have used; however the paint seems to be a lot thicker. This might be because of the papers plastic feel which prevents some of the paint being absorbed. I was going to try another print over the top of the image although I think that due to the density of the paints it would simply cover the pink, hiding it.

Mono Printing

A mono print is a form of a contact print like a pencil drawing which is contact between the pencil and paper. It is the contact between paper and ink.

To create a mono print you first place a "poo" of ink on a flat surface; I used a water based ink which will wash out if it was to spill onto clothing then it would easily be cleaned. Using a roller spread the ink across the surface to make a thin layer. Place a piece of paper on top of the ink an then the image on top of the paper and using a pencil draw over the edges which will press against the ink creating the image on the paper.

This is the first attempt at mono printing, it is somewhat successful with basic outlines and indication of areas that would be coloured if coloured if different coloured ink was available.

Here I have used the image that I used on the previous mono print and I used the left over ink to create a background, glasses and other dark areas. This was really difficult, I struggled a lot to get the ink accurately and precisely in the right areas so I would not recommend this method.

I have tried to do it again with more ink which has compromised the quality/clean edge of the actual drawing so I don't think that I will do it again.

In order to take advantage of the amount of ink that was on the surface I simply put another piece of paper over the area and used the roller which picked up the areas with more ink.

Again I have used too much ink and the lines have come out way too thick even though I was using a freshly sharpened pencil so that this would not happen.

This is the ghost print of the previous image showing that the lines are thinner and looks a lot better than the other one.
I am going to keep attempting to make a good print.

 I still feel that this image is to patchy and too much ink is being used. Maybe I lent on the paper during the print.

In this print I have used the pencil very lightly in the lower areas to create shadow on the models body, I did the same for his hair. On the left the lines are very thin and precise which is what I would like to achieve, however in other areas like the models collar the lines are very thick. This shows variation in pressures as I am drawing so I will have to work on that.

This is exactly what I have been trying to achieve. Thin lines with shadow and fairly accurate to the original image. I would also like to try using colour. Maybe I could use several copies of the original image as stencils in order to separate areas and still be able to see the details of the image.

Using the stencils, rollers and inks I was able to place colour on this image whilst still being able to see the details of the image. I dislike how rough the edges are on the face; which I think was caused by the smooth rollers and small amount of space to work with. I think that I would have had to use a lot of ink in order to fill the face fully however that would obscure the facial features.

Seeing this I think that I might be attempting this in the wrong way. I love the colours and how rough it looks however I feel that it is not good enough. I might have to learn how to screen print instead which is more like Andy Warhol's style creating the Marilyn Monroe images.

Luke Waller

Waller is a commercial illustrator in the editorial sector. Most of the time he works with pencil drawings and mono printing to put colour in his images however he will often use Photoshop if the deadline is very short and create a similar effect he would have using the physical method.

This illustration was commissioned by Highlife Magazine for the interview with Paloma Faith. The characters in the background are characters from the Wes's films. This is because during the interview she states that they were a massive influence to her work and sometimes inherit their personalities during her work. To me this image looks like it was made physically because of the very rough nature of the colour against the lines. This would match Wallers style of using monoprinting. A large variety of colours have been used, mostly cold colours like blues and greens; however a dark orange has been used which is a signature colour of Paloma's hair. This colour has then been used in other areas which enhances the importance it has to her character. I really love how the colours are so rough and raw compared to the detail that has been put into the portraits.There is also what looks like paint drippings along the bottom and left of the image which might have simply been done with a dropper and ink; this adds to how raw the image looks. I would like to learn how to use this style so that I can incorporate it into my own work.

This image is called the American dream and Waller states that it is all about how it has changed over time now that technology is so much more accessible. It also shows how we often see families on TV and social networks which has influenced how we behave and what we expect from a family. The blue tones on the flag and the family shows how cold and boring the dream has become. However the bright orange and yellows from the TV is covering up how boring it really is by making it look positive. The warm colours would make the viewer feel good about what they are watching which actually should all be a shade of blue. The warm colours is then transferred across to the family which is visible. This shows how influenced they are, it's a little like they are brainwashed.

Initial ideals

When I first heard that I would have to make postcards I came to the conclusion that I would have to take landscape images. However this turned out to just be the final image format and souvenirs was the real theme. The tourist shops in cities like London came to mind straight away. As the true meaning of souvenirs and examples of postcards were shown I saw images that used block colours in specific places of the image. I wonder if I can use block colours to excite portraits. 

That actually makes me think of Warhol's Marilyn Monroe images using consistancy and defined colour to define the image. An illustrator names Luke Weller recently came to give a talk and explained how he uses mono printing to give a rustic and rough look to what would have been a boring block colour. Maybe this is something that I could look into. 

I feel that still life would be too easy to achieve because the objects and the lighting is fully adjustable however controlling a model is a lot harder especially if I am working alone because I have to get the model right and adjust the lighting to match that position all myself. I find this challenging and that's why I enjoy taking fashion and organised portraits. Initial thoughts lead to taking black and white film photographs and then using prints, ink, paint etc to manipulate the image. This could possible change the whole image entirely. 

The shaded areas are there to show the use of colour or manipulation. Possible shapes and different uses/positions of the colours.