11th October- Screen Printing reflections
11th October
Screen printing reflections
As part of Skills 6, we are required to independently progress with our chosen field. As I have chosen screen print I booked in to use the studio. Within the workshop we had exposed our screens so I was all ready to go in the evening session. (full practical reflections on 'Screen printing' blog post).
The use of screen printing as a process is always something that has interested me. This is due to the personal yet also mechanical features. The personal labour put into each print means that individually they are distinct and have a more crafted quality; compared to mechanical printing. Although the screen does not change, the slight inconsistency across the prints is what draws me further into the method. This is possibly due to the novelty of something being a 'one of a kind' in a world of mass reproduction. Over time, it seems that screenprinting has shifted from a method of exact re-production to that of personal reproduction. Our now more advanced methods of printing things exactly and uniformly means that screen printing becomes redundant as a 'exact copying' method. Yet this opens new doors for the process, allowing the craft to speak for itself.
The labour exerted into each print, as a craft, can sometimes be a rarity within creative culture today. Therefore, I deliberately only produced 6 final prints on quality printing paper. Although I did testers and smaller paper prints, these do not hold the same 'limited edition' type appeal. One of these prints will exhibit in the library bookcase along with the etching.
The individuality of each print is extended further to its colouration. Before I printed; I tested colours and mixed them to settle on the right one for the image. The colouration will differ slightly from print to print due to thickness of ink and force exerted during the printing process. Due to the colour psychology backing much of the colour choices for the works, this is relevant. A single print will therefore display a different representation as the colour plays a slightly differing role in each. On the thinner layers of ink, the slightly lighter shade will speak of a different active role to the thicker layers, exerting a deeper colouration. As the second layer of ink is printed, this also changes the colours further, the new layers mixing with the old or sitting directly above. Both of these, unplanned material happenings in the process alter what the final colour rests as. This is something that is also very curious about the process, the layering of ink to create a holistic piece. This works along side the choice of image thematically, the layers of the ink build an image of roots intertwined. Much as the layers of books sit in the library, overlapping thematically. All built from the same words yet enlightening individuals differently. Each sentence may be read differently depending on the individual.
The time consuming process of screen printing gave me time to think to the final aspect of the concept I have produced for the Skills 6 brief. The idea of a poem to accompany the imagery. The layering of the craft and the time spent were both themes which will feature.
Screen printing reflections
As part of Skills 6, we are required to independently progress with our chosen field. As I have chosen screen print I booked in to use the studio. Within the workshop we had exposed our screens so I was all ready to go in the evening session. (full practical reflections on 'Screen printing' blog post).
The use of screen printing as a process is always something that has interested me. This is due to the personal yet also mechanical features. The personal labour put into each print means that individually they are distinct and have a more crafted quality; compared to mechanical printing. Although the screen does not change, the slight inconsistency across the prints is what draws me further into the method. This is possibly due to the novelty of something being a 'one of a kind' in a world of mass reproduction. Over time, it seems that screenprinting has shifted from a method of exact re-production to that of personal reproduction. Our now more advanced methods of printing things exactly and uniformly means that screen printing becomes redundant as a 'exact copying' method. Yet this opens new doors for the process, allowing the craft to speak for itself.
The labour exerted into each print, as a craft, can sometimes be a rarity within creative culture today. Therefore, I deliberately only produced 6 final prints on quality printing paper. Although I did testers and smaller paper prints, these do not hold the same 'limited edition' type appeal. One of these prints will exhibit in the library bookcase along with the etching.
The individuality of each print is extended further to its colouration. Before I printed; I tested colours and mixed them to settle on the right one for the image. The colouration will differ slightly from print to print due to thickness of ink and force exerted during the printing process. Due to the colour psychology backing much of the colour choices for the works, this is relevant. A single print will therefore display a different representation as the colour plays a slightly differing role in each. On the thinner layers of ink, the slightly lighter shade will speak of a different active role to the thicker layers, exerting a deeper colouration. As the second layer of ink is printed, this also changes the colours further, the new layers mixing with the old or sitting directly above. Both of these, unplanned material happenings in the process alter what the final colour rests as. This is something that is also very curious about the process, the layering of ink to create a holistic piece. This works along side the choice of image thematically, the layers of the ink build an image of roots intertwined. Much as the layers of books sit in the library, overlapping thematically. All built from the same words yet enlightening individuals differently. Each sentence may be read differently depending on the individual.
The time consuming process of screen printing gave me time to think to the final aspect of the concept I have produced for the Skills 6 brief. The idea of a poem to accompany the imagery. The layering of the craft and the time spent were both themes which will feature.
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