I feel that it is very important to understand the way silk screen printing was traditionally done in order to recreate the process. From my research, I learned really fun things about silk screening. I like the fact that silk screening is like a stencil and squeegee over the screen. I feel this is a fun process and you can do some interesting things with this process.
Silk screening was "originally used as a popular method to print expensive wall paper, printed on linen, silk and other fine fabrics." Then during the 20th century, silk screening became popular in fine arts and commercial arts. Commercial printing is usually printed on posters, t-shirts, hats, CDs, DVDs, ceramics, glass, paper, metals, woods, etc. The printing technique includes: 1) using a screen made of finely woven fabric (mesh) using silk (currently silk screens are made of manmade product such as nylon and polyester instead of silk). 2) Areas of the screen are blocked off with non-permeable material to make a stencil. It makes a negative of the image to be printed. Which means, the open areas of the stencil will be the places where the ink appears. 3) The screen is placed on paper or fabric. And then the ink is squeegeed on top of the screen.
The stenciling techniques include: 1) the original image is created into a transparent overlay such as tracing paper. 2) A screen must be selected. The screen must be coated with emulsion and let to dry in the dark. Once dry, it's read to be exposed. 3) The overly is placed over the emulsion-coated screen, and then exposed with alight source. 4) Wash the screen off thoroughly. The areas of emulsion that were not exposed to light dissolve and wash away, leaving a negative stencil of the image on the mesh.
Silkscreening Materials:
Caviar beads
again a glue is printed in the shape of the design, to which small plastic beads are then applied – works well with solid block areas creating an interesting tactile surface.
Discharge inks
used to print lighter colours onto dark background fabrics, they work by removing the dye in the garment – this means they leave a much softer texture. They are less graphic in nature than plastisol inks, and exact colours are difficult to control, but especially good for distressed prints and underbasing on dark garments that are to be printed with additional layers of plastisol.
Expanding ink (puff)
an additive to plastisol inks which raises the print off the garment, creating a 3D feel.
Flocking
consists of a glue printed onto the fabric and then foil or flock (or other special effect) material is applied for a mirror finish or a velvet touch.
Four colour process or the CMYK color model
artwork is created and then separated into four colours (CMYK) which combine to create the full spectrum of colours needed for photographic prints. This means a large number of colours can be simulated using only 4 screens, reducing costs, time, and set-up. The inks are required to blend and are more translucent, meaning a compromise with vibrancy of colour.
Glitter/Shimmer
metallic flakes are suspended in the ink base to create this sparkle effect. Usually available in gold or silver but can be mixed to make most colours.
Gloss
a clear base laid over previously printed inks to create a shiny finish.
Metallic
similar to glitter, but smaller particles suspended in the ink. A glue is printed onto the fabric, then nanoscale fibers applied on it.
Mirrored silver
Another solvent based ink, but you can almost see your face in it.
Nylobond
a special ink additive for printing onto technical or waterproof fabrics.
Plastisol
the most common ink used in commercial garment decoration. Good colour opacity onto dark garments and clear graphic detail with, as the name suggests, a more plasticized texture. This print can be made softer with special additives or heavier by adding extra layers of ink. Plastisol inks require heat (approx. 150°C (300°F) for many inks) to cure the print.
PVC and Phthalate Free
relatively new breed of ink and printing with the benefits of plastisol but without the two main toxic components - soft feeling print.
Suede Ink
Suede is a milky coloured additive that is added to plastisol. With suede additive you can make any colour of plastisol have a suede feel. It is actually a puff blowing agent that does not bubble as much as regular puff ink. The directions vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but generally you can add up to 50% suede additive to your normal plastisol.
Water-Based inks
these penetrate the fabric more than the plastisol inks and create a much softer feel. Ideal for printing darker inks onto lighter coloured garments. Also useful for larger area prints where texture is important. Some inks require heat or an added catalyst to make the print permanent.
All in all, researching the way things are traditionally done helped me have more of a direction on what details I needed to add to create a more credible illustration with the qualities of cel animation technique.
silk screen research:
artists:
1)
ANDY WARHOL: http://www.warhol.org/
I really like Andy Warhol's artwork. He brought silk screen to life through pop culture. He used the silk screening method that soon became fine art. His work became popular and controversial. I appreciate how Andy Warhol was able to take a common everyday commercial item, such as campbell's soup, and turn it into a a piece of fine art. He was able to make such an ordinary object look beautiful by using and understanding the process of silk screening. Silk screening is a beautiful medium of art, and Andy was really able to use silk screening to its fullest potential. Here is a collection of his artwork:
http://www.warhol.org/collection/art/
2) DOUG WEST: http://www.dougwestart.com/index.html
Doug West creates really beautiful silk screens. I love his work because he does silk screens of landscapes. He is able to capture and create the beauty of landscape in a way I have rarely seen before. I think it's really neat how he uses the technique of silk screen to produce such beautiful landscapes. Here is a collection of his work:
http://www.dougwestart.com/gallery/galleryLE.html
3) DAVID HOCKNEY
: http://www.denisbloch.com/showall.php?id=34
David Hockney is most known for his photo collages, but he did do some silk printing in his art career. I really like the simplicity of David Hockney's silk screen prints. He really worked well with composition, creating fun and playful works of art using silk screen as his medium. Here is one that I particularly like:
http://denisbloch.com/pics/hockney__apples_pears_and_grapes.jpg
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