Screen Printing

To start screen printing, you must have every material and media you're using ready. Such as; Calico, Silk, Cotton, chiffon, satin or either paper (if you wished to use). You can basically print on anything, piece of clothing, any previous worksheets you have. Afterwards, you then need to make sure you have them at the correct size as your screen. Because with my screen, i did it at the size of A4 but my pieces of material. Were at the size of A5's so when it came to screen printing over my fabric, not all of my screen design went onto my material. Next, you need coloured ink which is known as Procion Dye. You can use as many colours you may wish to use. For us, we already had a mixture of colours placed out. Like Blue (Dark and Light), Red, Orange, Yellow, Green etc. Once your colours are done, you're ready to begin your screen prints. You need to place, which ever material you wish to print on, underneath your screen. Choose your colour or colours (If you wish), put a good amount of pigment onto your screen. Then grab your squeege and press down hard onto your pigment colour. Carefully, drag it down once then up and again. To make sure that the colour pigment, has covered your choosen material to create a print. If, you're successful and your print came out perfectly. You can then either wash your screen and squeege, with the jet wash. Or contiuning printing with the exsiting colour or colours, you have used to make more effective screen prints.

I first started off with a piece of white cotton at A5 size. We had to begin starting with creating backgrounds, to print on afterwards. My first choice of colour was dark Blue, simply did a dark Blue background. Afterwards, i came up with the idea to dab my other white cotton sheet down onto the table, where the left over procion dye was. And within a second the white cotton fabric started to have a 'splat' effect to it. But unfortnaly, not all of the procion dye covered the whole white cotton sheet. So that's when i decided to add a different colour into my prints such as; Red. I did the same again with the procion dye Red and this time the dye covered the rest of the white, cotton sheet. The colours together, gave my background a dark also colourful effect which i was impressed. Once i'd taken my two print sheets over to the drying rack. Again i used the same method by getting a plain, white cotton sheet and dab it all over the left over procion dye. I was really pleased this with how the left over, procion dye soaked into my white cotton. And gave my background a nice, light and calm colour to it. For my final white cotton sheet, i decided on using as completely different colours. I went for Blue, Yellow and green. Using the 'splat' effect, i strongly believe that i could have tried harder with the background choices and colours. But i am pleased with myself, that i tried and joined in with this activity.

When all my backgrounds were on the drying rack to dry, during that time we were asked to make paper to also use on screen printing. When my new pieces of paper were dry, i was then ready to use them with my backgrounds. With all my pieces of paper and backgrounds, i then placed each piece one at a time under my screen and began printing over them. I tried to use various colours, some bright and dark. For my white cotton sheets, i printed two sheets in Blue pigment. The next one in a little bit of Red, Orange and Pink. This one was my favourite out of them all. Because the colours are light and colourful. This screen print design is really neat and effective, in my opinion it drawns you into it. Because of how the colours blend with one another. My final white cotton sheet, i came up with the idea to have one side a colour and the otherside a different colour. The colours i'd chose was Orange and Brown. Because i then have a light and dark colour together, which i was hoping that will look great. Happily to say, everything went exactly how i hoped. Both colours covered the exact sides, were i wanted them. Giving the print design a crazy, weird effect when you look at it. Because you're not just looking at one colour, but both colours dark and light. The previous four white cotton sheets (backgrounds). I decided to use the Black colour pigment. Because of how dark my backgrounds became, so that when i screen printed over them. The Black pigment will stand out, prefectivly. Because Black goes with anything. But for the Blue, Yellow and Green background, i thought about using grey. Because at the time, the Grey pigment looked dark and i began to think that the screen print design will come through nicely. Unfortunatley, the Grey pigment came out very weak and faded a lot.

Next was my own made paper to print onto. I started off with the smallest piece i'd made, which was a small square. I truely hated this print design. Because it is too small for all of my screen print design, to fit on. Also, the Black pigment i'd used was too much. Which made the print come out in a messy, smudgey way. Because the design hasn't come through propelly with the amount what was on. My next paper print was shaped as a circle, this screen print design i was really impressed with. Because the pattern came through nicely, smudged a little bit but still looks effective. The colours i'd chose was Black and Brown pigment, i tried to give it a two toned colour. But instead middle half of was Black and the top and bottom were Brown. Overall, it was impressive because of the pattern and with the shape of paper. Next design, again i wasn't impressed. Because the colour pigment, i'd used was yellow. And once i took the paper off my screen to check my print design. Some of the design came through, but the colour i'd chose was too bright. And doesn't look too good or effective. Because the brightness of the colour i used. Futhermore, my next paper print design i wasn't really happy with. Because the amount of pigment i put on my screen, was too much for the paper. When i'd used the squeege up and down on my screen, instead of only doing it twice. I did it at least, four to five times. So during that time am just adding more and more pigment onto my paper. Finally, my last paper print design was a complete mess. Because the brusho inks, i sprinkled on the paper. Has given it a really dark and too much of the colour. I don't mind too much of the tissue paper i used. But also, the colour pigment i'd chose was too light and didn't show up well enough. If i'd chose black for my colour pigment, i then would have had a good chance of my screen print design, standing out.